The absurdity of the toad didn’t disappoint. Another mollusk. Another pearl. The bottom of the well opening its sinkhole on Commander Lieu and Tho to welcome them into the pit of fear—the tablet inserted into the soft belly of the magical tunnel and the dead-end stop at the water wall under Hoan Kiem Lake—the commander’s face drained white of blood.
Tho chuckled and nudged the underworld rookie. “I thought in your line of work you’d have seen it all by now.”
The commander’s eyes lit round yet static as a shadow moved in the wall of water. The jaw-locked silence ended, however, as the turtle lifted its head and penetrated through the wall.
“You’ve returned. Who is this?”
“This is Commander Lieu. He is leading the rebel attack against the Chinese.”
“Leading poorly, from what I hear.”
“I’m not one to say,” said Tho, looking over at the commander, mesmerized at the giant turtle’s neck above him.
“Well what do you, Commander Lieu, say then?”
He didn’t speak. He couldn’t. He tried moving his mouth but the muscles jammed, and a gasp of air escaped like a toddler’s coo after awaking in the morning.
“Why did you bring him here?”
“Lady Trieu told me to bring him.”
“What do you want?”
“We ask for the magic crossbow.”
“Only someone worthy can receive the crossbow. Is he ready to prove his worth?”
Tho glanced at the commander once again. “Yes, he is.”
“Are you sure?”
“He is a decorated officer. He’s had unwavering resolve against the Chinese when others merely wilted, when the leaders of the government absconded their responsibility, allowing themselves to be eliminated. But this man—”
“I want to hear from him.”
The turtle retracted its head a few feet and lowered his massive jaw until its nostrils breathed directly on the commander. The turtle’s head was half the size of the boat, and the commander reeled backwards as if one quick snap could chop off his head.
“I see weakness,” said the turtle.
“Please, give him a moment. He’s been on a disturbing ride through the tunnel.”
“And … and on the wings of a long-tailed bird,” added the commander, still panting.
“He speaks.” The turtle lifted its head and dipped back behind the wall of water once again. It emerged holding a sword and dropped it in the bow of the boat at their feet.
“What’s the sword for?” asked Lieu.
“Pick it up and prepare yourself.”
“I’ve never fought with a sword before.”
“You better learn.”
Three enormous warriors shattered the wall of water and pounced on the commander and Tho in the basket boat. Tho dropped flat into the bottom of the boat. The commander did likewise, but not without first screaming and lunging for the sword, which he couldn’t reach. They were Terracotta warriors in animated form and in full attack mode. The first two swung their swords over the head of the commander. The third would have sliced him in two if Lieu hadn’t back-flipped out of the boat by placing his palms on the boat’s edge and springing in reverse with his feet like a gymnast. He landed on the soft glowing floor of the tunnel, still lit in bright iridescence. Tho remained flat in the boat. He didn’t feel particularly afraid since he felt he had a certain rapport with the turtle. Plus, Lady Trieu had sent him. And most importantly, he never had a beef with a terracotta warrior in his ninety-five years on earth.
The commander, on the other hand, found himself, through no desire of his own, fighting three illogical beings set up by a talking turtle in a nonsensical tunnel. The rebellion above ground fell apart by the moment, and here he was, trying to remember his Vovinam martial arts moves from his teen years. He reached into the boat and grabbed the sword’s handle with both hands. Two of the warriors circled around him while the other stood in the boat taking blind precision steps to avoid the cowering Tho curled in a ball. The warriors were each slightly over six-feet-tall, giving them a half-foot advantage over the short-statured commander. Lieu brought the sword to his chest and breathed slowly, tip straight up in front of his face. The warriors each took another step toward him, but Lieu went left in a frontal assault toward the first one. The terracotta raised its sword over its head and chopped downward. The commander jerked backwards and the sword stuck into the soft floor of the tunnel. Lieu stepped up onto the crossguard of the sword and swung his in a lateral motion, slicing off the warrior’s head and vaporizing it. The warrior in the center of the boat lunged toward him, but he jumped back to the floor of the tunnel and ran a circular route to the opposite terracotta soldier. It reversed itself and sparred with the commander a few times. He pinned the soldier’s sword against the side of the boat and dove at the soldier’s legs in an attempt to remember one of the twenty-one leg grappling techniques he had once learned. The attack confused the soldier, and both swords fell to the ground. Lieu twisted the soldier’s leg until the clumsy fellow lost balance and collapsed to the floor of the tunnel. Lieu lunged for the sword and stabbed him in the chest and turned him into a puff of vapor.
The final soldier had climbed out of the back of the boat and now faced the commander. This one was slightly bigger and more agile. It sliced hard twice against the commander’s sword. The second strike twisted Lieu’s wrist in pain until the sword fell out of his hand. Another swift slice almost ended Lieu in the chest. He turned and ran toward the wall of water. Tho had finally peeked his head over the edge of the boat.
“Don’t hit the wall of water,” he warned. “It will hurt.”
Too late. Lieu stretched out his arms and in a semi-horizontal dive pierced the surface of the water.
“He made it!”
Lieu swam at the edge of the water wall and dared the final warrior to join him by poking his hand into the tunnel and waving him on. The terracotta soldier obliged. It charged into the water, but its sword became unwieldy. Commander Lieu swam over to the warrior and placed his palms flat against its chest. The soldier tried to remove them but the water blows did nothing to Lieu. He pushed gently, releasing his fingers all at once in an upward motion, and the terracotta soldier returned to history, disintegrating into a thousand floating pieces of dust, which dispersed in the deep waters of Hoan Kiem Lake, and sunk back into history.
Commander Lieu walked out of the water, shoulders back, unimpressed by his surroundings. Tho gawked at the man, who had been a mumbling idiot when the drain of the pearl well sucked them into the tunnel. He put his hands on the edge of the basket boat and swung himself inside next to Tho.
“What happened?”
“I remembered my lessons from Vovinam fighting. Fighting is not only the aggressiveness of the ying; it also embraces the yang—the patience, the unexpected. The moments where there can be an understanding between two foes.”
Tho scratched his head. “You came to an understanding with a terracotta warrior ghost?”
“We did. He realized he no longer meant to exist.”
The turtle reappeared, holding an object in its hand. It dropped it in a similar spot as the sword, but this time Commander Lieu caught it. The crossbow—the mythical, magical crossbow.
“Commander, you have shown your worth. Use it judiciously. Not without pause. Use it humbly to humble the most ardent foes, when the time is right. When the well opens for the last time. Now go.”
Tho gripped the sides of the boat. The ride started, knocking Lieu to the hull, as they hurled at great speed through the tunnel and popped up in the pearl well, in the center of Co Loa Citadel pond. They remained silent. Lieu dragged the boat over the cement barrier of the well and into the pond. He used the oar to return them to shore.
They found Lien and Lady Trieu on the steps of the citadel all alone. The long-tailed bird rested in the grass nearby. Commander Lieu, without saying a word, approached Lady Trieu. He knelt in front of her and presented the crossbow with outstretched arms as an emissary presenting tribute to an empress. She received it into her hands and weighed its stature.
“The magical crossbow.”
“What is it?” asked Lien.
“The great turtle would not have released this crossbow without cause.” Trieu looked up at the three assembled in front of her. “There are secrets. Deep magical secrets of history which the guardians of the past hold on to at all cost. But when they are willing to relinquish an item as precious as this, it can only mean the work ahead of us is far graver than even we know.”
Lieu rose to his feet, eyes still fixed upon the crossbow.
“Lady Trieu, I understand now. We aren’t merely fighting the Chinese. We are fighting against thousands of years. This is not about me or about my men or even those who have already lost their lives. It’s about preserving the future so items such as the magic crossbow and the pearl well and the legend of Hoan Kiem Lake will live in revered perpetuity. I’m ready to embrace any and all tactics necessary to complete this mission. Failure would mean an end to our people.”
She glanced at the bow once more, and handed it over to Mr. Tho, who unexpectedly took it into his hands. She nodded at him, and he understood.
“Commander Lieu, leader of the resistance, on a noble fight to preserve our way of life and all its venerable history, I present you with the magic crossbow. Use it as the turtle instructed, and guard it with your life until we use the well a final time.”
Lieu took the crossbow in his hands and strapped it over his right shoulder. “I will use it as you say. When will be the final time we use the well?”
“Patience,” said Trieu. “We need to gather as many fighters as possible. Commander, after Sun Quan’s attack, your troops scattered. Is there any way to contact them?”
“Yes, I just need to return to our auxiliary base. I was headed there when you snatched me.”
“The bird will take you there. And you know your orders after that?”
“Yes, I know exactly what must be done. We’ll return to the well one final time.”
“Yes,” she repeated. “Three days time. Now go.”
The bird called to the commander to mount its back once again. He walked toward it.
“Commander,” Lien called. “I’m sorry I doubted you, Commander. I just …”
He reached for her hands and clasp them in a firm grip. “This war has torn many families apart, in many different ways. Let’s not give up hope. One day we will understand.”
Lieu mounted the bird, and they disappeared into the sky. Lady Trieu walked toward the pond.
“Where are you going?” asked Lien.
“I have something to prepare.”
“What should we do?”
“Rest. You will need it.”
“That is the best thing I’ve heard in days,” said Tho.
“Stay out of sight.” Lady Trieu changed from bodily form into the translucent ghost appearance and submerged herself into the depths of the pearl well.
Tho walked toward the gate of the citadel.
“Tho, where are you going?”
“I know where those two old men live. Perhaps their wives will cook me some food.”