The Taste of Blood

"Psst. Pssssst. Hey!"

Something nudged him in the ribs, repeatedly.

Dao Ge grunted, annoyed, and scrunched his eyes tighter. His head was ringing with a dull ache and his body felt sore all over.

Whatever it was continued to prod him mercilessly. He tried to roll away from it and felt his arms constricted by what felt like rough rope around his wrists. The novelty of this stung him from his drowsiness, and he forced himself to open his eyes, even though the light seemed unbeable.

His nose twitched, and he sneezed violently as the dust in the stale, musty air tickled it. Shaking his head slowly, Dao Ge huddled against the wall and looked around him blearily.

"You're finally awake, thank the gods. I wasn't sure if you were dead or just sleeping like a pig." said a crisp, clear young voice, and he turned confusedly to see Qingqing sitting some distance away from him.

"Qing Xiong!"

He sat up with difficulty. "What's this? Where are we?" he growled.

Looking at Qingqing, he realized she was also trussed up like him, ankles and wrist bound tightly with rope. She looked considerably disheveled, with bits of moldy straw clinging to her hair and clothes, and a darkening bruise on her jaw. There were stains of dried blood at the corner of her mouth, and she was rather pale, but her eyes were as bright and restless as ever.

Dao Ge frowned. "Qing Xiong, are you all right?" he demanded anxiously. "Did they hurt you?"

She made a face. "The bastards. I wasn't expecting them, they were following me when I went out for a walk this morning. I was eating some jerky and not paying attention when they sprung out on me. Three against one again, the cowards. Are they really so insecure that they can't bear to be parted from each other? No, they're just too stupid to do anything on their own--it requires the combined intellect of all three to accomplish anything."

Wriggling uselessly against the ropes, she continued bitterly, "They put me inside a sack and threw me into this godforsaken derelict place, and the next thing I knew you were here as well, lying there like a log. Heavens, the dust here is enough to suffocate one."

Dao Ge nodded slowly. "Ah, the wretches are still trying to get revenge."

He spat some bloody saliva onto the dusty floor.

Qingqing glanced at him with some concern. "You all right? How did they get you?"

He sighed. "I wasn't all that bright," he admitted gloomily. "I got a note supposedly from you, asking me to meet you at Oxcart Road. On the way here they ambushed me in the alley. That's all."

Qingqing let her breath go. "Well. That was stupid of you. And here I was hoping you'd figure out what had happened to me." she said flatly. "What are we going to do now? We're trussed up like two chickens waiting to be slaughtered, and those goons would have locked the door as well."

"But I appreciate that you came all the same because you thought it was from me," she added unexpectedly.

There was a short silence.

"So, how are we going to get out?"

Qingqing wriggled her way over painstakingly. "We need to get rid of these ropes before we can do anything. That stupid Baldy can tie knots, all right!" she said in disgust. "There, turn around and let me try to pick your knots."

Dao Ge hastily followed her instructions. "We don't know when those rascals will be back," he said lowly. "Better keep an ear out for any noise outside."

Qingqing's small, nimble fingers wrestled with the rope and she did not answer, breathing heavily. Dao Ge waited anxiously, and after a short while she started to curse energetically.

"This damned WangFan," she snapped despairingly. "I can't undo it. Here, you try on mine."

After another interval where Qingqing waited eagerly, straining her head back uselessly to try and see what was going on, Dao Ge's grunts gave way to throaty curses as well.

Defeated, the two leaned against the wall, chests heaving.

"What are we going to do?" Qingqing said softly, more to herself than to him. "They're going to kill us, aren't they?"

There was a suddenly forlorn note in her voice.

Dao Ge turned and saw the bright eyes fixed on him from the dust-smeared face, almost appealingly.

"It'll be all right," he said roughly. "Don't worry."

For a while they sat there in silence, with only the sound of their uneven breathing in the old granary.

The sound of the bolt being drawn jerked them both upright, and the light flooded in as the doors yawned open.

Blinking, they looked up to see the Three Gambling Ghosts file in, locking the door after them.

"Look at our two pretty chickens," hooted WangFan. "Feeling hungry yet, Young Master Qing? Don't worry, we brought something for you to eat!"

He held out a slimy looking fish that was none too fresh and smelled as vile as it looked. "I got this specially for you, Young Master Qing! I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

Qingqing's glare could have killed him within three paces. As he advanced on her, leering, she wriggled away, hostility mixed with fear struggling in her face.

"Don't touch me," she hissed, and then again, in a sharp scream as he grabbed the front of her clothes and dragged her to her feet roughly. "Don't touch me!"

Dao Ge's face went sharp and livid suddenly. "Put him down," he roared, lunging forward with a fierceness that made Lao Lu step back instinctively. "You bastards, don't you dare touch him! I'll cut off your fingers if you dare--"

Qingqing bucked and struggled like a demented creature as WangFan's fingers dug into the neck of her tunic. Oblivious, WangFan held out the fish and dangled it before her, sniggering. "Come on, Young Master Qing. Aren't you hungry? This is a choice fish I chose for you, you must make sure you eat all of it!"

"Let go of him," shouted Dao Ge violently as SuanRong prodded him back nastily with his staff.

Her eyes glinting like an animal's, Qingqing lunged forward suddenly with a snap, sinking her teeth into Wangfan's hand, in the meaty part just under the thumb joint.

Dropping the fish, WangFan gave a shriek of pain and shook her wildly, trying to loosen her hold. Qingqing landed ungracefully back on the floor, panting, one cheek stinging red and hot from his free hand, glowering at him unrepentantly.

"You--" spluttered WangFan, staring in horror at the deep bitemark on his hand, as the blood streamed freely from it.

Qingqing spat with vim. "That tastes better than the fish would," she snarled. "I'd like some more. I'd like some right from your throat!"