Lu Na watched in amusement as Yang Deli tied her up and strung her against a board to face the oncoming imperial soldiers. It was so funny because the imperial soldiers did the same thing to Sun Ren. She was also tied up and brought over, although her board was shinier.

  Yang Deli stood behind Lu Na as he greeted the imperial officer on the other side. Despite surviving such a harrowing journey through the labyrinth, he somehow had a change of clothes on him. He stood tall with his iron helmet and a dagger resting on Lu Na’s neck.

  The imperial officer looked immaculate, almost as if he had just been to his tailor. His imperial uniform had a silk patch with a bird embroidered on the front. He would have looked imposing had he not walked around with a hunch.

  “What do you want?” Yang Deli called out, his breath so close to Lu Na’s ear that it both tickled and annoyed her. It didn’t smell too good either.

  “My name is Xun Zheng. We are from the Imperial Inventors Division. We came to study the labyrinth,” the official said.

  “The labyrinth is right behind us. Feel free to explore it all you want. Let us pass. Hell, I’ll even throw in this Young Miss and her mother if you’d like. They’re of no use to me.”

  Xun Zheng whispered something to a subordinate who then whispered something to Sun Ren.

  “We would love nothing more than to do that. Except your group is the first we’ve ever seen leave from the labyrinth. It is to our understanding that it guards something very valuable. We would like to acquire it for the emperor.” Xun Zheng gestured toward Sun Ren. “This woman here claims you follow her and that she’s the daughter of Marquis of Wentai. We will release her if you follow my commands.”

  Yang Deli spat on the floor.

  “Kill her if you want. Just let us go.”

  “This is stupid. Just tell him we don’t have anything,” Lu Na said.

  “Shut up girl, unless you want to die,” Yang Deli hissed. “If we tell these imperial idiots that, they’ll kill us all because we’re rebels.”

  They wouldn’t do that, would they? Lu Na couldn’t imagine the forces of the emperor wantonly slaughtering people. If nothing else, they would imprison them or something right?

  “It seems that speaking with you is proving fruitless,” Xun Zheng said. “If you don’t give me what I want, I’ll take it off your corpse.”

  The imperial official walked back to his carriage as the soldiers formed up in front with shields. They left Sun Ren tied at the front.

  Yang Deli shifted his stance and put the dagger away.

  “Do you have any of those techniques you can use to create an earth wall in front of us? We might need some to fight them.”

  That was the first time Yang Deli ever asked Lu Na with such a pleading tone.

  “Can we survive? They’re imperial soldiers.” The ropes loosened on Lu Na.

  “We don’t have much of a choice. If you want your mother to survive this, then you’re going to have to fight with us. If we survive, you’re free to go. Or you could run to the imperial soldiers and take your chances with them now.” Yang Deli marched back to his men who also formed ranks.

  Lu Na was tempted to, but she remembered her mother was still at Yang Deli’s mercy. If they lost, then her mother would die as well.

  “You’re thinking about helping the rebel, aren’t you?” Nugua asked.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Your left fist is clenched. Let me help you.”

  Lu Na flicked her wrist left and a large stone wall rose from the ground. It spanned across the area, covering all the bandits, while only being chest height.

  The rebels scrambled forward until they all had their spears resting on the wall. Their looks of admiration made Lu Na felt a small bit of satisfaction. Yes, she was helping rebels, but she was also helping herself.

  Her left wrist burned again, this time worse than before.

  “How much power did you put into those walls?” Lu Na asked.

  “Everything I could without burning your hand off,” Nugua replied.

  Lu Na shook her wrist a little. Her spirit didn’t know the limit of the null metal bracelet. What she pulled was too much. She had to pull the dense spirit energy from the null metal bracelet into her spirit realm.

  “Hey, don’t shove that in here without telling me,” Nugua said.

  Lu Na ignored her as she pulled as much as she could and began cycling it through her body. She needed to cool off the null metal bracelet as fast as she could because the imperial soldiers charged. Their spears looked way better made than the rebels.

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  “Where did you learn this technique?” Nugua asked.

  “I learned it from Elder Xu.” Lu Na slowed down the rate that she pulled on the null metal bracelet as the dense spirit energy filled her body. If she pulled anymore, she’d explode. It felt like she drank too much water at once.

  “It’s a useful technique, but I doubt she taught you how to use it. All you’re doing is letting it leech into the ground.”

  “Then teach me a better way to use it.” Lu Na shut her eyes as the pushing of the spirit energy was becoming too much. Maybe she shouldn’t have pulled in so much. Or maybe it was because Nugua was back in her spirit realm, making it harder to process all the spirit energy.

  “I have never had a chance to do this before, but let me have some of it.” Nugua reached out from Lu Na’s spirit realm and grasped a strand of spirit energy cycling through Lu Na. “Ewww, this is all kinds of spirit energy, not just water spirit energy. I can’t use that.”

  Lu Na focused only on the water spirit energy within her body and pushed out the rest as much as she could through her feet. A large clang at the wall almost made her lose focus.

  “There we go. This I can use. I’ll refine it myself.” Nugua reached out again from her spirit realm and grasped the lone strand of water spirit energy. “Open your eyes. You might want to see this.”

  Lu Na opened them to watch the imperial soldiers fighting against the rebels. The wall proved helpful, but the soldiers had longer range.

  Lu Na felt something pulse within her chest. A large ice wall formed in front of the stone wall that reached to the sky. It was so thick that the soldiers couldn’t penetrate it with their spears. A cold breeze swept by, pushing the imperial soldiers and rebels away.

  A shadow passed by within the ice wall. It looked vaguely like the outline of a naga. On close inspection, it looked exactly like Nugua when she was outside of Lu Na’s body in the labyrinth.

  “Nugua? Are you still here?” Lu Na asked.

  “Of course child. I only went out for a second to feel the ice technique for myself.” Nugua groaned. She shivered within Lu Na’s spirit realm. “I haven’t felt my own technique in ages. That was more delicious than any meal I’ve eaten so far.”

  “Wait, that is your technique? How come you’ve never done it before?” Lu Na asked. She walked along the ice wall, but it didn’t feel cold to her.

  “Child, you never had enough life essence to perform any techniques. If I used this before you learned that technique from Elder Xu, you would have died on the spot. You should thank the Elder the next time you see her.”

  “Does this mean I can use your techniques now?” Lu Na asked.

  Nugua laughed.

  “Not without my help. You think your little level up in the labyrinth makes you a full summoner?”

  Lu Na shrugged. She had hoped. If she had the same strength as any of the other summoners she’s seen or maybe even one of the Wintersweet disciples, she could stand on her own.

  “Young Miss Lu, that wall is not going to hold the imperial soldiers for long. We must flee,” Yang Deli said. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to leave your mother. We can’t carry her.”

  “What are you talking about? That wall should hold them off for a long time,” Lu Na said.

  Yang Deli pointed at the center of the ice wall. It glowed red for a brief moment before a huge chunk melted. The glow didn’t stop there as the earth wall melted too.

  “They’re not playing anymore. The moment you used a spirit technique, it gave them permission to use theirs. We have to run. I’m only telling you this because you saved my men. But if you don’t come with us, I won’t force you.”

  Lu Na considered it for a moment. She shook her head.

  “No, I’m staying with my mother.”

  Yang Deli shrugged and ran away with the rest of his men. They didn’t pick anything up from their encampment as they ran.

  As soon as the rebels cleared out, the imperial soldiers were done demolishing her ice and earth walls. A group of summoners walked through the holes with large spirit shields in front of them in different elements.

  “Any suggestions?” Lu Na asked.

  “Run away with Yang Deli. You can’t fight them.”

  “Or I could surrender.” Lu Na raised both of her hands in the air.

  “Do whatever you wish. I’m going to lie down now. I haven’t used that technique in centuries. I think I tweaked my back.”

  Lu Na shook her head. Her powerful spirit that ate men and soldiers alike hurt herself from using her own technique. The future promised a lot of frustration.

  The imperial soldiers surrounded her. Their red armor fanned out around Lu Na like a dancing troupe. Their choreography in perfect sync.

  Xun Zheng walked over to Lu Na with his hands held behind his back. While she knew that men did it to look imposing, it only made him look like a duck waddling over because of his hunch.

  “So you didn’t run with your commander?” the imperial official asked.

  “He’s not my commander. I didn’t run because my mother is still here.”

  “Oh, so you’re saying you two were their captives?”

  “No. They’re Sun Ren’s followers.”

  “So that woman is a rebel then?”

  “No. I don’t know. I just want to sit down and rest. Maybe eat something. This has been a very tiring morning.” Lu Na wanted to sit down, but the spears pointed at her neck made her think otherwise.

  The imperial soldiers brought Sun Ren over, forcing her to kneel to the floor. Lu Na followed suit and knelt on the floor beside her.

  “You two each get one chance to tell me what happened inside the labyrinth and whether the rebels still have whatever prize was in there. Otherwise, I’m going to send you both to the worst imaginable deaths you could imagine.” Xun Zheng walked around the pair of women. “Someone bring me the woman’s mother and clear the tents. I don’t want any rebel surprise attack.”

  The imperial soldiers went off to search the tents.

  “Speak,” Xun Zheng commanded.

  “If you would let me show you my badge, you will know I’m telling the truth. I am the daughter of Marquis Wentai,” Sun Ren said.

  Xun Zheng snapped his fingers and someone carried over a chair. He sat down right in front of the two women.

  “Now that the rebels are no longer around, I have a little more time to entertain you two. First off, even if what you say is true, it doesn’t matter anymore.” Xun Zheng snapped his fingers again and a servant brought over a cup of tea, steam rolling off it. He took a small sip, making a loud slurping sound. “There is no longer a Marquis of Wentai. Reports are coming in from the capital that he was ambushed on his way to fight another rebel faction and only his men made it back.”

  “No. You’re lying,” Sun Ren said. “I didn’t even get a chance to say good bye.”

  For the first time ever, Lu Na saw Sun Ren cry. Tears mixed in with the dirt on her face.

  “I’m sorry Sun Ren,” Lu Na said.

  Sun Ren clenched her lips shut and sobbed.

  “While the late Marquis is sorted out, anyone using his name is suspect. Beyond that, your friend here told us that you were with the rebels. That makes you a rebel. Which means that we don’t have to care about you one way or another.”

  “But that’s not fair,” Lu Na said.

  Xun Zhen frowned.

  “Life is not fair. Like how I wish you would just tell me what I want to know or give me the prize from the labyrinth.”

  “Yes, fine, I’ll tell you what you want,” Lu Na said.

  “I don’t need the both of you.” Xun Zhen waved a soldier over. “Take the daughter of Marquis Wentai into one of the carriages. I’ll interrogate this one myself.”

  Lu Na took two steps back before a loud boom sounded behind her.