The crowd erupted into a frenzy. They began chanting again:
“GOL-DEN! DRA-GON! GOL-DEN! DRA-GON!”
ShaoShu looked up at the Emperor's seating area and saw that Xie was no longer there. The other members of the party were already filing out into a special tunnel entrance as the crowd danced and cheered around them.
Golden Dragon began to limp toward the pit entry door, and ShaoShu threw it open. He helped Golden Dragon through it, then closed it again, the crowd still chanting:
“GOL-DEN! DRA-GON! GOL-DEN! DRA-GON!”
“Are you okay, Golden Dragon?” ShaoShu asked.
“I'm fine,” Golden Dragon replied. “But from now on, please call me Long.”
“Whatever you say, Long. That was incredible!”
“Thanks,” Long said, gripping his bloody right thigh with one hand and his upper left arm with the other hand. “What happened to the guard?”
“He tripped and hit his head,” ShaoShu said, looking at Long's wounds. “Those really look like they hurt. Is there anything I can do?”
“You can help me out of here. I think—”
“HALT!” said a deep voice from down the tunnel. “Nobody is going anywhere.”
ShaoShu frowned. It was Xie.
“Golden Dragon, you are under arrest,” Xie said as he approached. “ShaoShu, you are under arrest, too, until it is determined whether or not you've committed any crimes by assisting this enemy of the state.”
“Oh, no!” ShaoShu said.
“It's okay,” Long said. “I expected as much.” He grunted, clamping his hands down tighter.
“This way,” Xie said, giving ShaoShu a shove. Xie directed them down a series of short tunnels before stopping outside a large prison cell with iron bars across the front. “Inside.”
ShaoShu helped Long hobble into the cell, and Xie slammed the rusty door shut before walking away.
“Hey!” ShaoShu said. “What about his leg and arm?”
“I'm a soldier, not a physician,” Xie said without breaking stride. He turned a corner and was gone.
ShaoShu looked at Long. “I want to help you.”
“I'll be all right,” Long said. He took off his robe and tore a long strip of silk free, wrapping it tightly around his wounded leg.
Long began tearing a second strip for his arm when they heard Xie shouting. ShaoShu listened intently, but with the echoing within the stone tunnels, he couldn't make out what Xie was saying.
Long looked at the prison cell bars. “You're pretty small. Do you think you could squeeze between them?”
“Gosh,” ShaoShu said. “I almost forgot.” He reached into a pouch attached to his sash and pulled out the ring of keys. “No need to squeeze if you have the keys! I tried your choke trick on the guard, but it didn't work. I got lucky. He knocked himself out against the ground.”
Long laughed.
Xie began to shout even louder, and ShaoShu jumped to his feet. He tried several keys until he found the right one, then threw the key ring to Long. “I don't want them to jingle while I'm sneaking around.”
Long nodded and tucked the keys behind his sash.
“I'll be right back,” ShaoShu said, and hurried toward Xie's angry cries. After rounding a few corners, he caught sight of the big man smashing his huge fists against a heavy wooden door very much like the one leading to the pit arena. It even had a small barred window.
Xie stopped pounding and stuck his face against the window. “Let me in, Tonglong! Open this door and I may forgive you. Leave it closed and you're a dead man.”
There was no response from the other side of the door, and Xie began to pound on it again. Brick dust billowed from the hinges, and ShaoShu saw a small hole open up next to the door's lowest hinge. As he stared at it, the pounding stopped.
“How did you get out?” Xie growled.
ShaoShu looked up at Xie and shrugged. “What is happening in there?”
“None of your business.”
Xie went back to pounding on the door, and the small hole next to the hinge grew larger. Xie flew into a rage and began to shout again, focusing intently on the window.
ShaoShu couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. He raced over to the hole and peered through with one eye, trying his best to keep his other eye focused on Xie.
Through the hole, ShaoShu saw a large meeting room. Ornate couches lined the walls, and thick carpet covered the floor. In the center of the room, Tong -long stood debating with the Emperor, the Eastern Warlord, the Western Warlord, and AnGangseh. Tong-long was wearing the white jade armor, and at his feet lay the white jade swords. The Emperor looked terrified.
ShaoShu stepped back from the hole and looked at the door. There was a handle but no lock. The door must lock from the other side, he thought. He examined the small hole and said, “If you are willing to help me, I think I can help you.”