Free Mouse by Jeff Stone

ships were going to attack, but then he realized that the activity on their deck was the sound of men furiously cleaning and straightening after the earlier cannon exercises. They were stowing their great guns, not arming them. No one was going to fire on anyone. ShaoShu breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until Lei called out his name.
    “ShaoShu! Where are you hiding now? Meet me in the main cabin at once!”
    ShaoShu tucked his mouse into its pouch and hurried to Tonglong's cabin, where he found Lei alone, seated behind Tonglong's desk. ShaoShu considered saying something about Lei being in Tonglong's chair, but then he thought better of it.
    “Your time has come,” Lei said. “Are you ready?”
    ShaoShu frowned. “I think so, sir. It depends on what you want me to do.”
    “Remember we talked about HaiZhe—Jellyfish?”
    ShaoShu nodded. “You want me to spy on him, right?”
    “That's right. General Tonglong wants you to collect as much armament information from him as possible, and you're only going to have one night to do it. This isn't going to be easy for you. To be honest, I don't think you'll come out of it alive.”
    ShaoShu swallowed hard.
    “I've been giving this a lot of thought, and it seems to me the most difficult part for you will be sneaking inside the facility itself. Your best chance probably lies with a man called LoBak.”
    ShaoShu looked at the floor in an effort to try and hide his surprise. He knew exactly who LoBak was. LoBak's shop was the last place he had seen Hok.
    “LoBak is an apothecary,” Lei continued. “He is a medicine man, and he attends to HaiZhe every evening—he delivers a special drink to help him with his condition.”
    ShaoShu looked up. “What's wrong with HaiZhe?”
    “His legs no longer work. Many years ago, he was a promising young vendor in the local black market. He borrowed money from a group of questionable investors that included, some say, Tonglong's father. When HaiZhe didn't make several loan payments, the investors decided to make an example of him. They severed every tendon in his body from the waist down.”
    ShaoShu cringed.
    “Most people would have died from loss of blood or shock or any number of things,” Lei said. “But not HaiZhe. He somehow managed to drag himself downthe street to an apothecary, which was how he met LoBak. LoBak has been helping him ever since.”
    “Does Tonglong know?”
    “Of course. HaiZhe's injuries motivated him to crush nearly everyone around him, and he eventually became the Southern Warlord. As I mentioned earlier, Tonglong's father didn't like what he was seeing, and he tried to do something about HaiZhe's ways. Because of this and his presumed role in disabling HaiZhe, some people believe that HaiZhe killed Tong long's father with the help of a traitor.”
    “Oh,” ShaoShu said, a lump forming in his throat. He couldn't help but think of Tonglong's father's ashes, and he changed the subject. “What about LoBak? Is he HaiZhe's friend?”
    “No,” Lei said. “LoBak is more like a slave. HaiZhe would kill him if he stopped supplying the medicines that keep him healthy. Wait until you see HaiZhe. He is in amazing shape for someone with his disability.”
    “How is LoBak going to help me?”
    “Indirectly. LoBak always enters through a little-used rear entry that only has one guard. When the guard opens the door for LoBak, you must find a way to sneak in behind him.”
    ShaoShu closed his eyes. He'd done this sort of thing before, but never with a guard standing there.
    “Can you do it?” Lei asked.
    ShaoShu opened his eyes and shrugged. “I guess I have no choice.”
    “Smart boy,” Lei said with a grin.
    “How will I get to the warehouse?”
    Lei pointed out of a porthole to the fortress transport boat tied off at the ship's stern. Workmen swarmed over it, affixing a mast and a sail.
    “A group of my best sailors will take you up the river and drop you off at HaiZhe's warehouse,” Lei said. “They