Mei Li pulled Tricky into her arms and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his long fur, until the sounds of the battle gradually quieted.
She knelt and oh so quietly, peered out of the window.
She shifted the curtain a fraction, and Bai Li, who was mounted again and had his head mere inches from the window, turned to look straight into her eyes.
"We can make a habit of gazing into one another's eyes if you like, Mei Meili, but I thought you said you didn't want to get married?"
She quickly dropped the curtain back down and flattened her back against the wall of the carriage box, hiding from him in embarrassment.
"You can come out now, Mei Meili," he called, from just outside her window, a smile playing at his lips.
She emerged cautiously from the carriage, looking everywhere for her brother.
"He's over there. He's fine," said Bai Li, hooking his thumb in the direction of Mei Renlong, who was busy trussing up bandit prisoners.
She moved to hop down the carriage.
