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Tonglong watched as Hok neared HaMo's ancient wooden barge The barge was perhaps thirty paces long and ten paces wide, and the rear section contained what appeared to be a sht spilled out from several s

The barge floated low in the water and was anchored at its bow It pointed nose-first, upstrea's side of the river Tonglong could see everything

A e's s Hok He helped her tie the skiff off, then hauled her aboard Theheard a door slam closed

Tonglong signaled to his ive HaMo a quarter of an hour to subdue Hok, and then they would make their move

Ying hung on to the slippery rope with all hishim to the surface He rode the river's current as best he could, wondering how Cheen and Suhold, ever ular basis

Hok's skiff stopped suddenly with a loud thue He held fast to the rope and waited, the current tugging at hi him downstream

Above the surface, Ying couldtied off to the barge He saw the skiff rock slightly, then float noticeably higher in the water Hok had boarded HaMo's vessel

Ying counted to one hundred, then took a deep breath He spat out the reed, dove beneath the barge, and swae vessel He reached up, grabbed hold of the barge's low railing, and silently pulled his shoulders and chest out of the water

Ying looked across the deck It was alh to know that there was no one on it Lights burned inside so quarters that looked just like a small house Hok must be inside there

Ying pulled hie He stifled a groan as his healing ribs strained Once aboard, he lay down and untied his chain whip froht fist He wished he could have brought his new qiang with hi underwater

Ying slid on his belly over to the living quarters He flattened hiainst the outer wall on the opposite side of the house fro

Ying rose up cautiously and peeked inside aThe round eye Charles was sitting inside a low ba on the floor next to Charles with the scroll uing with two Chinese men whose backs were to the front door