by Ino Lee
“You snuck up on us in the middle of the night dressed like a ninja, in a forest filled with dark ninjas. What are you doing running around alone at a time like this?”
His question struck a chord, and he paused for a moment to reflect on his own words—alone at a time like this. His heart beat quickly. He looked around and sensed movement all around the enclosure. He yelled to Kai in warning, but his young shadow had already seen the movement and come over to his side. She was not alone, after all.
Lurking figures approached cautiously and enclosed them in a steadily shrinking circle. Their red eyes could be seen in the moonlight—dark ninjas—and many more than he could count.
He turned in the direction of the female ninja and stared in contempt. She reached for her mask and pulled it back over her head, once again completing her ninja garb like those around her. The Weapons Master held tightly onto the center of his staff and sparked it to life, never dropping his gaze from the girl. Two sharp blades protruded from either end of the Dragon Arm.
The ninja reached into her belt for a cutting star and whipped her arm in the direction of his head. It sailed just to the right, hitting one of the approaching dark ninjas in the neck. It was too far off for her to be aiming at Wong and she was too good to miss.
Relieved, he looked back at her and nodded. She was not the enemy after all. He reassessed the situation. Even with her on his side, the odds were against them while Kai was out in the open.
The ninjas charged and Wong made his decision.
“This way,” he yelled.
He swept Kai up and attacked a weak spot in the ninjas’ advance, needing to get out of the open where they were surrounded. The stranger followed Wong’s lead and trailed behind.
With a thrust of the Dragon Arm and a swing of a ninja sword, they broke through the enemy’s line of attack. But instead of running toward a gap in the rocks and escaping the enclosure, Wong ran directly toward one of the limestone formations. He jumped onto a crevice and vaulted up the stone pillar, moving vertically from crag to crag and finally dropping Kai off high on a ledge.
“Don’t worry—I’ll come back for you,” he said.
He leaned back and free-fell to the ground, flipping once before taking a snapshot of the battleground and planning his next attack. He landed with his weapon ready and sliced the first ninja who came his way, then ran to meet the others.
The dual blades of the Dragon Arm spun wildly, carving up demon flesh wherever it flashed. In between the attacks of his staff, he would reach for his damaged cutting chain to send the shuriken end randomly flying. It was made functional again through the use of a Yaje silk patch, which allowed it to lash out at distant enemies, only to recoil back to his side, ready to be drawn again.
The female stranger initially engaged the first few ninjas that came her way, but rolled away from them when a new wave of bodies approached. She curved around a large boulder and disappeared from view, taking cover behind a crevice. As the soft patter of quick footsteps passed by, she planned her attack.
While the ninjas had the advantage of superior numbers and night vision, she did have one thing on her side—she looked like them.
She emerged from the shadows and ran alongside the terrible horde, mixing in with their numbers. She matched footsteps with a demon and approached it side-by-side. It turned to her and before it realized the danger, she impaled it through the chest. Another ninja felt a sharp pain in its back only to see a sword tip protrude from its abdomen. Another lost its leg. More fell as she wound through them and delivered unexpected death.
When she struck down the last ninja within her reach, she looked up to see the remaining bulk of the enemy concentrated around Wong. He fought with blinding speed and ninjas fell around him. His eyes glinted brightly, allowing him to see as if it were day.
Two ninjas pinned him back, their swords pressed against the Dragon Arm. Wong dropped to his knees with his weapon locked in place. The female ninja rushed to help as several other dark ninjas converged, but before she could get there, Wong reached for his cutting disc, squeezed on the clutch to expose its razors, and sliced through the midsections of the ninjas that pinned him. He whipped the disc behind him with a single backhand, lashing it out in a wide-arcing path. The approaching ninjas dropped to the ground after having their necks sliced open, leaving Wong to stand alone.
They rushed through the maze of tree and stone in the moonlit forest. Wong placed Kai on the ground to move on his own after carrying him a good distance away, finally slowing down when it appeared the danger was no longer imminent.
The Stone Forest, which looked beautiful and majestic during the day, now looked mysterious and foreboding. Rock formations mixed in with the gnarled trunks and roots of trees to take on menacing shapes. Their flight from danger seemed much more heightened than in days past; there was something much more frightening, almost supernatural, about the Stone Forest.
Little was spoken as they traveled. Wong listened for signs of pursuers and walked protectively by Kai’s side. Their mysterious late night guest traveled with them too, though she kept at a distance. The uncertainty of their meeting and the suddenness of the battle kept them at an uncomfortable proximity. Their camaraderie was one borne of necessity and did not necessarily mean they trusted one another; after all, they were still strangers. Kai looked at her curiously, still surprised that a woman was concealed beneath the ninja garb.
After finally coming to rest by a boulder, the ninja made the first move to extend a hand in friendship: she claimed to know where they could find safety and shelter and insisted they follow her. Wong thought about her offer and declined, skeptical of her promise and wary of putting her in danger. He admitted that the dark ninjas were after him (he did not disclose that they were really after Kai) and said he didn’t want to trouble her any further.
“What other choice do you have?” she asked. “Continue on through the forest all night with ninjas chasing you . . . and him?”
He looked at Kai and noticed how tired and worn out he was.
“Don’t worry,” she continued, reading his concern. “My people can handle the dark ninja.”
“Your people?”
“Yes. My people,” she answered without offering any more detail.
“They’ll follow us there. Trust me. Your people will be in danger.”
“We can handle it. I doubt there are any dark ninja left anyway. That was a rather large squad we killed. I think we’re safe for the night, but it would be foolish to take any more risks with a child.”
Wong thought about it longer and relented. “Okay. You’re right. Lead the way.”
He figured it couldn’t hurt to take a look and if he didn’t like what he saw, he could always turn back.
With the ninja now in the lead, they continued through the forest, navigating around its rock walls and through its tangled growth—a labyrinth whose twists and turns the ninja seemed to know by heart.
Wong followed and cautiously wondered where she could be taking them. He looked up at the surrounding rock cliffs with alarm.
“There’s movement above,” he whispered, reaching for a weapon.
“No. Don’t worry. They’re with me,” she said.
He relaxed his grip on the clutch of the cutting chain and let go. Curious, he thought.
The terrain grew more concentrated with rock and vegetation until they were finally forced to stop. A lengthy wall of limestone—twenty-feet high and overgrown with greenery—stood in their way.
An opening appeared, flanked on both sides by man-made structures that were camouflaged and protected by the rock. Two figures brandishing swords came out of concealment and approached them. They too were dressed like ninjas, but with their faces uncovered. One of the ninjas wore blue paint around his eyes, while the other wore black. It reminded Kai of the face paint his parents wore at the Moon Fes
tival, except this was much more frightening.
The female ninja walked forward to meet them. They greeted each other and briefly conversed, presumably about Wong and Kai, which caused the armed guards to stare in their direction. One of the guards nodded and then ran off. The other trailed back to his post while the female ninja turned and motioned them forward.
She led them through the entrance, past various buildings, and across a courtyard. Though it was difficult for him to see all the details, Wong found it reminiscent of the construction outside of the Shaolin Temple. He was intrigued and wondered where they were and what kind of place it was. While a ninja clan hidden in Shunnan did make some sense, one so developed and rooted in didn’t. He could imagine a scenario where a small clan took root in the forest, robbing local villagers and tourists and using the trees and rocks as cover. But the idea conjured visions of makeshift shanties that could be easily abandoned when the situation called for it, not permanent structures with advanced architecture.
He thought about this more as he walked, and faintly remembered hearing about a group of rangers that patrolled the Stone Forest. Could this be the same group of people? A compound such as this would make sense as a base of operations. He had not heard they were ninjas, however, and was doubtful the correlation even made sense. Ninjas were often perceived as nefarious elements of society, so it was a stretch to consider them rangers that protected the land. Most clans consisted of small bands of shady and unscrupulous characters, with a few criminal organizations that were both secretive and powerful. Then again, after having spent some time within a ninja clan, he knew they were not all bad. Some would call the Weapons Master himself a ninja, after all.
The question remained: What kind of ninja were these? Since they were offering him shelter and protection, he figured he should give them the benefit of the doubt—at least for a night.
They entered one of the larger buildings in the compound. The inside of the structure was as well put together as the outside, with bamboo walls and floorboards, proper furniture, paintings, and tapestries. A makeshift shanty this was not.
Their late night acquaintance held a candle to lead the way and showed them to a room. She told them they would be safe there and asked if they needed anything, but Wong declined. They looked at each other for another awkward moment and came to an unspoken agreement: explanations would wait until morning. She handed him the candle, turned, and headed back down the hallway.
“Thank you,” Wong said softly behind her.
She glanced back and acknowledged him.
“They’ll know we’re here,” he added, feeling guilty about the danger he was putting them in. “They’ll be after me.”
“We’ve handled worse,” she said as she turned a corner and disappeared from view.
He closed the door, satisfied with her response. The place was well guarded and the ninjas seemed to know what they were doing. Given their difficult journey, sleeping within protected walls was a luxury he could not afford to pass up. He at least felt better about staying there than at an inn in some random village. As long as he did not stay long, they should be fine.
He looked over at Kai and saw he had already crawled into one of the beds in the corner of the room.
“Tired, Kai?”
There was an unintelligible mumble in response.
He glanced around the room. What an unexpected night, he thought.
12
WONG OPENED HIS eyes after a long, deep slumber. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, it was now late morning. It was the first time in days that he had let his guard down and was able to sleep peacefully through the night—perhaps a bit unwisely.
He turned and noticed that Kai’s bed across the room was empty. Though his initial reaction was one of alarm, he figured Kai had woken up earlier and left the room in search of food or water. If he could muster enough strength to get up, he would probably find him somewhere near the kitchen.
He crawled out of bed, rubbed his eyes, and straightened up. Before leaving the room, he toyed with the idea of taking his sword or staff with him, but to do so would be interpreted as a sign of mistrust or hostility. That would be somewhat inappropriate since they were guests there, so he hid a knife up each sleeve and tucked a few choice items beneath his garments, deeming it a fair compromise. There was no way the Weapons Master would be caught weaponless. When he walked toward the door, however, he heard metal clink.
Perhaps he had tucked away one too many weapons. He removed a shiny disc from his pocket and placed it on a table next to the door. Bunched up on the tabletop was a ball of Yaje silk and his alarm trinket. His expression was one of disbelief.
“Huh. Funny kid.”
He picked it up and examined it with his fingers. Kai must have rolled it up and saved it when he first fought the ninja. He thought it had been lost in the rush to escape the enclosure, but here it was. A smile cracked across his face as he opened the door to the hallway.
He was faced with a choice of directions. Since he remembered approaching from the left the night before, he guessed right. He passed by several more closed doors that probably opened up to rooms similar to the one he had just slept in.
The scent of food permeated the air. He breathed deeply and tried to identify the dish—something stewed or boiled. The smell intensified the further he walked, and where there was food, there was Kai.
Light laughter and a murmur of voices could now be heard. Wong recognized one of the voices as Kai’s. He turned a corner into a small dinning area.
The room was neat and elegant, yet functional with a large bay door that opened up to a small garden. Painted scrolls hung on the walls and a straw mat lined the floor. At a low-lying table, Kai sat on the floor with his back toward Wong. Across from him was a young woman with bright eyes and silky black hair that was held up in pins. He wondered if this was the same person he fought with the night before, but felt she was too lovely to be a ninja.
He walked toward the two. A large serving bowl full of soup noodles was situated in the middle of the table with smaller eating bowls held in hand. Kai held his against his mouth and was busy slurping up its contents. The woman held hers delicately in one hand, with a pair of chopsticks in the other. She smiled at Kai, who was making guttural noises at the pleasure of devouring a second helping. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Wong watching and looked up.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Oh. Hello,” he replied, and then acknowledged Kai.
Kai’s face lit up. He pushed the large bowl of noodles toward him. “Good!”
“Oh wait. Let me get you a bowl,” the woman said. She quickly got up and darted out the room.
Wong shot Kai a quizzical look. “Busy morning?”
The woman returned shortly with a bowl. Wong thanked her and took a seat on the opposite side of the table next to Kai. When he looked up, she had already filled his bowl with a large portion of noodles. This couldn’t be the same person he met the night before, he thought. He caught himself staring at her when she looked up and refocused his attention on the bowl.
“This looks good. Thank you.”
“There’s more in the kitchen. Eat as much as you like. You must be hungry from last night.”
“Last night?”
She smiled back wryly.
“I wasn’t sure it was you,” Wong said. “You look different when you’re not . . . you know . . . terrifying.”
She laughed. “Understandable.”
“So that was you under the mask and the red face paint.”
“That was me,” she said proudly.
“I’m Wong and this is Kai.”
“Yes, we met this morning. My name is Tae.”
“Nice to meet you. Sorry I attacked you last night. You fight well.”
“Thank you. It’s all right. You couldn’t know it wa
s me.”
“If you don’t mind me asking—what where you doing out there?”
“I was on patrol. The Stone Forest has become very dangerous and I was tracking dark ninjas. That’s when I stumbled across you.”
She paused. “What were you doing there?”
He hesitated, not wanting to get into the entire story about Kai. Sharing it would do no good, especially with a ninja he knew nothing about.
“Kai and I were on our way to the House of Han in the Guilin Province.”
“But why would you go through the Stone Forest at a time like this? There are easier ways to get to Guilin.”
“Kai’s never been through the Stone Forest before. I wanted him to see it.”
Tae was suspicious of his explanation. Going through the Stone Forest with a child was an absurd thing to do.
Wong changed the subject. “Was there any more trouble last night?”
“Not any more than usual. I think you may have done enough damage for one night.”
Wong smirked as he ate from his bowl, but his thoughts lingered on the platoon of dark ninjas.
“We can’t stay long.”
“You can at least stay long enough to finish your meals though, right?”
Wong nodded. “Right.”
She read the worry in his eyes and said, “Don’t worry—our complex is well protected.”
Kai made another loud slurping noise and sucked down a single strand of noodle, which amused her. She looked at the cup of tea in her hands and said a little more formally, “The head of our order wants to speak with you, before you leave.”
Wong didn’t like the sound of it. “I see.”
“Just a small chat.”
“I like to chat.”
He put a strand of noodle in his mouth and slurped it up loudly, just as Kai had moments before. Kai laughed out loud. Wong smiled, masking deeper thought inside. He anticipated there would be questions—when a small army of dark ninjas hunts you, there are bound to be questions. But by whom? He still didn’t know who he was dealing with.
