Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 42

Swords and spears clash; roars, yells and screams penetrate the sooty air. I plunge my dagger into the
breastplate of a soldier recklessly charging towards me, feeling the squelch as the metals enters the flesh. A
fountain of blood erupts out of the wound, and the soldier trampled under the feet of another who take his
place. My new adversary swings his spear wildly, exposing the underside of his chainmail. I duck, stabbing
swiftly at the unguarded region. A strangled cry escapes his lips. Suddenly out the corner of my eye, I see a
stream of armored soldiers flowing from the hull of the enemy’s ship –– a trap!
“Fall back!” My shout is inaudible over the noise of battle. It is futile to continue. Slashing a foot-soldier
down his front –– he crumples instantly, I resign myself to the end. Soon, we are all overpowered.
The haughty captain of the ship leers over me, grinning horribly. “So Chen Zuyi, it ends like this. Finally,
we cross paths. I knew I would find you. You know, I wasn’t even looking. I am simply on a trading
voyage, I see you are on the same.”
I sneer back at him, “Scoundrel, you know you stand no chance of defeating my crew in a fair fight, so you
employ an underhanded ambush to surprise us, do you.”
“Underhanded or not, you will be hung.”
“Zheng He, you will pay for this!” Fury courses through my veins, replaced immediately by a cool rage,
simmering beneath my skin. Is there any way for me to persuade him to release me? “Admiral, why do you
attack me? You and I are not so different, we both trade for a living, both have immense fleets, and are both
ignored, hated, unwanted. I am a pirate, a castaway, and you? A Eunuch. You will never be remembered,
never thought of after your death. You will be forgotten, recorded only in the dusty annuals of each passing
year. No family to carry on your legacy, no children to look after you. You wouldn’t kill me, a defenseless
man? I am just like you!”
“Am I, Zuyi?” By now the soldiers surrounding me has vanished, back down where they came from.
“Perhaps. True, I am a eunuch, but that doesn’t mean I cannot do great things. This is my first voyage, and
the Yong Le emperor has promised me greater things to come”
“And you believe him? How has he treated you? As a servant, a slave, just another messenger to do his
bidding! You are worthless to him, as I am!”
Has it worked? I can see the shadow crossing over his brow, I can almost hear the working of his mind
turning this over and over in his head. Zheng He stares at me. His eyes remind me of a snake, waiting to
strike. I tilt my head away, only to see my pride ship sinking, burning into its watery grave. The only visible
parts are the masts already charred at the sides, smoking and frayed… They are just like the Admiral’s ––
only his has the imperial sign, the dragon on it.
“Is that true Zuyi? Yes, perhaps I will never beget any child of my own, but does one really need a family to
be remembered? I will have my own legacy, regardless of whether I leave a bloodline or not. My legacy is
defined by my actions and deeds, the people I help, the ports I visit, and the friendships I build. Unlike you.
You will only be known as a criminal, remembered by the families of the people you’ve killed. So no, Zuyi
–– we are not that similar –– perhaps in what we do, but not how we are remembered.”
Abruptly, a hood is wrapped around my head, obscuring my vision… So this is how it ends…