The Pirate Empress Read Free Page A

advanced beyond basic training, she reluctantly practiced the simple repetitions. She inhaled, exhaled and stretched. She repeated the exercises ten times before performing a few more stances. Now Master Yun asked them to meditate.
    The last thing she wanted to do was meditate. She was wired. She had a fight inside her that was boiling to get out. She had trained for nearly a year. She excelled at kicking and punching. She wanted to learn combat applications, but her teacher insisted that she spar, drill and condition her body. He had taught them forms to build up their flexibility. She had mastered internal and external strength, supreme speed and stamina. But now she was itching to fight. Many styles of fighting contained forms using a range of weapons where a warrior fought with one or both hands. Some styles of combat focused on a certain type of weapon. She had already chosen hers: the sabre.
    Li sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes closed. It was never safe for her to meditate in public. To protect her identity she had developed a heightened sensibility. She could feel the whistling wind on her skin, sense the heated bodies of her fellow students, hear the sounds of their breathing—and more.
    She opened her eyes before anyone else. Master Yun slowly raised his eyelids. Someone was coming to the exercise yard dressed in Imperial colours. Master Yun rose from where he had been meditating at the head of the class. In the misty sunlight he stood firm, undaunted by age. How old was he? No one knew. His beard was straggly and grey and so he must be old. It was rumoured that he had trained many generations of warriors. Some even whispered that he had trained China’s first Imperial Army. Li shuddered. The soldiers of First Emperor Qin had been dead for more than a thousand years. Ghost Catcher , she thought.
    Master Yun caught her eye and stared her down. He went to meet the distinguished visitor who was quickly nearing. By now all of the students had opened their eyes to watch the advancing soldier. “Practice,” he ordered over his shoulder.
    The boys rose and began to do stances. Li did the Horse Rider, then the Bow, all the while watching Master Yun’s back.
    “Stop that!” a young boy’s voice cried out.
    A tall, very strong youth was bullying one of the students. He did practice kicks that were too close for comfort. The boy fought back, but his opponent was stronger and more experienced and dodged his attacks in such a way as to make the boy trip flat onto his face. The entire class laughed. Li scowled. She loathed this bully. His name Lok Yu literally meant ‘always raining.’ Lok Yu was a mean kid who thrived on fighting; he had trouble with discipline. His parents had gotten it right when they had given him his name.
    Ever wary of being exposed Li had avoided him. Drawing attention to herself could mean disaster. If Master Yun discovered her sex he would toss her out. But it nettled to see the young boy humiliated. She stormed over to the bully and the swiftness of her movements took him off-guard. Li grabbed his arm and used his weight to flip him onto his back.
    “Well done.”
    Li swung around and saw that the speaker was Chi Quan. She forced a steady gaze on him and this time she managed to speak. “Captain.”
    “Who is this young man?” Quan asked her teacher.
    “A foolish upstart,” Master Yun said. “He is wilful and too anxious to become a fighter. Bow before your superior.”
    Quan stared at her and she bowed, and then raised her head to hold his eye. He squinted as he examined her features. “Do I know you? Your face seems familiar.”
    “No, sir,” she lied. “We’ve never met. But I am very proud to meet His Majesty’s Captain of the First Regiment and Master of the Horses.”
    Quan smiled. “I like your style.”
    And I like yours.
    “Master Yun,” Quan said turning away. “I must speak to you on a matter of grave importance.”
    Lok Yu glared at Li as the two moved away. The