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Jia Li dark eyes alertly swept the
landscape. The beautiful Manchu
girl had been warned that there were Mongol bandits in the area and she was
wary of any ambush. Although
only nineteen she was on a mission from comrade
Mao. It was an undertaking of
some importance. For years the
Chinese communists had been fighting a one-sided war against the Chinese
Nationalists and the Japanese. The
Russian presence in
She turned her head away from the relentless wind of the Asian steppes,
tossing her long black braid over her
shoulder. Only nineteen she held
her position due to her remarkable physical and mental
abilities. She stood about five-foot
eight-inches, tall not only by Chinese standards but those of
But Jia Li’s qualities were more than just
physical. She had been born into
a wealthy middle class family and trained by her father and uncle in the
ancient Chinese art of kung fu. She
had proven so proficient at the time-honored art that she had surpassed her
masters by the age of sixteen. In
addition, she could do something that most of the peasant soldiers of the
communist army could not do. She
could read and write. That, coupled
with a coolness in battle, a fierce determination to succeed at any task,
and a relentless hatred of the people who had killed her family had resulted
in her being given duties that seemed beyond her tender
years.
War had swept her out of her home at the age of
seventeen. The Japanese had come,
pillaging and destroying everything in their
path. Nothing and no one was
safe from their depredations. Enemy
soldiers who surrendered to them were routinely tortured and
executed. Woman were raped and
enslaved. Children were butchered
or left to starve in the wake of the swathe of destruction that the Japanese
cut through
She had barely escaped with her
life. The day the Japanese burned
down her father’s house she had been at
school. The Japanese had arrived
so quickly that no one in her village had any warning of their
attack. She had rushed home to
find her home already in flames and the bodies of her father, mother, brothers
and sisters strewn about the exterior.
Japanese soldiers seemed to be everywhere, killing everything in
sight. She had fled through the
burning city with the bullets of Japanese soldiers whistling around her ears;
and she had kept running until she fell in with a group of soldiers from
the Eighth Route Army. Unable
to properly mourn her family, she
took her vengeance on the ravishers
of her family and homeland. Her
fierceness in battle and the high casualty rate among her comrades had earned
her the right to command.
Ahead of her she saw the man riding the point position stop and turn his
mount toward a low hill that loomed a few hundred feet to one side. Then
the man wheeled his horse and rode rapidly back toward
her. She raised her hand, bringing
the entire column to a halt. The
advance rider thundered up in a cloud of dust.
“Smoke,” he
said. “There is smoke up
ahead.”
Jia Li shouted out commands, readying her men for
combat. This was the territory
where the notorious Mongol bandit, Tabin, was known to
roam. They may have stumbled
onto one of his camps. Jia Li
was not looking for a confrontation with any bandits, especially as Tabin’s
forces had struck most frequently against the Japanese, but it was best to
be prepared for the worst.
Weapons at the ready, the troop of thirty armed men and one woman rode
on. The area they were riding
through was broken by rocky outcrops, providing some cover, but which could
also conceal a potential enemy. As
they neared the hill Jia Li observed that the plume of smoke seemed to be
coming from the side of a rocky hill, probably from a concealed
cave. With a wave of her arm
she signaled her men to dismount and approach on
foot. Followed by her troop she
crept silently up the slope, her rifle at the
ready. Directly ahead of her
was a thick grove of willow and aspen, now devoid of their leaves due to
the cold winter weather. The
smoke seemed to be coming from directly behind the grove, from the side of
the hill itself. Jia Li’s
motioned for her men to spread out.
It seemed most mysterious.
Why were there no guards?
For that matter who had created the
fire? There did not seem to be
anyone else about.
Crouching low Jia Li motioned her men to follow, and advanced into the stand
of aspen. The ground suddenly
fell away, revealing a dark deep cave.
The smoke issued from deep within the
cave. Cautiously she peered
in. The darkness of the cave
at first made it impossible to discern anything other than the faint glow
of the smoldering fire, but gradually her eyes adjusted to the
gloom. Immediately after the
entrance the cave descended steeply for about 100 feet and then leveled
off. Far back in the cave Jia
Li detected the gleam of water. But
immediately in front of her she saw a peculiar
sight. It was the naked bodies
of a man and a woman, lying on a bed of leaves before the smoldering embers
of a fire. They did not appear
to have any possessions except a camera that was lying on the ground beside
them and they were either unconscious or in a very deep
sleep.
Jia Li approached the sleeping couple, her rifle at the
ready. With a start the sleeping
woman opened her eyes. Jia Li
saw that despite the grime that covered her body, she was incredibly beautiful,
perhaps the most attractive woman she had ever
seen. She had Caucasian features
mixed with a hint of the orient.
The man was a huge Mongol, standing well over six
feet. He was now awake as
well. They leapt to their feet
and stood facing Jia Li and her men.
They made no attempt to escape, not that there was anywhere for them
to go; nor did they attempt to cover their
nakedness. Neither
spoke. It was as if they were
waiting for Jia Li to introduce herself.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” said Jia Li, addressing
her questions to the man.
To her surprise, it was the tall dark-haired woman who
answered. “I am
Jia Li arched her elegant
eyebrows. The woman spoke perfect
Mandarin. There was something
about her demeanor that commanded respect despite her apparent naked
helplessness. Jia Li stepped
forward cautiously. “You
lost your gear and your clothes?
Please explain.”
“It’s a bit of a long story,” the woman
replied. “Do you have time
to hear it?’
“Not now,” Jia Li replied, “But you can tell me about it while
we ride. She turned to her
men. “Give them some clothes
and then tie them up. They will
come with us.”
Larra’s gut twisted. She
was staring down the muzzles of twenty
rifles. Captured again, but there
was nothing she could do about it; the odds against her were overwhelming,
and she had no wish to endanger Tabin in any
melee. She cursed herself for
not being more alert. She and
Tabin had not taken even the most basic
precautions. Of course they had
both been exhausted from their escape from the watery grave, but there had
been no need for them to devote so much of their time to sexual
passion. It was a very rude
awakening. She had been having
the most wonderful dream. In
it she and Tabin were lying together in a warm cabin before a blazing
fire. That dream was shattered
when she saw herself confronted by several armed men, and the very determined
looking Chinese girl. In a flash
the memories of her circumstances swept through her mind: the escape from
the tomb; the swim to safety through frigid waters; and making love with
Tabin in a warm pile of leaves.
After that she remembered using her survival talents to make a
fire. She had plucked a few strands
of her long dark-brown hair from her head and twisted them to make a thin
but strong thread. Then taking
the thread and a small willow stick she had made a bow that she used as a
fire drill. Within ten minutes
she had a fire going and soon had a roaring blaze, fed by the large supply
of dead wood that had fallen into the cave from the grove of willow and aspen
that grew at the entrance. Tabin
had been most impressed. He and
Larra had made love again before the roaring
fire. Then they had fallen
asleep.
Well, she was wide-awake now. She
was glad that Tabin had let her do the
talking. She not only spoke much
better Chinese than did Tabin, but she wanted to keep his identity a
secret. Larra guessed that the
girl had not recognized Tabin.
Considering Tabin’s reputation as the most feared bandit in
The clothes they were given were typical quilted jackets and pants,
along with a pair of fur-lined boots.
Although quite ill-fitting, they were glad of the
warmth. They were much less pleased
about being tied up. Their hands
were tied behind their backs. The
men applying the ropes did a very good job, lashing their wrists together
and then tying their arms just above the elbows and looping the rope around
their torsos. In Larra’s
case the rope was crisscrossed between her prominent
breasts. There was little likelihood
of wriggling out of their bonds without some time and
effort.
They were then led out of the cave.
The communists had brought a few extra horses with
them. Larra and Tabin had to
be helped onto their mounts. Then
their escorts took the reins in their hands and led them off in the middle
of a column of about thirty men.
The young woman rode beside Larra.
“Tell me your story,” she said.
Larra outlined her adventure in the tomb of Genghis Khan, leaving out enough
detail that it would not be possible to locate the tomb entrance the way
that she had. She allowed the
young Chinese woman to believe that the entrance to the tomb was though the
lake in the cave. Larra knew
that it would be next to impossible to gain entrance to the tomb that way
without some sort of diving outfit.
And it was unlikely that any diving gear would be found in
The young woman had introduced herself as Jia
Li. “That’s a pretty
name,” thought Larra. It
meant “beautiful and good.”
Perhaps the girl’s name was a portent of their possible
relationship. It was important
that she establish some sort of rapport with the young
woman. She turned the conversation
to other subjects. She felt that
the young woman might be amenable to helping her if she could just gain her
confidence. And so Larra told
her a great deal about her adventurous life and in return learned something
about the pretty nineteen-year-old.
Jia Li listened attentively to the tall
Caucasian. She was a bit shocked
to learn that Larra was one-quarter Japanese, but was impressed by her
intelligence and beauty. She
was without a doubt a stunningly attractive
woman. Even trussed up, dirty,
and wearing ill fitting clothes, Larra was spectacularly
beautiful. But even more, Jia
Li was attracted to Larra by the incredible aura of confidence and strength
that the tall woman exuded. She
wove some sort of magic spell about her that made her almost
irresistible.
They traveled for several days across the bleak Mongolian
landscape. Each night, Larra
and Tabin were untied so that they could eat and attend to various body
functions, but they were always under heavy
guard. And once night fell they
were tied up again and watched all night.
There was no chance to escape.
Jia Li’s force was close to its destination
now. It was a large Russian camp
centred about a few large buildings the Russians had
constructed. Jia Li hoped that
her “guests” would turn out to be acceptable to the
Russians. Although she knew little
about them she had developed a bit of a bond with Larra, telling her things
about her life that she had told no one
else. Perhaps it was because
Larra seemed so open and honest about her own
life. In some ways Larra resembled
Jia Li. They had both lost their
parents while young. They were
both confident young women.. And
they were both dedicated to a cause; Larra to her chosen field of archeology
and Jia Li to her vendetta against the
Japanese. The fact that Larra
was well off financially and Jia Li was a member of the Chinese Communist
Party was a major difference, but that did not keep Jia Li from admiring
and respecting the foreign woman.
The Russian commander of the camp came out to meet
them. He spoke
some Chinese, but he preferred
to work through an interpreter.
Colonel Ivanov was an impressive
man. Larra estimated that he
stood about six foot five inches and weighed close to three hundred
pounds. There was the ritual
exchange of greetings and then Ivanov was told about Larra and
Tabin. Ivanov’s eyes widened
when he laid eyes on Tabin.
“You have captured the Mongolian bandit,” he
said. “This is most excellent
comrade Jia Li. It will strongly
support your request for aid. You
have done me and the Mongolian people a great
service.”
Jia Li was secretly dismayed. She
had suspected that there was something about Tabin that Larra was holding
back. But she was saddened to
think that he was the most feared of the Mongolian
bandits. She knew that his fate
was sealed.
Russian guards hurried out to place Tabin under
arrest. They pulled him
unceremoniously off his horse and hustled him into the main building, driving
him before them with kicks and punches.
Then Larra was dragged from her
horse. “Wait!” Jia
Li interjected, “She has done nothing
wrong.”
“Not so,” Ivanov replied.
“She is part of his bandit band, and a member of the decadent
capitalist class. Surely you
have learned to recognize the enemies of the
people.”
Jia Li knew he was correct. She
had been overwhelmed by Larra’s
inspiring
personality. She had failed
to recognize her for what she was, a ruthless exploiter of the working
class. She watched silently as
they dragged Larra into the building.
Larra did not resist, but walked between her captors without any sign
of fear. She did not look back
at Jia Li. “Yes comrade
Colonel, you are right. I was
blind not to see that.”
“Do not blame yourself comrade Jia
Li. You have accomplished a great
service by capturing two such dangerous criminals.
Now, I must attend to my duties
as commander. We will meet again
tomorrow.”
Jia Li turned away. She had to
see to the billeting of her troops.
It was late in the day. She
would begin her negotiations with Colonel Ivanov
tomorrow.
Larra did not go quietly.
“Colonel Ivanov, I am
“British?” asked
Ivanov. His accent was abominable
and Larra could barely make out his
words. “You, of course,
have proof of your identity and permission from the government in
“I have none of these.
My servant and I were involved in an accident and lost everything,
even our clothes.”
“You lost your clothes?” sneered
Ivanov. “But I see you managed
to you’re your camera. I
am quite interested in what you have been
photographing. I think you are
a British spy. You are consorting
with a known Mongol bandit.
Tomorrow I will find out what you and your companion
know.” He turned to the
soldiers who were guarding Lara and
Tabin. “Take them to the
cells.”
There was no further conversation.
Larra and Tabin were escorted to a heavily barred
room. It appeared that the
headquarters building had only one cell.
It was already crowded with several other
prisoners. Without being untied
both she and Tabin were herded into the cell and the door was barred behind
them. The smell in the cell was
almost indescribable. The stench
of urine and feces assailed Larra’s
nostrils. It was so crowded that
there was not enough room for everyone to lie
down.
Their entry into the cell attracted immediate attention from the other
prisoners. Most of them looked
like a pretty rough lot. Probably
common bandits and thugs rounded up by the Russians and awaiting some sort
of people’s justice. A group
of the less savory inmates gathered about
Larra. “What have we
here?” said a particularly dirty
individual. He pushed his leering
face close to Larra’s and made as if to touch her prominent
breasts. That was as far as he
got. Even with her hands tied,
Larra was more than a match for a common
thug.
Her knee came up and smashed the goon’s testicles against his
abdomen. He fell away from her
with a cry of agony, collapsing into the arms of his
companions. Almost immediately
two other toughs set upon her, but with the space she had made available
by her attack on the first oaf, she now had room to move her
feet. The side of her left foot
caught the first attacker in his throat, crushing his larynx and then before
the man had even begun to fall she retracted her extended leg and struck
the second man in the solar plexus.
Gasping for air, the thug collapse in a writhing
heap. The rest of the cell inmates
backed away from her.
Larra made the most of the psychological
opportunity. Turning to a
particularly weak-looking individual she ordered:
“You! Untie me and my
friend.” The man
hesitated. “Do it now!”
Larra intoned menacingly.
Hurriedly, the man came forward and did as he was
told. Within a couple of minutes
she and Tabin were free of their bonds.
The guards outside the cell looked in
smirking. They had expected some
sort of disturbance. Larra saw
from their surprised faces that they were somewhat taken aback that Larra
and Tabin were still in one piece.
Russian was one of the few major languages that Larra did not speak
and so Larra addressed them in Mongol.
“We have a couple of dead men in
here. Perhaps they should be
removed.” The guards just
looked at her. Larra turned away
and tried to make herself as comfortable as she could in the cramped confines
of the cell.
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