I would go mad. I was certain that before I died, I would go mad.
My jaw locked open in a silent scream. My body became rigid. I prayed. Not to be saved, but for forgiveness. For all the things I’d done wrong, for all the people I’d hurt.
It was a long list.
It could’ve been two minutes. It could’ve been two days. I’m not sure how much time passed. But somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind I heard clicking. Not a metallic click but a softer sound. More like a tap. Shoe leather on stone.
The footsteps stopped. Class, or maybe porcelain, clinked. The footsteps came closer.
Next to my head, ancient hinges creaked. Something jarred the cart. I felt it, the shift in weight. Someone had dropped the side panel. I felt two tugs on the edge of my canvas. I went with them, rolling now, rolling toward the side of the cart, and then the surface gave way and I was falling.
I twisted and landed on my side and kept rolling, feeling the canvas unraveling and I saw daylight and pushed the last of the covering away and without warning I was blinded by light. Still, I struggled to my feet, wavering like a punch-drunk fighter, shielding my eyes with my hands.
I wasn’t angry anymore-at my captors for tying me up so cruelly-but I was tremendously grateful. Grateful to whoever had pulled me out of that living hell. And I was ready to fight. Ready to make sure that nobody put me back inside. I knotted my fists and opened my eyes and scanned for targets.
The light that had seemed blinding before was nothing more than a dim lantern. Guttering. Oil-fed. I seemed to be in some sort of chamber. Rock-hewn. Jagged edges. The space slowly came into focus.
It was nicely appointed, with a comfortable-looking sofa, a pair of lounging chairs, and a coffee table centered on an intricately knit black-and-red carpet. The design of the flooring seemed a jumble at first, but after staring for a while it leapt out at me. Phoenix rising.
Behind, lining the walls, were cabinets. Inlaid mother-of-pearl with intricately wrought metal handles and clasps.
The room didn’t make sense. Located in the bowels of the earth. Clean, comfortable, designed for entertaining guests. In it, the dirty old cart and flea-infested canvas seemed bafflingly out of place.
Wood rattled on wood. Something heavy thudded to the floor. A big brown mummy rolled toward me, unraveling, until I saw blue jeans and a pair of sneakers. Ernie!
I helped him to his feet. Blindly, he let loose a couple of roundhouse punches into the air.
“I’ll kill the bastards!” he said. “I’ll kill ‘em.”
Gingerly, I patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Ernie. It’s just me. We’re all right now.”
He stopped swirling around and grabbed my arm and leaned on me, letting his eyes adjust to the light. Breathing heavily, he took in the room in which we stood.
Standing in the middle of the carpet, her hands clasped demurely in front of her waist, stood a beautiful young woman.
As I gazed at her I realized that she had no plans- nor any capability-of rolling us back into the canvas. I knew she didn’t deserve my gratitude-she had to be a part of the gang who’d dragged us here-but my heart flooded with warm feeling for her. She was, after all, the woman who set us free. Our liberator.
When she realized we could see her, she lowered her large brown eyes and bowed slowly from the waist. Her glossy black hair brushed forward as she did so, covering her soft cheeks and exposing the tender flesh of her neck. She straightened her back and I took a long look at her.
She was not very tall, maybe just slightly above the average height for a Korean woman, but she gave the appearance of being tall. Red silk, intricately embroidered with an entwining gold dragon, wrapped around her slender body. The collar was high, buttoned, in the style of the Manchu Dynasty. A slit at the side of the dress exposed naked thigh.
She smiled at us. Tentatively. Full lips, round nose, big eyes. Cheekbones not sharp but soft and gently contoured. It dawned on me that she wasn’t Korean. She was Chinese.
When she opened her mouth to speak, the voice was high and lilting. The words came out in faltering English.
“You must be tired.” She gestured towards the teapot and cups on the coffee table. “Please sit. I will pour you some tea.”
Ernie’s mouth fell open. “What kinda bullshit is this!”
He scurried off into the dark crevices of the chamber, checking the two doors, rattling the locks, pacing the length of the craggy stone walls. When he was satisfied that there was no way out, he returned to us, planted his feet in front of the Chinese woman, and held out his hand.
“Gimme the key,” he said. She smiled at him. “Gimme the goddamn key to the door!”
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I don’t have it.”
He bunched his fist and took a step toward her. I rushed forward and grabbed him.
“Hold it, pal. Give her a chance. They wouldn’t have left us down here with just her if there was a way out.”
Ernie glared at her, murder in his eyes.
In his haste, Ernie had missed a couple of spots.
“Over here,” I said.
We trotted to the other end of the chamber and in the shadows found an opening carved out of the rock. Ernie stared down a short stairwell that led into blackness. I turned to the girl.
“Where does this go?”
“Not out. Please, have a seat. You will be taken to my employer.”
Ernie peered into the black pit. “It’s too damn dark down there.”
I looked at the steps. They were carved out of stone.
Who in the hell had built this place?
I didn’t have any particular desire to go deeper into the cave. I looked back across the room. There must be a way to pry the doors open. I grabbed Ernie’s elbow and whispered.
“She’s our best bet to get out of here. Come on back. We’ll talk to her.”
He nodded and we returned to the center of the chamber.
“Who is your employer?” I asked.
She answered in Korean. “So Boncho-ga.” Herbalist So.
The man we wanted to talk to. Might as well have a go at it. We were just as likely to be able to bust out of here later as we were now. Which maybe wasn’t very likely at all.
I sat on the edge of the couch, keeping most of my weight on the balls of my feet, my forearms draped over my knees. Ernie joined me, but his head kept swiveling around as if he expected a window to open up in the stone walls any second.
She poured aromatic tea into thick porcelain cups with no handles and offered them to us with both hands. I took my cup from her and as I did I brushed the flesh of her fingers. Amazingly soft. This was a woman who had been bred for graciousness, not work. I looked at her feet. Normal. Soft-soled black canvas shoes with sequins. I’d almost expected her feet to be bound.
I sipped on the tea. The bitter taste of ginseng rolled down my parched throat. Ernie set his on the table in front of us. Didn’t touch it.
When I finished, I asked for more. No sense being impolite. She poured with a pleased expression.
Relaxing us like this so soon after our ordeal was obviously her job. And the fact that even I, a half-crazed foreign devil, had responded to her ministrations would give her good face. Demonstrate to her employer the full extent of her skills. Which were extraordinary. Just having her around, with her graceful movements and her beauty and the smooth serenity of her demeanor, had a calming effect.
On me, anyway. Ernie still looked angry enough to frighten Jack the Ripper.
I started to wonder about this Herbalist So. He hires thugs to knock us out and cart us through Itaewon. And then this beautiful woman to bring us back to a semblance of civility. So was used to manipulating people. I’d let him think it was working. For the time being.
After I finished my second cup of tea, the young lady rose and bowed again.
“It is time to see my employer,” she said. “Please come with me.”
When we didn’t move she stared at us, puzzled.