The Stone Road by G R Matthews Read Free Book Online

then.”
    They said good night and Haung hurried back to his small room to make sure he had everything ready. The room had been cleaned whilst he had been out, and no doubt searched too. They had warned him that it would be  checked on a regular basis to ensure that no contraband or other materials that had not been officially cleared were present. He certainly had no intention of being caught with anything. The hidden niche behind the cupboard was empty. The fact that it was there when he moved in suggested that it was probably known about or been cut to tempt the unwary. For that reason he had, very carefully, cut a small section out of the ceiling. Haung had even beveled the edges so the very weight of the stone section closed the gaps and cracks that might betray its presence. Even though he knew it was there, he found it hard to find sometimes.
    Ensuring the door was closed, he stood on his bed to reach up towards the hidden section. He rested his fingertips against the stone section and took a deep breath. The next step needed complete calm and concentration. Gently lifting the stone section, he focused on keeping the stone level. With his other hand he raised a lit candle to see if his trap was still in place. It was. The trap had been difficult to set and had required a few specialist tools that had to be smuggled out of the training rooms.
    ‘So, they haven’t found it,’ he grinned.
    He lowered the stone back into place and contemplated the game he played here. The void behind the stone was empty. The trap was set to encourage, and yet discourage, the searchers. If they found the hiding place, they would set off the trap and there was little chance they had the right tools on them to reset it. They would also find nothing and he would be in the clear. However, it also provided a hidden space should he ever need it. The intensive training he had undergone had taught him to be careful and cynical. Always plan for everything was one of the mantras his teachers had recited again and again.
    There was soft knock at the door. Haung looked at the ceiling, rechecking his work then stood from the bed, took the few necessary steps to the door and opened it. 
    “Haung,” said Jiao.
    He stepped forward and checked up and down the corridor. Seeing no-one he pulled Jiao into the room. “What are you doing here, Jiao?”
    “I came to see you. You don’t visit anymore, and we never had that walk,” she said.
    “Jiao, don’t you understand what a Jiin-Wei is? My old life is over. I have other things to do now. I’m not a soldier anymore,” Haung whispered. “You can’t come here.”
    He stared at her, willing the urgency he felt to be understood. Her dark almond shaped eyes looked back into his. She was an innocent, he could see that in her gaze but she was also very beautiful. That’s what had drawn him to her in the first place, back when he was a trainee soldier. The sneaking into the kitchens to spend five minutes with her, talking to her, being close to her was exciting. Even now, with his new cynicism he could feel that same emotion stirring. He turned away from her, gaining distance but more importantly, breaking that look.
    He felt a lightness in his stomach as if all his breath was rising like a summer morning’s sun, his heart was beating a fast tempo in his ears. “Jiao, you cannot be here.”
    “I had to ask around the castle to find you and you don’t want me.” Her voice pushed exquisite fish hooks into his thumping heart, tugging him towards her and he had to battle hard to stay still, and keep his back to her.
    “Jiao, you have put us both at risk. You should not have come here and you should not have asked about me.” He took a deep breath and forced the words out, “You are not part of my life anymore. We had nothing before and we have less than nothing now. Do not come back. I will not see you again.”
    He heard the door open then slam shut but didn’t turn around until he was sure she