The Great Wall - The Official Movie Novelization

8

After her talk with General Shao, Lin Mae had finally managed to catch a few hours sleep. Or to be more precise, it was sleep that had caught her. She had gone back to her quarters to mull over the General’s words, but as soon as she had laid her head back on her thin mattress she had fallen into a place that was deep and black and without dreams.

Now she was in the Great Hall, eating breakfast with hundreds of other soldiers and officers. Not surprisingly the atmosphere was different this morning, oddly brittle. Some of those present were silent, staring into space, their faces still etched with the trauma of the previous day. Others seemed to be celebrating their survival with almost hysterical abandon, laughing and joking as if their lives depended on it. There was a sense of desperation about their glee, and Lin Mae felt her muscles tensing as their shrillness filled the room. Looking around she saw splints and bandages aplenty, faces marked with bruises and cuts. One of her own Crane Corps warriors had a dressing covering up one side of her face, where a Tao Tei talon had gouged a groove from her temple down to her upper lip. It was still uncertain whether the girl would regain the sight in her left eye. Even if she recovered fully she would be scarred for the rest of her life.

Finding a spare seat, Lin Mae began to work her way stolidly through her breakfast of sweet dumplings and rice porridge. She was not hungry, but she needed to fill her body with as much energy as possible—she might well be in need of it later. She had been eating for several minutes when she became aware that the chatter around her was beginning to dribble into silence. She looked up from her bowl to see that every head in the room was turning in the direction of the north-east entrance door. She looked in that direction too. Her eyes widened.

There were three figures standing by the door, having just entered the room. In the lead was Peng Yong, the young Bear Corps warrior who had mislaid the keys to the stockade before yesterday’s battle—a misdemeanor for which he was still to be punished. Behind him were the two foreign prisoners who had been intended for the stockade, and whose imprisonment would surely have resulted in the fall of the west turret, not to mention a great deal more bloodshed and death, possibly even her own. But the astonished silence that had befallen the room was not due simply to the arrival of the prisoners, but to their appearance. Bathed and shaved, and wearing clothes that had been cleaned and repaired, they had been utterly transformed. Now they no longer looked like beasts, but men. More than that, they looked like soldiers.

The two foreigners stood and looked around the room, bemused and disconcerted by their reception. The silence stretched on for several more seconds—and then General Shao stood up from his seat and slowly began to applaud. Immediately Lin Mae jumped up too and followed the General’s lead. Then Commanders Chen and Deng joined in, and soon chairs and benches were scraping back from long tables as every man and woman in the room stood and applauded the new arrivals.

The foreigners looked at first astonished, and then delighted. The bearded, darker-skinned man bowed while the other grinned, his eyes darting around the room.

Although her eyes were on the newcomers, Lin Mae suddenly felt different eyes on her and turned to see General Shao looking in her direction. His face was impassive, but his unblinking gaze spoke volumes: Remember what I told you. When he looked away she felt as though he’d left a sliver of ice behind, lodged in her heart. She tried not to let the discomfort it gave her show on her face as she continued to applaud.

William felt more relieved than anything when the applause eventually died down. Though Pero seemed to bask happily in the glory, William had never felt entirely comfortable being the center of attention.

Plus he was hungry. He wanted to eat. And the food arrayed along the long table on the far side of the room looked and smelled delicious.

But the formalities were not over yet. Once everyone had sat down, the blue-armored crane commander remained standing. When William looked across at her, she offered him a small (and, he thought, confidential) smile. Then she said, “General Shao welcomes you as honored guests of The Nameless Order and thanks you for your skill and courage.”

Pero looked at William, who blushed and stammered, “We… er… we’re honored to be honored.”

As the crane commander translated his words for the benefit of the room, Pero leaned across to him and muttered under his breath, “That’s the best you’ve got?”

Before William could reply, he saw that the young commander in the red armour, whose helmet was shaped like the head of an eagle, had risen from his seat and was now walking across the room towards him, holding out William’s crossbow and arrows. Handing them to William, he turned and said something to the crane commander, who smirked.

“Commander Chen thinks your bow is not worthy of your skill.”

“You mean he thinks it’s an antique?”

Her amused silence was proof enough that William had got pretty close to the mark.

Although he dearly wanted to sit down, become anonymous and fill his belly, William’s indignation got the better of him. “Tell him there’s no better weapon in this building.”

The crane commander conveyed his words, which generated a ripple of laughter. The bearded man in the black bear armour, General Shao, made what was clearly a good-humored comment and the woman nodded.

“General Shao says we have much to learn about foreign pride.” She wafted a hand to encompass the room at large. “We would like to see you shoot.”

William looked at her in surprise. “In here?”

The commander in the red eagle armour who the woman had called Chen said something and chuckled.

“What was that?” asked William.

This time she managed to keep a straight face. “He thinks you have fear. That you are afraid to look foolish in front of so many people.”

That stung William’s pride. His indignation rose another notch. Turning to Pero he pointed at one of the tables. “One of those cups.”

Pero rolled his eyes. “Now?”

“Get one of those cups,” William said, more insistently.

Pero sighed. “I want to eat.”

But a look from William was enough to make him trudge across to the nearest table and pick up an empty copper cup.

William examined his bow, testing the tension in the string. “You remember how to do this?”

“I remember that last time didn’t go so good,” Pero muttered.

William selected his arrows. “We were drunk.”

All eyes in the room were on the two men. Now that William had his bow back some of them looked wary.

“How high?” Pero asked.

William placed three arrows between his fingers. “Ten yards. And six hands to the right.”

Pero hefted the cup in his hand, testing its weight. William turned to face the door he had entered by, his back to Pero and the rest of the room.

“Oh no,” Pero said.

“I’m fine.”

“Seriously, William. Do the easy one.”

Obstinately William said, “On my count…”

Pero looked quickly around the room. Several hundred Chinese soldiers, their breakfast forgotten, looked back at him expectantly.

Lowering his voice, Pero made one last appeal. “Please, Amigo…”

“One…” William said firmly. “Two… Three… Pull!”

With a look of anguish on his face, Pero hurled the cup across the room. As he did so, William wheeled round, bow drawn. Spotting the cup, he waited for it to reach its apex and then let the first arrow fly. There was a clank as the arrow struck the cup in such a way that it sent it both spinning and flying backwards. In quick succession William released two more arrows, which zipped through the air, over the heads of the astonished spectators. With a pair of metallic thwack sounds the arrows hit the cup almost in unison, and next second the spectators were astonished to see that the cup was pinned top and bottom to one of the big oak pillars on the far side of the room, so neatly positioned that it was as if it had been carefully placed and nailed there.

There was a moment of silence, and then the applause was both spontaneous and deafening. Grinning again, William saw General Shao laughing and clapping his big, meaty hands. He looked across at Commander Chen, who smiled and bowed in deference. Then his gaze found the crane commander, who gave him a quick smile and a nod of respect. Feeling a hand clap down on his shoulder, William turned. Pero winked at him.

“Let’s eat!” he said.

Ballard hovered on the periphery, taking everything in. As soon as he saw the bearded Spaniard break away from his friend and head for the food table, he sidled across.

By the time he reached the Spaniard’s side the man’s plate was piled high with dumplings, spicy noodles, rice and pork.

“Pace yourself,” Ballard said. “The meals are plentiful and regular here.”

The Spaniard helped himself to a generous portion of steamed vegetables. “I hope not to stay that long.”

“I like your thinking,” said Ballard, glancing around, “but I suggest you keep your plans private and your mouth under control. You’re not the first westerners to come here looking for black powder. We’ll discuss it tonight. Bring your partner.”

After getting his food, William was beckoned across to the officers’ table. With the crane commander, who told him her name was Lin Mae, acting as translator, he talked to General Shao and Commander Chen for a while, though was careful not to give too much away. Eventually Shao and Chen excused themselves and left the table to go about their duties, leaving William alone with Lin Mae.

“Who taught you English?” he asked her.

She nodded across the room. “Sir Ballard. English and Latin.”

William wondered what good either would be way out here. “Why?”

“Duty to the Nameless Order demands a life of service,” she said as though reciting a mantra. “We become ready in many ways. We have many foreign books. Many books on war.”

“I heard Ballard has been here twenty-five years,” William said. “You won’t let him leave.”

Lin Mae’s face hardened. “He must stay here.”

“What about us?” William asked, but Lin Mae stared back at him implacably. After a moment he tried a different tack. “How long have you been here?”

“Always. I was not five years old when I came here. I have no other family.”

William nodded, feeling an affinity with her. “You came to fight?”

“To learn to fight.” He smiled and she became indignant. “You think I lie?”

“Oh!” he said, surprised by her reaction. “No, not at all.”

She frowned, confused. “You smile. You find me foolish?”

“No, no, nothing like that.” He struggled to explain. “I smile because… I understand. Because we’re the same. I was given to an army before I can remember. As a child.”

“As a soldier?”

“Worse,” he said. “A gleaner.”

Again she looked confused. William’s smile faded as he recalled those terrible times.

“Packs of children… we cleaned the battlefields. After. When the fighting was over.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

“I became a page, then a pikeman’s boy. Then on and on until…” He raised a hand, indicating himself, a wry expression on his face.

“You fought for your country?” Lin Mae said.

“No, I fought for food. In my world you fight to eat. And if you live long enough, you fight for money.”

Lin Mae’s face hardened. “So all flags are the same for you?”

William smiled again, but this time the smile was an uncertain one. Had he offended her in some way? He realized that if he was going to maintain his standing here he was going to have to tread very carefully.

“How many flags do you fight for?” she persisted.

“Many,” William said, but the answer clearly wasn’t enough. She stared at him implacably, waiting for him to go on.

Unsure whether it would impress her or anger her, he said, “I fought for Harold against the Danes. I was captured and spared and sold to the Normans. I killed my first man in Scotland—and saved a Duke’s life!—before I even had hair on my face. I fought for him until he died, and then I went to Europe as an archer. I fought for Spain against the Franks. I fought for the Franks against Boulogne. I fought for Pisa and Valencia and the Pope. I’ve fought from Swintetown to Antioch.” He looked at her, but still her face was giving nothing away. Uncertain whether he was apologizing or boasting, he smiled thinly and said, “Many flags.”

Lin Mae stared at him a moment longer, and then she stood up. “We are not the same,” she said coldly.

William looked up at her, surprised. He wanted to reach out and grab her wrist, ask her what was wrong, how he could make amends. Before he could act on his thoughts, however, she said, “Meet me on the Wall later. I have something to show you.”

Then she left without a backward glance, leaving William staring after her in bewilderment.

Across the room, Pero was eating like a man possessed, shoveling rice and meat and vegetables into his mouth with his fingers.

By contrast Ballard, sitting beside him, seemed to have no interest in the meager portion he had selected for himself. Instead his eyes were fixed on William and Lin Mae. At last he leaned into Pero, pressing his thin shoulder against the Spaniard’s brawnier one. “He should be careful with her,” he murmured. “She’s very powerful here.”

Pero glanced across at his friend and the Chinese woman. He grinned, showing Ballard a mouthful of mashed-up food. “Then it’s a fair contest,” he said in a muffled voice.