Shixian slumbered blissfully, and after the meat was cooked, Quion and Bingmei shared it, taking turns biting pieces of meat from the skewer. The glyphs gave off plenty of warmth, and they felt comfortable nestled in the cave. Quion sung a little fishing song to the baby when he came awake again, and Bingmei listened to the gentle tune and felt the love in her heart grow brighter. Even though the night was black, with only a thin sliver of moon, the shelter was sufficient for their humble needs. She gazed at the scene, soaking in the peacefulness of it, and felt herself begin to nod off.
She awoke with a keen feeling of danger.
The cave was black, except for the glowing red runes carved on the wall. She blinked quickly, taking in her surroundings. Quion lay next to the basket cradle, one arm drooped over it. The snow leopard was asleep against him, its eyes closed in slumber. Yet the prickling feeling of awareness could not be misunderstood.
There was a dragon flying nearby, much closer than the ones that had passed overhead earlier. Anxiety stabbed at her heart, and she quietly rose to a crouch. The sound of leathery wings penetrated the quiet of the cave. Bingmei groped in the dark for her short sword and hurriedly strapped it around her waist. Where was the rune staff? She glanced around until she saw it, propped against the far wall.
Too far for her to reach in time.
The sound of something huge and heavy crunched into the snow. Bingmei held her breath. She heard a clicking noise from the dragon’s throat. There was no denying it came her way.
Protect us, she thought in desperation.
I can’t. It smelled the cooked meat and senses the heat from the glyphs. You must protect everyone.
Bingmei’s stomach tightened into a knot. During previous seasons of the Dragon of Night, she had spent the dark months training. Her reflexes were not in peak condition. She wasn’t ready to fight anyone, let alone a dragon.
The snow leopard lifted its head and let out a little growl.
In the end the fact that she wasn’t ready didn’t matter—whatever her chances, Bingmei had to protect Quion and Shixian. She mastered her fear with determination and moved stealthily forward. A shadow blotted the cave’s entrance. She saw the dim moonlight caress the dark scales. It was not Echion’s smell, thank goodness, but it still reeked of death and hunger, seasoned with the anticipation that it might have found what it was hunting for.
The dragon couldn’t fit inside the cave, and she watched as it shifted and compressed until it stood in the form of a man in a silk jacket, a fur coat, and rugged boots. She didn’t recognize him, but he smelled more human now. His excitement increased as he cautiously crept into the cave, anticipating that he would catch them unawares, asleep.
“Bingmei?”
It was Quion, who had awakened.
The dragon-man felt a thrill of discovery, and that’s when she jumped at him. She leaped with a flying kick, trying to knock him in the head, but he ducked. As soon as she landed, she felt his leg sweep around and knock her down. Her reflexes were terrible! Pain spiked through her as she struck the stone, but she flipped backward to dodge a blow from a hand splayed in the dragon-claw pose. She deflected another blow as soon as she landed, then cocked her elbow and struck him in the chest with her palm.
He grunted in pain, then kicked at her knee, striking it viciously. The pain made her gasp, but she blocked a second kick with both arms before lunging at him. They exchanged a series of blows and blocks as she drove him back toward the snowy outdoors.
Her heart lurched with dread when he dodged past her, putting himself between her and the rest of the cave. Did he know about the child? She dared not let him reach either Quion or Shixian. She jumped at him again and tried again to kick him, but he was too fast and dodged it. When she landed, he struck her in the ribs, hard, and she fell back against the wall of the cave. She felt his finger touch her abdomen, and he started drawing a glyph, one she recognized instantly as the death glyph.
Bingmei grabbed his finger and yanked it hard. She heard the snap as well as felt it. Then she kneed him hard in the stomach. Although she smelled his spurt of agony, he spun around and did a reverse kick that caught her on the temple.
The darkness was interrupted by flashing lights as Bingmei spun around dizzily and dropped to the floor. The pain was so acute she could barely see, but she reached for her blade anyway.
Then she heard the shriek of the snow leopard and a wail of terror from her child. She scrabbled to her feet, heart sick with worry, only to see the leopard had tackled the man and was slashing with its claws. The intruder howled in pain as the leopard continued to rake him. Somehow he managed to get loose, and she could hear him wheezing in agony and smell his fear and desire to escape. He stumbled toward the entrance, starting to transform again. Big dark wings sprouted from his back. In the dimness, she saw his bulk grow as he fled.
He could not be allowed to leave with knowledge of her baby.
Bingmei used her own power to fly after him. She caught him just as he left the cave, and plunged the sword into his back. The meiwood hilt thrummed with power, and she felt the magic swirl through the air and into her
