My hair mixes with the sweat on my brow, and I wipe it away with one blue sleeve. I race as fast I can from the fields and into the forest to find Minister Su. I knew that if Da Li and Wu Chen took one side of the challenge's perimeter, then Minister Su would have taken the other.

I find him and Master Fang in the middle of an argument. I duck behind a tree so that I can listen in and gauge the situation. A soldier has reported real losses in Master Fang's ranks. Minister Su thinks the killers might be the escaped Ophiuchus prisoners infected with the madness.

I hang my head. An unknown faction of my people are once again responsible for so many deaths. How can this be? It makes my heart sink.

Master Fang announces that he will go to fight the 'Savages', while Minister Su goes to rejoin Mo Ran and protect the Emperor.

I look one way and then the other. Now what? Do I go after Minister Su and try to protect Mo Ran from Yi, or do I follow Master Fang into battle and try to save as many lives as I can?

"What would you do?" I say, closing my eyes and picturing Mo Ran's face. I think back to our argument earlier in the day about protecting each other, and he answers me.

"Okay." I try to swallow my rising fear, but my mouth is dry. "I can do this."

I break into a jog after Master Fang and his men before I can rethink the whole thing. I follow their trail deep into the woods, and then I hear the sound of fighting.

Real battle is scary. People are screaming. Blood is splattering against the trees like water.

"I am so going to have nightnares after this," I whine to no one in particular, keeping to the outskirts of the fighting. Okay, time to focus on the job. Check the bodies on the ground. Check breathing first so that I know who's already dead or near dead.

I can't do CPR on one man at the expense of others, so I need to focus on those who have a chance. Those who have a chance are breathing, conscious and don't have major bleeding. Dehydration will be a problem too, I don't have any water though.

I do what I can, talking to the living guys about happy stuff as I treat them. I use the dead's clothes to make bandages for them. If someone moves to attack me, I run away. The 'Savages' who have been injured seem pretty sane to me. Maybe stabbing them is the cure.

Time seems to stop for me. So I'm surprised when a familiar face appears beside me on a horse. He stabs an attacker in the eye with his fan as if it's nothing and then turns to face me. "Fei Fei, you are covered in blood."

"It's not mine." I stare up at him blankly. There's very little blood spatter on him, though his hair looks a bit messier than usual. "Minister Su? I thought you went to protect the Emperor."

"I did. Now I'm fulfilling someone's dying wish. Come!" He reaches out to me with his free hand. "There's no time. He has asked for you."

Oh no, he doesn't mean the Emperor. He means Mo Ran.

Somehow, I take Minister Su's hand and use the stirrup to lift myself up onto the horse's back. I reach out to grab the material on Minister Su's back for a handhold. Minister Su turns the horse and we're riding away from the battle. The screams and the sound of clashing steel fades into the distance.

I stare at Minister Su's back and find my voice. "Is it Mo Ran?"

"Yes. Arrow to the heart."

My hands start shaking. I can barely keep myself from yelling at him. "What happened?"

"The Emperor charged our base camp. He fought His Highness on foot and by sword. Men on both teams started arriving and reporting more deaths by spies, but he wouldn't stop the challenge."

"And?" I say.

"He lost the fight, badly. The point of the challenge was to learn when to give in to his enemy. Now that he's failed, His HIghness retains power of the army. He ordered the army to protect the Emperor. That's when a spy shot him with an arrow."

The cherry blossom tree comes into view, and Minister Su stops talking. He urges the horse to go faster, and I am glad for it. I see four people standing near the tree. One is lying on the ground. My heart sinks.

Minister Su urges his horse to stop. He offers me an arm, but I manage to slide down on my own. I can't run anymore, but I hurry to where I know Mo Ran is.

"Move!" I yell at the people standing in my way. The Emperor, Bilian and Tang Tang stare at me and then finally they move.

Mo Ran's eyes are open and he's breathing, though it's in small gasps. His eyes are radiating pain and his skin is turning blue. I drop down to my knees and examine the pathetic bandage someone has put on his chest wound.

I rip the useless thing off and look at the wound and try to work out where the heart's aorta is in relation to it. When I figure it out, the picture is not good. The wound spells death unless I can get him to a modern world hospital.

I put pressure on the wound with a shirt I stole from the battlefield. It's dirty, but infection is not the issue right now, bleeding is. I look at his face and see that he's given up. He's giving me that faraway look that means he's going to die.

"Forgive me," he says in his softest voice.

No. No way. "Leave us alone." I say to the people still standing around him. No one listens.

Mo Ran tries to reach for my hand. "Do as she says," he manages to say. This time, they obey.

I take his hand and hold it firmly. He smiles at me and I kiss him on his pale cheek. Even now at death's door, he is the most handsome man I've ever seen.

Silently praying, I remove the shirt and hold my other hand over the wound. "Hold still. I'm still new to this."

"No." He starts to panic and tries to push me away, but he's too weak to stop me. "This is not why I sent for you. It's too dangerous."

"I know." I close my eyes and focus on my power. It takes extra effort because I'm exhausted. He calls my name as the real world fades in and out. I think I'm going to faint.

I grit my teeth and concentrate harder. Ignoring the stars in my eyes, I channel all my energy into healing his heart. I can feel it working, but not without putting all of myself into it.

The aorta heals, then slowly the muscle, tissues and layers of skin do the same. I don't stop until I see nothing but smooth skin. Not even a scar remains.

Tears run down my face when I realise I'm done. I meet Mo Ran's eyes and see that the faraway look is gone. Colour is returning to his cheeks and he's staring at me like I've said something shocking again.

"Hi," I say, stifling a sniffle.

He hesitates, and then gives me a smile.