“Yeah,” Charles replied. He reached up and ripped down Hok's wanted poster.
“What are you doing?” Hok whispered. “Someone will notice that it's missing.”
“Do you want me to put it back?”
Hok thought for a moment. “No, maybe it's better if we keep it.”
“That's what I was thinking,” Charles said. “Come on, let's hurry.”
Hok and Charles returned to camp to find Bing still in her meeting and GongJee fast asleep. Hok lit a small oil lamp and sat beside Charles inside their tent. Charles removed the posting from the folds of his robe.
“Well?” he said.
“I don't know,” Hok said. “What do you think?”
“I think we need to talk to Bing,” Charles said. “Unfortunately, I've known her meetings to last all night. It's probably not worth waiting up for her. I think we should get some rest and talk to her first thing in the morning.”
“That sounds logical,” Hok said. She scratched her head and began to unwrap the turban. “It's not like anyone is going to see me if I'm in here, right? We shouldn't be in any danger.”
“Right,” Charles said with a yawn. He set the poster down next to Hok and stood. “I'm going to sleep. We'll talk more in the morning, okay?”
“Yes,” Hok replied.
“Good night, Hok.”
Hok nodded and slipped the wanted poster into the folds of her own robe. Her mind raced as she blew out the oil lamp.
“Good night, Charles.”
Across the river from the acrobats’ camp, Tonglong was busy making Dragon Boat Festival preparations of his own. Some of the troops he'd taken from Ying were now with him in Kaifeng, and he had already put them to work. The leader of the current project, though, wasn't a soldier. He was a former bandit. A very troublesome bandit.
Tonglong pointed to a large wooden dragon head lying on the riverbank. The brightly painted grooves of its ornately carved face were filled with mud. “I want that thing cleaned after you attach it to the boat,” he said to the project leader. “Make sure you clean the tail, too. I don't want to be disqualified for a dirty, disrespectful craft.”
“I know, I know,” the enormous lump of man replied. “I'm familiar with the protocol. I was the boat keeper at the bandit stronghold for the past ten years, you know. We had dragon boats, too, and—”
“Don't talk back!” a silky voice interrupted. “Sssave your energy for tomorrow. You will need it.”
Tonglong glanced into a nearby moon shadow and saw a familiar woman sitting on the ground, her legs coiled beneath her. He had no idea how long she had been sitting there. “Hello, Mother,” he said.
“Greetings, ssson,” she replied.
The project leader, HaMo, turned toward the woman. “You have to stop sneaking up on people like that, AnGangseh.”
AnGangseh smirked and leaned into the moonlight. Her long, luxurious hair shimmered like the scales of a freshly hatched snake. “Toads are naturally sssuspicious of cobras. You'll get used to my ways.”
“No, I won't,” HaMo replied, turning back to the dragon boat. “I plan to take my money and get as far away from you as possible. How long before we get the treasure?”
“Soon,” Tonglong answered. “Very soon.” He flipped his long, thick ponytail braid over his shoulder. “What did you discover, Mother?”
“Bing has arrived at the acrobats’ camp,” AnGangseh said. “There were others with her, including an older girl I witnessed ssstealing a wanted poster from the foot of the bridge.”
Tonglong tugged on the tiny jade crane around his neck and grinned. “That is a wonderful discovery, indeed. Did you happen to see any of the bandits?”
“No,” AnGangseh replied.
“I'm sure Mong and his gang will be in Kaifeng for the festival,” HaMo said. He looked at Tonglong. “What about your little brother?”
“Half brother,” Tonglong corrected. “Back at the bandit stronghold lake, I overheard Seh tell his temple brothers Fu and Malao that they were to meet Mong here in Kaifeng on the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival. From what I've seen firsthand, I have no doubt those three boys will make it here successfully. They are a determined and highly skilled bunch. Make sure you don't underestimate them.”
“I won't,” HaMo said. “Assuming they make it here and the bandits do, too, do you still think they are all going to get together? That seems highly unlikely to me.”
“They will gather in one location,” AnGangseh said. “I am sure of it. I sssuggest we continue to monitor the acrobats. Bing is with them now, and they have visited the bandit ssstronghold in the past.”