Charles glanced up. “Bing? Is everything okay?”
Hok's mother glided to a stop in front of Charles. “Nothing is wrong,” she whispered. “Everything is better now. Absolutely everything.” She gently swept Hok out of Charles’ arms, into her own.
Hok locked eyes with Bing, and suddenly felt three years old again. They held each other's gaze, and nine years passed in a single heartbeat.
“What's going on!” GongJee demanded.
Charles glanced at Bing's face, and then at Hok's. A huge smile spread across his lips. “GongJee,” he said, “you know how your mother sometimes gets sad when she thinks about your ‘secret’ big sister? Well, I don't think she's going to be sad anymore.”
The next several weeks were a whirlwind for Hok. She spent nearly every waking moment with Bing, and felt more like she was getting reacquainted with an old friend than reuniting with a parent. Bing didn't talk much, but Hok felt a level of comfort around her that she'd never experienced with anyone else. That made her feel good. Emotionally at least.
Physically things were different. Everything was taking longer to heal than Hok would have liked. Her facial bruising was still quite evident, and it took a long time for the effects of the Dream Dust to wear off. She experienced a couple of difficult nights where she lay trembling and sweating uncontrollably. At least that was now behind her.
Hok kept her broken right arm wrapped tight against her body in a silk sling that matched the white silk robe and turban Bing had given her. Her arm remained swollen for days on end, but it eventually shrank back to its normal size after regular treatments with liniments she created using herbs like willow and feverfew. Bing had these items and more in various-sized jars in the cart they traveled with. As Hok was beginning to remember, her mother was an accomplished healer, too.
Little by little, Hok began to use her injured arm again, keeping it in the sling when she wasn't carefully rehabilitating it. She found the best exercise for it was practicing her basic crane-style kung fu. Using her arms to mimic wings provided an excellent range of movements for reconditioning her elbow. She only practiced under the cover of darkness, though, so as to not draw attention to herself or the others as they traveled along the trail. As Hok had come to learn, they were a secretive bunch.
Getting specific information out of her mother was sometimes difficult, and Hok often had to ask the same question several times before getting an answer. They stayed at inns along the trail and all four of them usually shared a single room, so most of Hok's information came late at night, after Charles and GongJee had gone to sleep.
Hok had learned that her mother was still on the run after all these years. Her father was, too. Hok wasn't sure where her father was right now, but wherever it was, it was less dangerous than the region they were currently in. Charles was her father's cabin boy and her father had asked him to spend this summer with Bing and GongJee because of the trouble brewing in this region. Bing was going to get involved firsthand, and Charles was there to help.
Hok had also discovered that the four of them were currently headed to the region's capital city of Kaifeng to attend the annual Dragon Boat Festival. During the festival, Bing was supposed to meet with some of her “contacts.” Hok wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but it sounded potentially dangerous. Her mother had said that she was somewhat concerned about GongJee being with them, but she also said that she had no choice. Apparently, Bing had tried to have other people care for GongJee much like Grandmaster had taken Hok under his wing, but GongJee had always run away. If Bing ever had to do something alone for several days at a time, Charles was the only one who was able to keep GongJee from running off. Though Charles and GongJee argued often, Hok could tell that they actually enjoyed each other's company.
One night, Charles and GongJee had an entire argument in Dutch, and Hok was surprised that she understood some of the words. The word that stood out most was Henrik, which Hok remembered was her father's name. After Charles and GongJee had drifted off to sleep that night, Hok was eager to ask her mother questions about her father. However, Bing wasn't interested in talking. She said that she had planned something for them the following morning, and a good night's rest would be a more logical thing to do than sit up talking late into the night.
Hok gave up and went to bed.
The next morning, Hok woke to an empty room. It seemed Bing really did have something planned. Hok dressed quickly, tied a white turban over her brown spiky hair, and stepped outside. She found her mother, Charles, and GongJee unloading the small cart.
“What are you doing?” Hok asked.
Charles grinned. “Bing decided she wants to practice today. You're in for a real treat!”