73 Telling the Truth (1/2)
An Ning groaned and opened her eyes.
”What happened?”
”I think you might have been sleepwalking. Into that,” Yi Hai said, looking down.
An Ning followed his eyes and gasped. The cliff was steep. The trees down below were green and thick. One could see the flash of clear water from a river, however. Winding down around the base of the giant trees and out into the ocean some distance away.
”Are you alright?” Yi Hai's voice was soft. He had to bend his head to ask the question because of his great height. An Ning looked up and locked his eyes with hers.
”Did you see something before...?” An Ning stopped but her sharp eyes never wavered from his face.
Yi Hai hesitated then released a reluctant sigh.
”Yes,” he said. ”I thought it was a trick of the light.”
”It was not,” An Ning said, extricating herself from his embrace. Ye Hai's grip tightened then his arms slowly opened to let her go.
”Thank you.”
”You're welcome.”
An Ning sighed and sat down, her gaze unseeing as the sun slowly unfurled its brilliance over the horizon. Yi Hai hesitated and sat down beside her. They watched quietly as the sunlight crept towards the valley down below as if catching fire with a blink of an eye. The fog dissipated and the beauty of nature in its stark unvarnished truth was revealed.
”You are not saying anything,” An Ning broke the silence between them.
”Neither are you,” Yi Hai quietly said.
”It's hard to know where to begin.”
”Begin anywhere you want and I'll try to catch up.”
”They...those people...they're my grandparents,” An Ning began.
”Who are obviously not dead.”
”What?” An Ning turned to look at him, surprised.
”Those figures were not phantoms. That woman who looked exactly like you was crying. And the man wrote something for you to see. Those were not the actions of phantoms or ghosts or whatever.”
”You're right. They're still alive somewhere and are trying to get to me.”
”You're not from that faraway kingdom, are you?”
”No.”
”A traveler from another time?”
”You can say that.”
”How come you look exactly like the dead empress?”
”Because I am her with a different soul.”
Yi Hai's frown eased up and a smile lit up his face.
”I wondered because the late empress liked to wear fine, delicate clothes and you don't. And you speak a little bit rougher than her.”
”You mean I speak like a thug?”
”No! I mean,” Yi Hai stammered, red suffusing his cheeks. ”You know what I mean,” he finished awkwardly.
An Ning laughed.
”Yes, I know what you mean.”
The both of them sat in companionable silence. An Ning drew up her legs and hugged her knees before sighing helplessly.
”That's why you know General Chen very well?” Yi Hai's voice was very casual.
An Ning was surprised.
”Actually, yes. He was a friend from a different time.”
”This friendship is...” he said, as if probing the truth of what she was saying.
”Just friends. He knew my late husband. Well, not the emperor but my other husband. Or rather my ex,” An Ning stopped and sighed. ”It's complicated.”
”You were married before.” It was not a question. ”So, you'll go back to your husband when you get back there?”
”Former husband actually,” An Ning automatically corrected. ”How can I? He's already here somewhere.”
At his look of surprise, An Ning again released her breath in a long sigh.
”I'd better explain,” she said then actually did, omitting some half-truths and discarding the lies. Although the story that came out from her own mouth was short and to the point, An Ning was nagged by how torturous and long-winding the real story actually was.It seemed like another life. Only the reality of the now was real to her anymore.
”This story is kind of...” Yi Hai said, obviously at a loss for words.
”I know, right? It's way beyond weird.”
”Are you still in love with this Richard?”
An Ning shook her head.
”Would it surprise you if I tell you that I stopped loving him a long time ago? Even before I married him, I think. I was just too stubborn to see that even he was helpless against me. And then he died and there was no other way to tell him I'm sorry.”
”I don't get why he still wants you though. No, not like that,” he explained hurriedly when he saw An Ning's expression. ”I mean, why is he still haunting you? He gets the girl. You willingly left him. Then if that's the case, why is he still sore about you?”
”Pride,” An Ning shrugged. ”He didn't want me going out with his brother?”
”That can't be it.That's too shallow a reason to drag a girl into another world just so he could slap her down for hooking up with his brother. Sounds phooey to me.”
”You know what, you're really starting to sound like a 21st century brat,” An Ning laughed. ”What are you, my love adviser now?”
”I'm just saying,” Yi Hai said stubbornly.
An Ning sighed.
”I guess you're right. Until he and I meet, conjectures at this point are useless.”
The ring on her left hand suddenly caught An Ning's eye and she frowned.
”Do me a favor?”
”What?”
”Next time you see me sick or asleep out in the open, take this ring off my hand and hide it somewhere. Don't let anyone else get it. This ring is valuable not only to us but the enemies of Yuqui.If they get their hands on this...”
”Wait, I think I have a solution for that,” Yi Haid said.
His hands went behind his back and unfastened what turned out to be a plain silver necklace hanging around his neck.
”Slip the ring on the end of this string,” he ordered.
Perplexed, An Ning took Hippolyta's ring off and did as he said. The ring slid down the length of the string then as she watched, it gradually disappeared into thin air. An Ning gasped, her eyes flying to Yi Hai's in horror.
”Look at your hand,” he said.
An Ning looked down and saw that the ring was there. The same ugly ring with the antique design and the even uglier rubies that surrounded the top.
”What just happened?”
”That piece of string copies everything you dangle in front of it. Give me your hand,” Yi Hai said.
An Ning gave him her hand then watched as he gently pricked the longest finger until a red point of blood appeared on the soft tender skin. Yi Hai then squeezed that small point of red until it dropped onto the chain, coating it with the red substance.