Page 77 of The Cinders
‘Where is he now?Song Lim…’
‘With Master Chen, another shoemaker.Better than being thrown in a cell, but dangerous nonetheless.Jung Ming said something of a beautiful slipper.Your shoemaker is talented, and Chen will use that to bring himself advantage.’She paused.‘Was it the shoe that held the magick?’
‘I don’t know of any magick.Tell me where to find Master Chen.’Xian’s throat was so tight he could barely shape the words.‘I must go to Song Lim at once.’
Her smile was gentle.‘He said the same thing of you.And I know he was driven by more than enchantment to find you, as you are, too.Here, I’ll show you.’She stepped past, brushing against him.
Mai stopped with a small gasp, staring at the drape of his sleeve.
‘What is it?’Xian gathered the slipper against his body.
‘The other half,’ she sighed, lifting the sprig of jasmine to brush it beneath his chin.‘How loved you were to bring forth such magick.And how loved you shall be because of it.Truly your story is one I shall tell the flowers to help them bloom.’
But Xian had no patience for vague, pretty words.He didn’t need love or enchantment or magick, nor a fairy godmother for that matter.
‘Please, I just need to find Song Lim.That is all I wish for.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
SONG LIMstood with his throat parched, blood drying on his wounded shoulder and bruises growing purple from his rough handling, listening to the drone of Master Chen’s voice as he showed off his handiwork.The man strutted around the overfull workshop like a peacock in mating season.Not only did he regale Lim with his handiwork, but he also took pains to point out the five statues of deities he had lined up on the eastern wall; where the offerings of pots of tea and pieces of cooked chicken and pork were liable to attract too many bugs.So much incense burned that the waft of tannins from the shoe leather was all but stifled.
‘They are much pleased with my offerings and worship, for I rose from a simple village shoemaker to the appointed craftsman of his lordship, Mandarin Feng, in remarkably short time.’He bowed before the three Sanxing deities, Fu, Lu and Shou, Star Gods of Prosperity, and Caishen, the almighty God of Wealth; these with the greatest share of the offerings, revealing just where Chen’s priorities lay.‘I have been told, on more than one occasion, that my work is fit for the Imperial Palace.’He paused, eyeing Lim.‘For true princes, that is.Not those so befallen of bad luck as the Prince Xian.’
Lim held his tongue, but only because he wished for a drink of water desperately.Once he’d had a sip, he’d probably try to strangle the man.At least it would end his torturous prattle.
Chen carried on, nursing the slipper like a newborn.‘This pair here are to be worn by his lordship’s most favoured consort.’He lifted one of a pair of lotus shoes.‘I had the fabric sourced from India, and thought it quite exquisite until your shoe appeared.’
‘It is well made, I suppose.The embroidery remarkable enough,’ Lim replied with little enthusiasm.‘But I’ve no fondness for foot binding.Shoes are intended for feet capable of walking, so far as I’m concerned.Those made so small as this, for a grown woman, are an insult to our trade.’
Master Chen set the lotus shoe down beside its match, touching the pair until they were perfectly aligned.‘Strong words for a man shackled and one wrong word away from being thrown into confinement.I wonder how long your belligerence shall last.’Lim remained quiet, despite the angry words boiling at the back of his throat.‘Tell me, did you find your material in the exotic wilds of India, too?’
Master Chen brushed a finger over the slipper, and Lim nearly choked on his belligerence.
‘I don’t recall where it was found.As I’ve said.’Lim knew himself a fool for antagonising the man, but it was worth it; seeing the heat in his cheeks, the shiver of his jowls as he ground his teeth.
‘One shout from me,’ Chen said, ‘and Captain Duan will return an eager man.I don’t know what you did to slight him, but I know he does not take insult well.Where did you find the fabric?Does the Governor of Kunming have special privilege with a supplier?’
Lim met his gaze, unblinking.‘No.He does not.’
‘You insist on testing me.’Chen clucked his tongue.‘That is not wise.Where is the other shoe, Song?’
‘I told you, I do not know.’
‘Now that I know an outright lie.No shoemaker in his right mind allows a slipper like this out of his sight before it reaches its intended owner.’He tapped his nail against the slipper’s toe; right above the line of scales.‘Why would you come all this way, wishing to see the prince, and present him with just one shoe?’
Lim stared at the shoemaker’s finger, willing Mercy’s scales to slice his skin.Chen had no right to hold the shoe, let alone poke at it as if it were a slab of meat.But that did not mean he didn’t ask a reasonable question once in a while.
The answer was quite simple.One that Chen would never hear.Lim had an enchanted shoe and a reckless heart.
‘Are you going to let me change my shirt before you set me to work?’Lim glowered.‘Some salve would be decent too.I won’t be much use to you if infection sets in.’
‘It is barely a scratch, you seem the type to have weathered far worse.’Master Chen considered Lim for a moment, something dark working behind his eyes.‘I propose something else to occupy our time.As one slipper is of no use to a prince with two feet, you shall not mind me picking this shoe apart so we might reuse the fabric for a new pair?I’d enjoy studying your craft as I undo all you’ve done, and might learn more of the origins of your fabric.’
Now it was Lim who clenched his teeth, watching as Chen strode over to the workbench, holding the slipper carelessly, two fingers pinching the heel, swinging it back and forth.
He drew near to the open windows, and the sunlight turned the slipper into a dazzling spectacle.
The day beyond the window frames was a delight, the sky clear, the sun leaning into late afternoon but still holding back the chill.For Lim though, the splendour only brought dismay.