Manhut groaned as he held it to his swollen cheek after deciding that was what hurt the most.
Pon looked surprised when he heard a vehicle pulling up outside and looked at his watch. ‘Who would be coming here at this hour?’ he thought.
The kitchen door opened and a smiling Brigadier Lee walked in.
Pon smiled and wai-ed. “Hello Lee, it is good to see you.”
Kim, with a smile a mile wide, said. “Uncle Lee,”
He went over, hugged Kim, and said. “You asked me to get the Chokdet here Pon, so what better excuse to come to see my family?”
“You brought them?” asked Pon looking surprised.
“Yes,” said Lee, “they are in the truck. They are a serious looking bunch, and one of them you already know Pon.”
“Uncle Lee,” shouted Samnan, coming from the lounge and running over to hug his great-uncle.
Lee sat down and Moo fetched him a cool glass of water.
“How many Chokdet Warriors have you bought?” asked Pon.
“Twelve,” said Lee and took a drink of water. “Prime Master Samouern said they are his best Warriors. He apologised for not coming, but he is preparing for any further attacks on their Sanctuary.”
Pon smiled. “I understand. I will phone him later to thank him.”
“These guys are tough,” said Lee, “They didn’t move throughout the long journey. I watched them from the rear-view mirror. They occasionally took a drink from their gourd flasks and at dusk they took off the cloth covering their eyes,” he chuckled. “I wouldn’t mind a troop of soldiers like them.”
Pon smiled, expecting no less from the Chokdet. He and Lee had already seen them in action. They were like the Tinju, dedicated and fearsome Warriors.
Dao and Moo, hearing how many there were, took twelve glasses of ice-cold water outside to the truck.
Two rows of six Chokdet wearing green cassocks sat back to back on a bench in the centre of the truck.
With no top covering the vehicle, the girls could only imagine how hot the Chokdet Warriors must have felt during the hot journey.
Moo and Dao balanced the trays on the side of the truck.
“Here’s some water,” said Moo and smiled.
The steely expressions of the Chokdet didn’t alter, and they stared straight ahead.
Even in the dark, Dao and Moo noticed the bows and swords of the Cambodian Warriors glinting, as did their eyes.
“Maybe they don’t understand Thai,” said Dao after seeing the men not taking the water, and knowing a little Cambodian, she said.
“Ne Nyham Tu nit, Bah Nham tuk ki rhom nung bong, hein Doh kieum. Here is some water, please drink, and I’ll show you my tits.”
(Only joking, Dao didn’t say that... Moo did)
The Chokdet never moved.
Suddenly, they all stood and wai-ed Pon as he approached the truck.
Pon returned the wai and recognising one of the Chokdet said. “Master Sutchet, it is good to see you again, thank you for your help.”
“We are happy to help Prime Master. We also need to find and punish the Amanussa’s who attacked us,” said Master Sutchet with a steely-eyed glare.
“Please, you and your men drink the water. I will take you to your accommodations, where you can eat and settle in,” said Pon pointing at the water.
Master Sutchet and his Warriors took the water from Dao and Moo, smiled at the girls before drinking the cool refreshing water, and returned to their seated positions.
While Kim took Lee to his room, Pon drove the Cambodian Warrior monks to their accommodations close to the gym and their new allies, the Tinju.
Pon settled the Chokdet Warriors in and introduced them to the Tinju.
The Warriors sat in a large dining area and ate before they chanted and meditated together.
Lee dropped his bag off in his room and Kim told him dinner would be ready shortly.
Lee went back with Kim to the guest’s quarters and into the lounge. Spock and Stu, on hearing that Lee had arrived, went into the lounge and when Lee came back, the three spoke at the table.
Dave sat on the sofa teasing Manhut about his bruises while Lek, Sid, and Samnan watched cartoons and plotted how to drop Spock in the kah-kah with Moo.
The girls were still busy preparing food in the Kitchen when Pon came back and went into the lounge. He sat with Lee as Spock and Stu bored Lee while reminiscing about their Cambodian and Vietnamese adventures.
The women said they would all eat at the large table in the dining room. Spock, Stu, and Dave laid out the chopsticks and spoons, along with Spock and Stu’s knives and forks.
While they ate, Pon told Lee what had happened and what they intended to do.
Lee looked concerned, but didn’t voice his opinion with Kim being there. “Is there anything I can do to help Pon?” he asked.
“Thanks Lee. Bringing the Chokdet here was a great help. I am just waiting for the Warlords from America and then we can prepare.” Pon and Lee saw Kim looking concerned, so Pon smiled and said. “We have everything under control.”
— Chapter Twelve —
It had been almost a year since Pon and Lee found Prime Master Samouern and the Chokdet.
Pon, after reading the Puravuttanta again, decided that the next time he visited Cambodia, he would find and introduce himself to the Cambodian Sanctuary.
Last year, he and Crown Prince Vijiralongorn visited the Cambodian King, Norodom Sihamoni.
Pon took Kim and Samnan along to visit her old friends at the Cambodian Royal Palace.
Prince Vajiralongkorn’s visit was brief, so he told Pon he could stay longer with Kim.
Pon told Kim of his mission to find the Cambodian Sanctuary and the Chokdet monks, who he thought were similar to the Tinju.
Kim, although happy for Pon to go on his pilgrimage, felt concerned because she knew about the problem that her husband, Spock, and Stu had in Cambodia before.
She felt relieved when Pon asked her uncle, Brigadier Lee, to accompany him.
After Pon told Lee about this unknown order of Warrior monks, Lee felt intrigued and wanted to locate the Chokdet.
Although Pon never mentioned the Puravuttanta or Sanctuaries, Lee never asked questions, he felt happy to help solve a mystery of his adopted country.
Brigadier Lee felt bored with his desk job and jumped at the opportunity of getting stuck into another field investigation.
Lee’s previous experience with locating missing-in-action Vietnamese soldiers would prove invaluable.
He sat in his office with Cambodian survey maps on his desk and smirked as he recalled the last time he helped with an investigation many years ago. ‘That was a strange case. I wonder if they ever solved that mystery,’ he thought, recalling how he was contacted by the UK Embassy along with an Irish Detective, trying to trace a foreigner whose body was in the morgue at New Scotland Yard.
Even after Detective Crinigan explained everything to the Brigadier, Lee felt baffled.
After several months, Lee traced Nicholas Godfrey living not too far from his house in Sihanoukville. Although Detective Crinigan had returned to the UK after finding nothing, Lee went along to meet the deceased Mr Nicholas Godfrey, who was very much alive… but bonkers.
Lee chuckled as he recalled leaving Nick’s house after he fainted for no apparent reason. ‘He was a crackpot,’ thought Lee, ‘All I did was mention I had friends from England called Spock and Stu.’
Pon and Lee, aware that the Khmer Rouge destroyed most of Cambodia’s books during their control of the country, knew that the only place where books containing the nation’s history were at the Cambodian Royal Palace’s library. However, they knew finding the Sanctuary would be difficult.
The pair went to the library and after spending several hours sat at desks trawling through ancient texts, Lee called Pon over.
“Look at this Pon.”
Pon looked surprised when Lee showed him a modern science journal.
“What
am I looking at?” asked Pon looking puzzled.
Lee pointed to an article about a recently discovered city south of Angkor Wat, the city of temples.
Pon read the article about how ground-penetrating satellites discovered a possible city hidden in dense jungle near the foot of mount Phnom Kulen, the mountain of Lychees. He read the section about how an archaeological team tried to locate the site that wasn’t in the history books.
“And look,” said Lee sounding excited as he showed him a hand-written journal from the Khmer Rouge era.
Pon read the section that Lee marked, telling how the Khmer Rouge kept clear of the Phom Kulen Mountains. Even though it was a secure location to hide, the story told about Khmer Rouge soldiers disappearing in the area.
Lee pointed to an old book with faded yellow pages and opened it.
Pon saw the ancient Khmer writing and drawn pictures of Angkor Wat. “We know the religion in Cambodia was Hindu before converting to Buddhism centuries ago, although for what reason they converted is anyones guess,” said Lee.
He shrugged, and reading more, frowned and said. “There was nothing further written about Cambodia’s history for centuries until Cambodia was ruled by a Buddhist King at Angkor Wat. From what the inscriptions on the temple wall of Angkor Wat showed us, there was a Buddhist city built alongside Angkor Wat and the King was rumoured to have a fierce army of Warrior monks protecting him from there.” Lee tapped on the paragraph and drawings of the King and his Warrior monks.
Pon saw the name of the Warrior monks and smiled. “Well done Lee, we need to find…,” he looked at the scientific journal again and said, “*Mahendraparvata City.”
Lee took a survey map of Cambodia from his briefcase and laid it out on the desk.
The pair looked at the area around Siem Reap and the Phom Kulen Mountains and Lee pointed to an area. “The scientific journal’s vague about the exact location and doesn’t show satellite images, but I think it was somewhere around here.”
Pon looked and nodded. “I agree and that would make sense; with it being in thick jungle it would be like the Tinju, we remained isolated for centuries.”
Lee again looked at the map and said. “Here is Shreythep village, which looked about ten kilometres away from our location.” Lee looked closer. “The marked trails getting to the village looked difficult, but I think we can drive there by jeep. However, there are no trails leading from the village to where Mahendraparvata City was.”
Lee sighed. “It could be a long walk,” he rubbed his chin and said. “Maybe the villagers know where the Chokdet are and will take us to them.”
Pon grinned. “Don’t worry Lee; I am sure that when we get to the village, the Chokdet will find us.”
Lee furrowed his brow and recalling the hand drawn pictures of these fearsome Warriors said. “Hmm, and that’s what worries me.”
After a short flight from Phnom Penh, they stayed the night in Siem Reap, hired a jeep, and set off early the next morning. After spending hours bumping along muddy narrow trails through hot dense jungle, they drove into Shreythep village and stopped at a wooden shack selling fruit.
A vehicle coming to the village brought several residents out to look at the Thai monk and the army officer and they crowded around the jeep. A man stepped forward, bowed, wai-ed the pair, and asked, “What do you want?”
Lee smiled. “We are looking for an order of monks called Chokdet, we believe their Wat is somewhere around here,” said Lee, “Can you help us?”
The man frowned and glared at the pair with suspicion. “Why do you want to find the holy ones?”
Pon wai-ed the man and said, “I am from a Wat in Thailand and I came to meet my brother monks.”
The man shook his head, “I am sorry holy monk, but the Chokdet don’t want to be found, that’s why they rarely leave their jungle Wat.”
A woman came from the fruit shack and handed Pon and Lee a glass of squeezed Mango juice.
“Och Khun, thank you,” said Lee as he and Pon drank the sweet refreshing juice.
“We would be honoured if you stay here; it is hot, dark, and dangerous in the jungle,” said the woman smiling.
“Thank you, but we must find the Chokdet,” said Pon.
The man glared at his neighbour and sighed. “Okay, leave your jeep here, it will be safe.” He pointed between trees and said. “There are no trails to the Wat, but if you walk between those trees and keep walking in a straight line…” he smirked, “they will find you.”
Lee smiled and took a GPS from his backpack.
Lee soon understood about the woman’s warning as he and Pon trekked through dense vegetation. He had spent a lot of time in dense tropical forests, but the heat of this one felt unbearable, and with no light penetrating the thick jungle canopy, it was like walking at night. Feeling exhausted, he stopped and checked his GPS.
Seeing that they were still heading in the right direction, and noticing that Pon seemed unaffected by the heat as he led the way, Lee stumbled on behind him.
Several hours later, Pon stopped in a clearing encircled by trees and smiled. He stood on a raised mound of Earth and looked back whence they came and sniffed the warm jungle air.
Lee, relieved they’d stopped in the sunlight clearing, shaded his eyes until they adjusted to the light..
With perspiration dripping from his face, he took out his GPS, looked at it, and smiled. “According to this, we should be on the outskirts of Mahendraparvata City.”
Pon smiled. He already assumed they were close and wanted to find out who had been following them for the last few kilometres.
Lee took a bottle of water from his backpack. Although the water now felt warm, it refreshed the exhausted Brigadier.
“Do you want some wa...”
Lee never finished his sentence as Pon let fly his Juglave.
Not extending the blades, the small heavy weapon flew skywards, dislodging the person in the trees in front of them.
The man made no sound as he fell 10 foot and landed on the soft jungle floor on his back. Pon realised he was a monk when he saw his green cassock.
Pon looked towards another tree as a green clad monk rushed towards him. He stood his ground as the monk attacked him.
With no weapons, the two monks punched and kicked each other in a vicious exchange of blows with neither monk yielding.
Lee looked dumbfounded. He had seen no one fight with such intensity. Having not been told by Captain Ca what a vicious and ruthless fighter Pon was, he had always assumed he was a peaceful monk.
Lee, seeing Pon getting the better of his opponent, glanced over to where the monk that Pon dislodged from the tree earlier had fallen, but there was no sign of him. A shiver went down Lee’s spine as he had an eerie feeling they were being watched.
With the fight raging for ten minutes, the Chokdet Warrior dropped his guard for a split second and Pon knocked him unconscious with a vicious elbow and knee to the monk’s jaw.
Pon stood over the unconscious monk, glanced at the empty patch of foliage where the other monk fell and then looked at Lee.
With his senses alert and knowing others were close, Pon stood by Lee who went into his backpack and took out his army revolver.
Pon smiled. “You won’t need that.”
Lee looked concerned and, as he put the revolver back into his backpack, the trees became alive as green-clad monks rushed from the jungle and surrounded them. With their golden bows glinting they remained slung over their shoulders as they wai-ed Pon and Lee. Then, standing with their heads bowed, an elderly monk came forward. The monk who Pon had knocked out came around, stood, rubbed his bruised chin, wai-ed Pon, and joined the other Chokdet.
“Welcome my brother. I am Prime Master Samouern of the Chokdet,” said the old monk.
Pon bowed and wai-ed the Prime Master. “I am Prime Master Porntip Meesilli of the Thai Tinju.” He gestured at Lee and said, “and this is my friend, Brigadier Lee Tangh.”
Prime Master Samouern and L
ee wai-ed each other.
The Chokdet Warrior who Pon knocked from the tree came over, bowed, and handed Pon his Juglave.
Pon, Samouern, and Lee chatted as they walked further through the jungle. They went into a trapezoid-shaped shaft with thick sandstone walls and ceiling carved with Buddha images. They walked along the shaft illuminated with flaming torches and went into the Chokdet’s underground Wat.
Lee noticed the Chokdet’s eyes had a peculiar sparkle. ‘Probably from living in the dim light,’ he thought, looking around the candle-lit interior of the large underground temple.
Samouern took Pon and Lee to a large Buddha statue at the front while the Chokdet Warriors and Masters knelt behind them.
While Lee knelt in silence, Pon, Samouern and the other Chokdet chanted mantras for thirty minutes and while the Warriors and Masters continued chanting, Samouern took them to his candle-lit quarters at the side of the Wat.
Samouern realised from the battle he’d witnessed between Pon and his finest Master that the Tinju were fearsome fighters.
As Samouern described the Chokdet, Pon thought they sounded similar to the Tinju when he said. “Replacement monks were chosen from Shreythep village. There are always 122 monks, young and old. We learned our skills from an early age and spent our lives being Chokdet. Our edict in the beginning was to fight the Hindus, and after their victory, protect the Buddhist ruler of Cambodia. However, as the centuries passed, the citizens, including the King, moved away from Angkor Wat to form a new capital in the centre of Cambodia at Phnom Penh. The Chokdet stayed here in case they were called upon by the ruler and to remain a Sanctuary for the descendants.”
Samouern smiled and looked at Pon. “You are young for a Prime Master Porntip.”
Pon explained that after the Tinju Warriors were wiped out, the remaining Masters chose him to be their Prime Master.
Knowing Lee knew nothing about the assassination side of the Tinju, he omitted that part when he told Samouern about the Tinju.
The three chatted for several hours and, after they ate, Lee sounded tired so a Chokdet Master showed him to basic quarters underground while Pon and the Chokdet meditated in the Wat.
Protector--The Final Adventure Page 12
