Stone Sculpture

Yale had returned from Fenlai City as well. He looked grim, but pulled a stack of documents from his pocket and tossed them onto the table. "I've checked it out. That Kalan Debs is the heir to the Debs Clan. The Debs Clan is one of our Dawson Chamber of Commerce's partners in the Fenlai Kingdom. In plain terms, they run errands for us."

An picked up the documents and leafed through them. Kalan Debs, seventeen, a fifth-rank warrior and a student at Welling Warrior Academy. His father was the current head of the Debs Clan, and his mother was the daughter of an earl in the Fenlai Kingdom. His family background was prominent within the kingdom, but across the entire Yulan Continent, it really amounted to little.

"What else?" An asked.

Yale sneered. "Here's where it gets more interesting. Alice's father is a gambler. He recently ran up gambling debts of several hundred thousand gold coins, and the Debs Clan settled them for him. Why do you think Alice suddenly got together with Kalan?"

An set down the documents without a word.

"Threats and bribes, taking advantage of people when they're desperate." Reynolds seethed. "That Kalan is a real bastard."

But An shook his head. "Reynolds, Alice is at fault too. If she really loved Linley, she should have discussed her family's troubles with him instead of simply going off with someone else. It's only a few hundred thousand gold coins. One of Linley's sculptures can sell for five or six thousand. He could have carved enough to raise the money eventually. She didn't even try."

Yale nodded. "Third Brother is right. But whatever the case, the Debs Clan dared to take my brother's woman. They'll pay for it."

He rose as he spoke. "I've already given the orders. Starting next month, the Dawson Chamber of Commerce will replace its partner in the Fenlai Kingdom with another family. As for the Debs Clan... let them slowly fall into decline."

An watched Yale without stopping him.

Every family had to pay for its choices. Kalan had chosen to steal Linley's girlfriend, and Alice had chosen betrayal. They would have to bear the consequences.

Over the next few days, An went to the mountain behind the academy every day.

Linley still stood motionless before the enormous boulder. A thick layer of snow covered his clothes, making him look like an ice sculpture. Bebe kept watch at his feet. Whenever An arrived, he ran over for a little food, then ran back again.

On the third day, Reynolds began to grow restless.

"Linley hasn't eaten or drunk anything for three days. How can he keep this up?" Reynolds paced around the dormitory. "An, aren't you going to talk to him?"

An shook his head. "He's at a crucial stage in his training right now. He can't hear anything around him. Forcing him out of it would only hurt him."

On the fifth day, Yale brought news back from Fenlai City-the Debs Clan had received notice from the Dawson Chamber of Commerce that its partnership agreement would not be renewed the following year. The head of the Debs Clan had personally come to request a meeting, only to be turned away by Walter.

"They still don't know who they've offended," Yale said with a sneer. "But there's no need for them to know. Let them keep guessing."

On the seventh day, Reynolds went to the mountain to deliver food and discovered that Linley was gone. Only Bebe remained, squeaking frantically.

An found Linley in a more secluded clearing.

Linley was wielding the Flat Blade, its afterimages flashing as stone chips flew everywhere. He moved with incredible speed, every stroke precise. His eyes were fixed on the stone, and flames seemed to burn in his pupils.

An found a rock some distance away, sat down, and watched in silence.

Linley was carving Alice.

From that day on, An came to the mountain every day to watch Linley carve from afar. Yale and Reynolds took turns coming too, but neither dared approach. They only watched from a distance.

Linley neither ate nor drank, neither slept nor rested. With sunlight by day and starlight and moonlight by night, he carved on, stroke after stroke. Snowflakes landed on him, melted, then froze again, but he remained utterly oblivious.

Watching Linley's figure grow thinner by the day, An felt an ache in his heart.

He thought back to when he had first crossed over into this world. Sixteen years had passed. They had grown up together, trained together, and traveled together from Wushan Town to Ernst Academy. Linley had always been the cheerful, sunny older brother who protected his younger brother and comforted his friends.

Yet now, that cheerful, sunny person had been utterly devastated by a romance.

The eighth day, the ninth, the tenth.

Five women in different poses stood in a row from left to right.

The leftmost figure held her arms across her chest, her head slightly lowered, as though afraid of something-that was Alice's frightened, bewildered appearance when she had first been rescued.

The second sat turned to one side, her chin resting on one hand and a smile on her lips-that was Alice whispering to him on the balcony.

The third held her hands behind her back, her head slightly lowered and her cheeks flushed-that was Alice in a moment of shyness.

The fourth spread her arms wide and tilted her face toward the sky, her long hair flowing-that was Alice's joyful bearing when she was deeply in love.

The fifth looked back over her shoulder, her expression complicated and cold-that was Alice's heartlessness when she had said, "We're not right for each other."

Five figures, five expressions, capturing an entire romance from their first meeting through falling in love to their parting.

An stood in the distance, gazing at the sculpture, deeply shaken.

It was not his first time seeing Linley's sculptures, but these five figures seemed to have souls. Every expression was lifelike, every line infused with emotion.

The eleventh day.

Linley lowered the Flat Blade in his hand.

An saw him sway and nearly fall, only steadying himself by bracing a hand against the sculpture. An stood and walked toward him.

"An." Linley's voice was so hoarse it was barely audible. "You've been here all along?"

An nodded. "All along."

Linley gazed at the enormous sculpture before him in silence for a long time.

"It all feels like a dream." His voice was soft, as though he were speaking to himself. "And now, I've finally woken up. I'll call this piece 'Dream Awakening.'"

An stood beside him, looking at the sculpture too.

"Are you hungry, big brother?" An asked.

Linley froze for a moment, then smiled.

"Yes," he said. "Starving."

An turned and walked toward the nearby tent. Reynolds and Reynolds had already prepared food and packed it into insulated containers, so it was still hot. Yale had brought a bottle of fine wine, saying he had taken it from his family's wine cellar, where it had been aged for thirty years.

The four sat down in the snow, laid out the food, and poured the wine.

"Linley, eat first. Don't rush to drink." Reynolds pushed the hot soup toward him.

Linley lifted the bowl and took a sip. As the hot soup reached his stomach, a little color finally returned to his face.

"Linley, this sculpture of yours-I've seen Master Proulx's work, and even his isn't as good," Yale said as he poured the wine. "I'll have someone take it to the Proulx Gallery and put it in their best exhibition hall. Let them see what a genius really is."

Linley shook his head. "No need. Boss Yale, keep it safe for me. I don't want to sell it."

Yale glanced at him, then nodded. "All right."

The four drank a great deal of wine.