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Summary: The faerie woman is faking intoxication to bring the prisoner food, but why is she helping him? (A snippet from work-in-progress)
The fae guardsman became increasingly impatient at their slow pace. He did not improve their progress by helping carry the dead man, but he did lead Xiaowen first to the crematorium, no doubt to avoid repeating the pilgrimage when morning came. The faerie man tossed the defeated combatant’s bladeless axe directly into the hellish flames. Xiaowen arranged the body of the Scotsman on the shelf that would be tipped into the fire at morning's light.
Returned to his cell, Xiaowen considered his situation. It was difficult, but not impossible, to remain optimistic. He still had some of food that he had taken with him on his walk through the bamboo forest on the day of his capture. He spared a moment in longing for the sweet red bean bun that he had eaten two nights past. He wished that he had put fresh fruit, instead of dried, into his pockets. The ginger root helped assuage his thirst, but obtaining water soon was crucial. He could not chance eating any food of Faerie, because if the stories were true, that act alone would destroy any chance of escape from the realm.
On the next night, he would fight. Xiaowen speculated on what kind of creature he would face. He wondered if the fae were making an effort to make unfamiliar pairings for each combat, or if they simply did not make a distinction between origins, one mortal being the same as another. His spell craft was still woefully inadequate to his ambition. Nevertheless, he did have magic, whereas the other men had not. If he had gone against the yeti of the day’s battle, he believed that he could have ended the contest without losing his life or having to kill his opponent.
Whether or not the fae were aware of his magery had puzzled him from the time of his capture. His magic was as blended as his blood, so perhaps his captors had not recognized it as skill. He did not feel inclined to correct the misperception yet.
As long as Xiaowen didn't do anything unusual, the bored guardsman paid him little attention. While Xiaowen sat in meditation, a second guard arrived and the first guard departed. Judging from the volume and voices, the second guard had a female companion with him, and both had been making merry at the feast.
Xiaowen admitted an amused interest when he saw that the woman framed in the doorway was a fae lady becoming pleasantly familiar. Her cheeks were attractively pinked from carousing. Her gown exposed a degree of skin that would have been stunning if he had not seen her similarly attired the previous night. He was developing appreciative approval of her wardrobe choices.
She leaned in with exaggerated drunkenness. "But Graeden... I want to feed it!" she pouted at the guard.
"That one doesn't eat, Jouet," the guard flirted back. He had not imbibed as robustly as the lady, judging by his cheerful but sober delivery.
"It would eat these globes, don't you think?" she asked. She made eyes at the guardsman while passing a cluster of green grapes across her décolletage. She tittered when the faerie man chuckled. "And look at these funny fruits," she said. Her other hand revealed a trio of tan egg shapes. "They're fuzzy!"
Without waiting for the guard’s permission, she tossed them at Xiaowen. The fruit bounced off the vine cell screen and fell to the floor. She staggered in after them, tottering as if she could barely stay upright. Swaying, she first pushed the grapes through the screen. She reached down to pick up the fuzzy fruit that had rolled away. When she had her back to guardsman Graeden, she gave Xiaowen a meaningful look that was both serious and unquestionably sober. Then she turned around to stumble out, and she was again the smiling coquette.
The guardsman put his arm around her waist. "Jouet, you're a troublemaker," he scolded lightly. "You're going to get me in trouble. Where did you get those things, anyway?" He began to lead her beyond view.
"Oh... I don't know," replied Jouet with the excessively precise elocution of a drunk. "Did you want one? Should I go look for more?" She leaned on Graeden's shoulder. "The insides are GREEN," she whispered loudly enough to be heard even as she disappeared from sight.
Xiaowen heard the guard urge her to go home. Low murmuring and giggles lasted for several minutes longer. Imagining the actions that accompanied the sounds made Xiaowen inexplicably restless. He picked up the fruit, stowing what fit in a pocket he had dug in the dirt floor. He had already squirreled away two wineskins, still containing some vinegary wine, on a whim. The fruit that didn't fit went into a crowded pocket in his robes.
Only when quiet returned was he able to think about whether or not to eat Jouet's gift. Her drunkenness had certainly been pretense, which meant that her real intent had been to bring Xiaowen this food. She had offered her help, but he had no reason to trust her. He distrusted her. She was fae, and he could not see how it would benefit her to aid him. He would like to imagine that she helped him for uncomplicated reasons, inclinations any warm blooded man would want from a desirable woman. It would be foolhardy, he admonished himself, to give any weight to such a fantasy. Though he could indulge in those fanciful thoughts for escapism, but he dared not believe them likely.
More was happening than he could see, and therein lay the problem. He would turn his thoughts to more practical things, he decided, sitting down again on the ground in a loose dan pan position. As he crossed his legs comfortably, he could almost hear his sifu cursing his laziness. Like a shadow falling over his shoulder, he felt certain that he would not hear his teacher's voice again.