She parried another thrust and ducked down to avoid being beheaded. She was functioning on automatic now, allowing her body to fight without her conscious direction.
The ninja with the crossbow bolt in his throat took careful aim and hurled two shuriken. The throwing stars whistled through the air and caught Gravedigger in the thigh of her left leg.
Cursing under her breath, Charity realized that the attack was bound to make her slower — something that she could ill afford.
Eager to end the battle quickly, Gravedigger went on the offensive. She grabbed hold of her sword’s hilt with both hands, driving it forward with all her strength. She caught the closest ninja in the belly and then, grunting with the exertion, she yanked up. Her sword sliced him open from belly to throat, spilling dust and dried entrails to the ground.
With a bone-chilling groan, the ninja fell over, whatever awful force that had been powering him no longer in existence.
Gravedigger then threw herself at the next closest ninja, her shoulder striking the undead warrior in the chest. The impact knocked him back and over the edge of the rooftop. He landed in a dusty heap on the street, just in time for a swiftly swerving car to run him over.
The final member of the murderous trio advanced upon her, sword in hand. He whipped it about in an impressive manner, obviously hoping to intimidate her.
Instead, Gravedigger spun toward him, her own sword a blur of motion. The two exchanged parries for nearly a minute before Gravedigger surprised the man by reaching out with her free hand and grabbing hold of the crossbow bolt. She used it to yank the ninja forward, right onto the end of her upturned blade. She gave it a hard twist and pulled it back, drawing his mummified intestines with it.
There was a moment of regret, where Charity wished that she had kept one of them for questioning. She quickly dismissed the feeling, however. She knew that they were somehow linked to Meeks and she doubted that they would have told her more than that.
After cleaning her blade with a small cloth that she carried just for that purpose, Gravedigger exited the scene. She had to trust Li to do her job — and with any luck, she’d be that much closer to finding her prey.
From the shadows, Mr. Black watched in silence. He had expected the ninja to fail in their mission… indeed, their primary purpose was simply to engage Gravedigger so that he could see her in action. She wasn’t the equal of Goldstein at this point but she had a natural ability that surpassed the Jew’s.
Knowing that all of his plans were now threatened, the dark messenger of beyond blended into the darkness around him, vanishing completely.
Chapter VII: Roll the Bones
Bingweng stood behind a crowded counter, stroking his long white beard. He said nothing as Li sauntered about, pretending to look at the many odd items on his store’s shelves. It wasn’t until she turned to look at him, a bright smile on her pretty face, that he spoke up.
“Li Yuchun,” he said. “You do me an honor by your presence.” He bowed politely.
Clasping her hands behind her back, Li approached the counter. “You’re too sweet.”
“If you are here inquiring about work, I have none for you.”
Li adopted a pouting expression. Though she liked to think of herself as something akin to the Japanese Geisha girls, she was more to the point a prostitute. She did not always service her clients sexually but they certainly paid for her attentions, in some cases simply desiring a beautiful woman to be seen on their premises or with them at social events. “But Mr. Bingweng, surely there’s something I can do for you… Would you like me to massage your shoulders? Or I could stand out front for you and bring in customers?”
“That is not necessary. My customers do not visit here because of pretty girls.” Bingweng eyed her suspiciously. “You know this… just as you know that I am too old to desire your flesh. So why are you here? What game are you playing, girl?”
Looking defeated, Li sighed and lowered her voice. “You are too wise for me, elder. I should not have even attempted to fool you.”
Bingweng grunted. “Tell me what you are after.”
“I am looking for a Laowai who owes me money,” she said confidentially, using the Mandarin word for foreigner. “He came through here not long ago and we spent a pleasant evening together. When he left the next morning, I learned that he had not paid me my wages.”
The old man clucked his tongue in disbelief. His lips formed into a frown. “So many Americans are like that,” he said, his body language suggesting that he was shifting from a wary stance to one of sympathy. “They come here and take, take, take! They think us fools.” Bingweng looked up suddenly. “But why are you here?”
“You know this man and I thought you might know where I could find him. He has come to your shop in the past.”
Bingwen stiffened. “His name?”
“It’s that man who’s in the papers today — Meeks. Arthur Meeks.”
“I have not seen him!” he replied hotly. “Now you must go!”
Li blinked in surprise. The old man was known to have a temper but he had shifted so abruptly that she was taken aback. “Did I offend you? If I did…”
“Go!” he bellowed, hurrying around the counter. He literally shoved her towards the door. “And do not come back here again! I know nothing of this man!”
A moment later, Li was on the street outside the shop, hands on hips. She’d certainly struck a nerve, hadn’t she?
Suddenly grinning, Li glanced around and then scurried along the side of the shop. She couldn’t see past the clutter that blocked the window but she placed her ear against it, hoping that she might hear something useful.
To her glee, she did just that.
Though it was stifled a bit by the wall, she made out Bingwen’s voice. He was obviously talking to someone on the phone.
“A chòu biǎozi was in here asking about you,” the old man said. Li’s cheeks reddened at the words he used to describe her — in Mandarin, they meant ‘stinking whore.’ “She has no contacts with the police, I am sure of that. Her name is Li Yuchun… She claims you hired her and did not pay.” There was a moment’s pause and Li suspected that Meeks was denying her claims. “I will be there. Five o’clock.”
A click told Li all that she needed to know. Meeks wanted a meeting with Bingwen… and all that needed to be done now was to follow the old man when he went to their chosen site.
Li hummed happily to herself as she sauntered away.
Shortly after 4:30, Bingwen stepped from his shop and locked the door behind him. A soft drizzle had just ended and the streets were still wet as he began to move away from his home. He kept his head down as he moved and showed no knowledge that someone was following him.
Li had changed her clothing. She now wore a hat with matching blue dress and heels, with enough makeup applied to change her appearance somewhat. In fact, with the hat tilted just so, it was hard to tell that she wasn’t Caucasian.
She had thought about visiting Charity and telling her what she’d found out… but in the end, she’d decided against it. She reasoned that it was better to find out more before reporting in.
A thrill went through her, remembering how Charity had looked in her Gravedigger uniform. It was all so terribly exciting, like something out of the pulp magazines that they sold on the newsstands. Li sometimes spent her money on the cheaply printed stories, relishing the lurid covers and exotic settings. She knew that there were real people who led similar lives to those in the stories — Sovereign’s own Fortune McCall, Doc Daye and Lazarus Gray being among them — but to actually have a friend of hers turn into a masked vigilante? It was enough to make Li’s adventure-loving heart swell.