by Ino Lee
While Wong surveyed the area around them, Kai climbed over the windowsill. They ran south along the cabin, unnoticed, and could hear the sound of the front door splitting to pieces. Wong moved Kai in front of him and distanced him from the siege. He glanced up at the rooftop, his thoughts still on the sound of pattering heard earlier, and urged Kai to move faster.
Ninja stars sped through the air toward them.
The Weapons Master stopped, turned, and lifted his sword to deflect the projectiles. Kai stopped and turned too, but Wong told him to run to the innkeeper’s house. Stars continued to cut through the air as three rooftop dark ninjas unloaded their weaponry. Wong slapped at the stars with his sword, clanking them wayward, and danced around those he could not get to. When the final star whizzed by, he looked up at the ninjas mockingly, and smiled as if he was daring them to try again.
A dagwai appeared around the corner of the house and charged. Wong sheathed his sword in the scabbard on his back, and attacked. He sprinted toward the lizard, dodging a swing as he jumped, using the dagwai’s head as a springboard to propel himself skyward.
The black staff he called the Dragon Arm appeared, springing to life in his grip. Its runes glowed hot white, and something curious happened to the opposite ends of the weapon—the shape of it changed and thickened so that it appeared mace-like on both sides.
He reached the rooftop and immediately swung at the ninjas where he landed. The ninjas jumped aside and were separated. They tried slicing at him with their swords but were met with the thick ends of a constantly spinning staff. Its heft bounced their swords away as if they were mere playthings.
One end of the Dragon Arm met its mark and sent a ninja flying off the roof. Another end hit the ground by the feet of a ninja and collapsed the roof beneath it. The ninja fell halfway through but caught itself by the arms so that it was suspended from the chest up. Wong ran past it and chased the third, but it flipped away from the onslaught, off the roof, and into the woods.
The Weapons Master watched it for a second and then decided to let it go, wanting to find Kai again. On his way back, he kicked the face of the suspended ninja so it dropped through to the ground, unconscious. He flipped off the rooftop and hammered the dagwai below, whose face he used earlier as a springboard.
When Kai separated from Wong, he did as he was told and ran toward the innkeeper’s house since it was the closest building. The innkeeper, already awake from the sound of the commotion, saw Kai approaching and opened the door to let him in. He quickly locked it behind him.
“Aiya! What’s going on?” he said.
Kai did not answer but ran over to the window instead. He squinted back toward his cabin and tried to make out what was happening. Confused, the innkeeper came over and did the same.
They could only see a mix of dark figures and hear the clang of metal, but from the shadows of the forest, they saw a lone figure emerge and steadily approach. It drew increasingly close until there could be no doubt—the creature was coming for them.
The innkeeper bolted from the window and propped a table up against the door. He leaned against it with the full weight of his body and waited nervously.
A hand grasped onto the handle of the door and turned. The door shook violently.
“Give us the boy,” he heard, whispered in an eerie and unnatural voice.
The door shook harder and a blade splintered through the thin frame. The innkeeper pressed harder against the table and panicked, locked into position with fear.
“Give us the boy.”
The door began to crack and give way.
“Grab a kitchen knife!” the innkeeper screamed.
Everything went silent.
From the other side of the door they heard a knock. Kai and the innkeeper eyed each other uncertainly. Another knock followed.
“It’s okay. You can open the door,” a voice from the other side said.
Kai ran over to the door and urged the innkeeper to open it. Wong entered. Kai moved to his side, relieved to see him, and received a pat on the head. Their reunion was cut short by the frantic innkeeper.
“What is happening?”
Wong saw fear and confusion in his eyes, and in the eyes of his family, who he now noticed huddled in the corner of the room. He sighed and reached out for the innkeeper’s hand.
“Sorry for the trouble,” Wong said.
When he let go, money appeared. The innkeeper took it uncertainly, unsure of what else to do. Wong told him it was for damages to the cabin and said not to worry—the dagwais and dark ninjas would not return. He apologized again for the trouble and wished him and his family peace of mind. Grabbing hold of Kai’s hand, he turned and proceeded out the door. The innkeeper stood silently and stared in bewilderment as the mysterious man and child walked away.
After quickly gathering their belongings, Wong and Kai left the village and risked travel at night. While he felt better gaining distance from the village, it made him wonder how many more Koon Gee waited for them, at an hour when they were most vulnerable. He had little choice in the matter. He could not wait for morning while there was still the possibility of another attack, and he felt guilty for putting the villagers there in danger. The image of the frightened innkeeper’s family was still fresh in his mind.
He had been sleeping when the attackers arrived. A sudden feeling woke him up in time—a few more minutes and it would have been too late. He knew he had survived the encounter out of sheer luck and feared the next mistake would be his last. He questioned the wisdom of his decision to take Kai alone. The enemy was closing in on them much faster than he had anticipated and the attacks were coming much earlier than before. Another set of eyes would have helped.
Wong was jumpy, his nerves on edge. The problem with travel at night was that it played tricks on one’s imagination; around every turn and corner there was an ambush waiting to happen. The distorted trunk of a tree or a crooked branch morphed into a pouncing ninja. Even the clicking of the horse’s hooves against the ground seemed magnified, broadcasting their position to hunters miles away.
He breathed deeply. He had to stop over-thinking the situation and remain focused. Doubting himself now would do no good. Getting safely through the night was the priority. Relying on his temple training, he entered a meditative state to clear his mind. When he opened his eyes again, the darkness would no longer conceal enemies and the trees would no longer threaten.
Unlike Wong, Kai was strangely calm. The rhythmic beat of the horse’s hooves lulled his senses to sleep. Perhaps the events of the past week had already traumatized him so much that he no longer had the energy to worry. Or perhaps he knew that wherever he went, Wong would be there to protect him.
He closed his eyes and saw flashbacks of the dagwai screaming in the window and Wong swatting ninja stars with his sword. He thought about the prophecy and what it meant for him. And as he began to fall asleep, he thought about home and wondered how his parents were.
7
SHORTLY AFTER DAYBREAK, the two travelers settled down at an inn after traveling wearily through the night. They slept past noon and when they finally awoke, they were famished. They sought out the inn’s kitchen for a meal and took a seat beside several travelers. Bowls of noodles were promptly served.
While eating, they heard more stories of the mark and the invading Koon Gee creatures. They could not escape it. The stories detailed encounters of escalating violence; deadly clashes with the Koon Gee were now commonplace, bloodshed was rampant, and villages were being sacked. It seemed as if the entire forest of the Jengzhi was covered with the enemy.
What they did not know was that a new story was developing in their wake and spreading rapidly. Details were muddy and the story seemed to change from place to place, but the main point of the story was clear: a Shaolin warrior and a young boy left the cursed village of Dailan and everywhere they went the Koon G
ee followed. In a few places, the story would begin to focus on a new fact: the Koon Gee were after the boy.
Wong and Kai finished their meals quickly and left.
They rode swiftly now, trying to gain as much distance as possible while there was still light. From now on, Wong decided to travel more during the night and less during the day. He would not be caught sleeping at night by the enemy again.
Many hours passed and the sunlight began to fade.
Wong looked around at the landscape and smiled. He recognized where he was now by the outline of a mountain range far in the distance. By his estimation, they were two days away from the province of Guilin. This surprised him, for they had made more progress than expected. He looked around to see if he could recognize anything else to reconfirm their position.
A strange feeling came over him. At first it pulled at his chest, but soon he felt it in his head.
“It figures,” he said to himself. Just when he thought things were looking up, he detected another mark ahead of them.
He frowned. How suddenly their fortunes had changed. Unlike the mark on Kai, this was a territorial mark, one most likely clawed across a tree. Lo-shur were probably using it to block the path ahead of them, and by now, they would know Kai was headed their way.
He scanned the landscape for other trails he could take to avoid them. Though he did not find one, he did see something shift in the trees ahead.
He slowed the horse and whispered to Kai.
“Something moves in the trees ahead of us.”
Kai looked up and saw nothing. Something else shifted close by.
“There!” Kai yelled, pointing to the left.
Wong, who had been focused straight ahead, had not sensed the closer movement to the left. He kicked the horse to speed it up and veered sharply off the road to the right.
Arrows filled the air and chased them into the forest.
Several were on target and closing in. Wong reached forward and stopped an arrow just before it hit the horse’s neck, but it left him in a vulnerable position and another pierced his own shoulder. He winced in pain but kept the horse moving, speeding through trees while skillfully navigating between trunks and over thick foliage.
After a while, he slowed the horse and listened, but did not hear signs of pursuit. Reaching behind his left shoulder, he tenderly removed the arrow from his flesh. He wanted to stop and dress the wound, but pressed on instead. The ground crunched underneath them and branches brushed past their faces.
When it appeared they were a safe distance from their attackers, Wong slowed the horse to a trot and pondered their next move. It was too dangerous to turn back and travel the open roads again. Picking them off would be too easy, as evidenced by his injured shoulder. Surely more sharpshooters were waiting for them on the road ahead, especially with the territorial mark concentrating forces there.
Continuing on through the forest had its pitfalls too. The sun had set and travel by horse was difficult. The forest would thicken the deeper they went and the land would become increasingly unforgiving. There wasn’t a steady supply of food or water either, and eventually, they would have to travel by foot.
He quickly made up his mind. While he hated the thought of slow travel by foot, he decided it was their best option. In the forest, they would be able to hear their enemies coming. On the road, they were sitting ducks. By taking a more direct route to Guilin through the forest, he might also be able to trim some of their walking time. Hopefully, it would not set them back too much.
He traveled as far as he could with the horse and then brought it to a halt.
“Kai, we’re going to have to let the horse go.”
They dismounted and removed their belongings. Wong unfastened the saddle and let it drop to the ground.
He stroked the horse’s neck. “Thanks boy. You’ve done your job.”
Kai watched the horse trot away and felt like he was losing a friend. He waved and quickly lost sight of it as it was almost completely dark now.
“Goodbye,” he whispered.
“Let’s take a break,” Wong said.
He took the moment to treat his injured shoulder. He rinsed the wound sparingly with water from their canteen and sprinkled on a powdery white substance. Next, he unfurled a long strip of bandage and started wrapping it around his shoulder.
“Are you going to be okay?” Kai asked.
“I’ll be fine.”
Something bothered Kai about the last time they were on horseback, so he decided to get it off his chest.
“Wong?”
“Hmm?”
“Before when we were near the road, I felt something funny. Like inside.” He clutched at his chest.
Wong paused.
“There was another mark on the road ahead of us. You probably sensed it.”
“Like me?”
“No, a territorial mark. Like the ones in your house.”
“Oh. How come I felt it?”
“Because you are marked. And once you’re marked, you can feel other marks.”
“How come?”
“The lo-shur mark gives off energy that Koon Gee can sense. It’s now a part of you, so you can sense it too.”
“But how come you can feel them? Are you marked?”
“No. Not any more. A long time ago. For some reason, I can still sense them. It’s like it became a part of me.”
“Will it become a part of me too?”
“No, I don’t think so. I don’t think anything evil could become a part of you.”
Wong ripped a final strip of cloth with his teeth and secured it.
“Done. All good now,” he declared.
“What are we going to do now?” Kai asked.
Wong sighed. “Walk to Guilin. Through the forest.”
Kai looked around skeptically. He did not like the plan and made a face. The forest was a frightening place at night.
“Sorry,” Wong said.
He got up, repacked some of their belongings so that it was more manageable, and started moving. He put a hand on Kai’s back to reassure him and nudge him forward.
“Come on. We have a lot of walking to do. Time for a stroll through the forest . . . three or four days’ worth.”
8
“MASTER LI! MASTER!” yelled a man in blue military clothing.
A large insignia on his chest identified him as a lookout guard of the southern parapet wall.
He approached a man in white.
“Yes,” Li said. “What is it?”
The parapet soldier bowed. “I bring news from the battlefront. Tower seven.”
“Speak freely.”
“The bridge between us is being overrun. Koon Gee are scaling the wall.”
“Scaling the wall? How?”
“Unan demons, sir. And dark ninjas.”
Li looked concerned and moved to a window. He looked down at the action below.
“Any sign of lo-shur?”
“No sir, not yet.”
“Very well, then. Sound the alarm. Send word to the troops at the base of the Great Wall. Guard the perimeter between our towers. Light a hundred torches. Nothing gets through.”
“And what of the parapet?”
“I will see to it. Go quickly now. Fly.”
“Yes, master. At once.”
He bowed quickly and ran down a set of stairs.
A man standing next to Li spoke. He was bald and similarly dressed in white.
“This makes no sense. Why attack here and now?”
“I don’t know, Tengfei. First the Northern Wall. Now this.”
“This doesn’t appear as bad, at least.”
“No, this is just a whisper. But when unan and dark ninja collaborate, it is of concern.”
Tengfei nodded.
An alarm sounded below—a blast of air from a carved zhuk’s horn.
“What do we do now?”
“Take back the parapet. Gather the men.”
They hurried down the staircase. When they reached the bottom, Li made for a large siege door. Tengfei lifted his staff and yelled at the soldiers gathered within.
“Shaolin! Shaolin! Behind the Shoukui! Army in rear! Take your positions! Ready your weapons.”
Li paused in front of the doorway while soldiers gathered behind him. He closed his eyes and raised his sword. Runes running the length of his weapon glowed hot white and made a humming noise, instilling the others with confidence. He opened his eyes and nodded at two soldiers, signaling them to pull open the gates.
“For Shaolin!” he screamed.
Daylight painted itself across the horizon. Li was glad to see it, perched atop a stone slab of the parapet wall. He gazed down at the bottom of the Great Wall and saw smoldering bits of ash—the remnants of flaming barrels tossed over the side.
Tengfei, his second in command, approached.
“All is quiet now.”
“So it appears.”
“They have been probing our defenses all night. I am glad for the day.”
“As am I. I think we are safe for now. It seems they seek to win this end by guile, under the cover of night.”
“Guile?”
Li nodded. “They tried to take the northern wall by force. Now they try to do it covertly on this end. I see no other purpose in sending dark assassins.”
“What do you think their grand scheme is?”
“I don’t know.”
Tengfei looked away. “I wonder what will come of this night.”
Li didn’t respond.
A dot appeared in the sky and circled. Li fixed his gaze on the distant object, and Tengfei sensed his intensity.
“What’s wrong, Li?”
“It’s Jaguan’s bird.” He nodded toward it.
Tengfei raised his hand over his eyes to see.
