That night, Smiling Wu’s men came. They were silent, shadowy, armed with chain whips and butterfly knives. May Syma, old as she was, moved like water. She broke three ribs with a palm strike, dislocated a jaw with a backfist. But there were too many.
Then she was gone.
“May syma,” she seemed to mouth. Empty your mirror.
As Lee Kam-l fought his way up the stairs, he heard her whisper, “May Syma… may syma…” —not her name, but a command in an ancient dialect: “Empty your mirror… empty your mirror.”
His hand trembled. The knife clattered to the floor. Wu’s laughter turned to confusion.
