The Beggar Who Devoured Heaven

Chapter 8: The Noble Returns

The Azure Peak Sect came at noon.

Ren Kai heard them before he saw them. Heavy boots, marching in step, shook the stones of Crooked Lane. Neighbors slammed their shutters. A dog ran under a cart and refused to come out.

He had not eaten for a day and a half. He was learning something important. Hunger gave him power, but it also made his hands shake and his thoughts drift like dust. This morning, the number on Ren Lan's back had read 989. He had not looked at it again.

They are early, said Old Crow. Good. I was hoping for a fight before lunch.

"I have no lunch."

Exactly. Perfect timing.

Ren Kai looked at Ren Lan, asleep on her mat, still pale after her bad dreams. He closed the door softly. Then he picked up a small clay jar from the table, one he had taken from Auntie Du's shelf, and walked out into the lane.

Ten guards in black armor stood in two neat rows. In the middle stood an old man with a red face and a beard like a burning bush. His hands were thick and scarred from old fires. This was Elder Huo of the Azure Peak Sect.

Beside him stood Lu Zhen.

The proud boy from the Arena looked terrible. His face was pale, and dark rings sat under his eyes. His aura had not come back. He looked like a candle that someone had blown out.

"That is him?" Elder Huo said, looking down at Ren Kai as if he were a fly on a plate. "The boy who ate your Flame Gate?"

"Yes, Elder," Lu Zhen said tightly.

"Boy." Elder Huo stepped forward. "The Sect Master wants the copper coin you carry. Hand it over, and we will let you keep your arms."

"A Steward told me no one would touch me," Ren Kai said.

Elder Huo laughed. The guards laughed with him. "A Steward gives promises the way a merchant gives sweets. Sweet, cheap, and gone by evening. The Sect Master does not wait for Stewards."

Interesting, murmured Old Crow. Very interesting.

"Last chance," said Elder Huo.

Ren Kai threw the clay jar.

NOW, you slow boy! snapped Madam Du. I said now, not tomorrow!

The jar smashed on the stones. Gray-purple smoke burst out in a thick cloud and rolled over the first row of guards. They coughed. They blinked. One by one, three of them swayed, sighed happily, and fell asleep standing up. Then they toppled over like trees.

Sleeping Smoke, said Madam Du proudly. Dream petal, a pinch of poppy, and a little ginger for the smell.

Elder Huo clapped his hands. A wave of red fire roared across the lane and burned the smoke away. It did not stop there. It rolled straight at Ren Kai.

CHEST OUT! bellowed Sergeant Pan.

Ren Kai braced. The fire hit him like a wall, and he flew backward into the bricks. Pain ripped across his arms. His skin blistered. The Iron Bell Skin was still there, but it was fading, like a bell that had been rung too many times.

That will not last, said Old Crow. Boy, you must end this quickly.

"I know!"

He pushed himself up. The great dark hunger woke, wider than ever, and the black mouth on his chest burned through his shirt.

Remember what I said last night, said Old Crow. One bite. Only one. Every time you eat, Heaven counts faster.

Ren Kai remembered. He remembered the number on his sister's back, falling like a stone.

He raised his palm and tried the technique he had stolen from Lu Zhen. He pushed all his strength into it.

A tiny sneeze of sparks came out.

Elder Huo roared with laughter. Even the guards smirked.

You ate it, said Old Crow gently. You did not learn it. A man can eat a fish and still not know how to swim.

UGLY! shouted Sergeant Pan.

Ren Kai did not have a fire. He did not have a sword. All he had was a rumbling belly, and the one stubborn thing he had always had.

He ran.

He ran straight at the Elder, low and fast, under the next wave of flame. The fire roared over his head and singed his hair. His legs shook with hunger, but he did not slow down. He dove, grabbed the Elder's ankle with both hands, and pressed his palm against the old man's boot.

"Sorry," he gasped.

The golden mouth opened.

Red light flowed out of Elder Huo's body, up through his legs, through his chest, and into Ren Kai's palm. The flames in his hands died. His beard seemed to droop. He fell onto his knees, staring at his empty hands.

"My fire," he whispered. "Where is my fire?"

Heaven felt that bite, said Old Crow quietly. Later, boy. Look at the number later.

The guards did not stay to answer. The seven who were left grabbed their fallen friends, grabbed their Elder, and ran down the lane as fast as their armor allowed.

Only Lu Zhen remained.

He stood alone in the empty lane, shaking. His hands were clenched. His face was white as paper.

FINISH HIM, roared Sergeant Pan.

Poison, said Madam Du dreamily. I have a lovely recipe. It tastes like plum wine. He would never feel a thing.

Or, said Old Crow, you could ask him a question.

Ren Kai limped forward. His knees gave out, and he sat down in front of Lu Zhen, because it was easier than standing.

"Go on," said Lu Zhen. His voice cracked. "Eat me."

"I do not eat people who are crying."

"I am not crying."

"You are."

Lu Zhen touched his cheek. His fingers came away wet. He looked at them as if they belonged to a stranger.

"You broke my core in front of the whole city," said Ren Kai. "You wanted to crush me for fun. I only wanted medicine for my sister. I got my money, and you lost your fire. I think we are even."

Lu Zhen stared at him. Then something strange happened to his face. The sneer, which had always been there, slowly fell away. Without it, he looked younger than Ren Kai. He looked very tired.

He glanced over his shoulder. Then he leaned close.

"Listen," he whispered. "I did not come because I wanted to. The Sect Master sent me. He does not care about your Steward's promise. He has been told to bring the coin at any cost."

"Told by whom?"

"I do not know." Lu Zhen's eyes were wide. "But today, he said he is done asking. Tonight, after the evening bell, he is coming himself. With the whole Sect. They are going to search the Gutters house by house, and burn each one until the coin is found."

Ren Kai went cold all over. "Tonight?"

"He does not care who is inside." Lu Zhen grabbed his sleeve. His hand was shaking. "I saw what you did in the Arena. I will not forget it. So please. Take your sister and run."

He let go and ran. His footsteps faded down the lane.

Ren Kai stayed on the ground. Far away, over the rooftops of the Gutters, the sun was already sliding toward the hills. He counted the hours. There were not many.

Well, said Old Crow, with no joke at all. Now you have a deadline before the deadline.