Chasing the Phoenix Read Online Free PDF

accepted the stick and, even as the captain of the city guard gaped in alarm, held it outstretched to the man in both paws. “Obviously, I would never be allowed to carry a weapon into the presence of the Hidden King. That being so, I can think of no one I would more trust to keep it safe.” Then he fell alongside the commander, whom Darger was already walking toward the gate.
    So it was that, accompanied by General Bold Stallion and an honor guard of twenty soldiers, Darger and Surplus turned their backs on the Infallible Physician’s hut, her village, and indeed the great city of Brocade and strolled away, never to return.
    *   *   *
    â€œHERE WE are,” said General Bold Stallion with obvious pride.
    Surplus could not help but stare. “ This is the Hidden King’s palace?”
    They were confronted with what at first appeared to be a gracefully landscaped hillside, with green meadows and small stands of trees dotted by the occasional small building. But on closer examination, those buildings revealed themselves to be gateways to the interior of the hill. Just below the summit, a white stone temple resolved itself into a cluster of vents and chimneys. A stony outcrop became a guardhouse. Tall cedars camouflaged a lookout tower. “This would be a difficult place to break into,” Darger observed. “Or even to find. A traveler might easily pass by it without suspecting it existed at all.”
    â€œAfter the Admirable King’s sudden death,” said Bold Stallion, who had been made voluble by Surplus’s warm camaraderie and Darger’s grave attentiveness, “his son had the entire palace complex buried and its defenses strengthened. You have passed through six circles of security, and I will warrant that you noticed none.”
    This last statement was not entirely true. Nevertheless, “Your king is a cautious man,” Darger commented lightly. “What else can you tell me about his personality?”
    General Bold Stallion looked uncomfortable. “That is not a matter we talk about.” The road curved into a wood that opened into an allée of kingly trees. They passed through an elaborate stone gateway to find themselves within an entrance chamber framed with tremendous cedar beams with carved and gilded decorations. Guards appeared to turn back the soldiers and examine the general’s credentials.
    A cold wind of a woman swept out of the gloom. Her hair was long and, like her austere and undecorated uniform, the color of snow. “So these are the troublemakers I have been ordered to waste time on,” she said, “while important decisions are being made without me. The king certainly has an overdeveloped sense of whimsy.”
    â€œWhite Squall!” General Bold Stallion looked thunderstruck. “I—I was not expecting to be met by the chief archaeological officer herself. I am honored that you—”
    â€œYou took long enough getting here. Leave.” White Squall briefly studied Darger and Surplus with a gaze both intelligent and unsympathetic. “As for you two … You will regret having imposed yourselves upon the Hidden King’s attention.” She turned her back on them. “Follow. Your servant as well, in case he turns out to be more than he appears.” Four grim-looking guards took up positions before and behind the three, and in solemn procession all entered the inner palace.
    A proper Chinese palace was not a single building in the European style but a walled archipelago of smaller buildings connected by gracious courtyards and gardens. Each building was symbolically an island in that archipelago and, like islands, which are variously forested and inhabited, each had its own character. Those nearest the main entrance were the largest and most formal and were reserved for public matters. Beyond them were more functional buildings for meetings, storage, and other practical