by Ino Lee
“Ninja select. So many. Powerful. Unan . . . Lafay, Raikahn.”
“Those unan demons are especially irksome. Did one of them stab you?”
“Tonkaija. They were the real problem. Twice as many . . . one strong, like lo-shur.”
“Are you sure? Perhaps they snuck a radiance pool within range, and it was a possessed ninja.”
“Don’t know. Unexpected.”
Xiong pondered Tengfei’s words. Though the Koon Gee mostly stood their ground after the attack, Lafay, Raikahn, and the Tonkai had not been seen in recent days, which was especially concerning since it meant they might have moved on to Hanai. And where did the influx of Tonkai come from? They were a collection of elite warriors, dark ninjas whose chi had advanced to the highest levels. Like ordinary ninjas, they saw well in the dark and were sensitive to light, except to such a high degree that they were forced to wear a variety of full-face masks to shield their eyes, often with Kendo-like visors or sheets of cloth and metal. During battle, it was suspected that possessed lo-shur ninjas mixed in with the Tonkai as a deceptive tactic, but on the night the main tower fell, the rangers claimed there was no radiance pool nearby, thereby eliminating the possibility of spirit possession. Since a tonkaija’s ceiling was generally close to that of a Shaolin warrior whose chi had not yet elevated, their power could not be mistaken for a lo-shur’s. If Tengfei had faced one just as strong, then perhaps the dark ninjas were also evolving in their chi ability.
The Shoukui broke from worried thought. “Okay. Enough of my annoyance. I can tell you are tired. Don’t worry and rest. We will be vigilant.”
Tengfei still looked worried. “How many from Wall?”
“A few hundred, but with a good deal of Shaolin warriors mixed in. The Wall can handle the loss. We scored a major victory before coming here.”
“Not enough.”
“There is a broader scheme in play. Jaguan and Wong have a plan, but I don’t know that we can count on it yet.”
Tengfei raised a questioning brow.
“They mean to bring the magaus here,” Xiong clarified.
“Magaus?”
“Yes. I have yet to get the rangers acquainted with the idea. I don’t know how receptive they’ll be to the prospect of fighting alongside creatures of the Koon Kagi.”
“Rangers here are tough. Hardened.”
“I am not completely sure of the plan myself, but if they help turn the tide, I would welcome them with open arms. I have no doubt the rangers would feel the same. You fought with this magau king, Renshu, did you not?”
Tengfei nodded.
“Do you trust him?”
Tengfei didn’t answer.
Xiong grunted. “I suppose if we are doomed to fail, we might as well take the risk. What is there to lose?”
“Tanjin.”
13
LIGHT ORBS POPPED in the air, signaling the convoy’s approach to Hanai. Hojin looked up from the wagon, weary from the long ride, and was energized by the sight of the northern gates. He was home.
“We’re here.”
Torches waved from the top of the gatehouse and the procession slowed to a stop.
“We’re here,” Hojin said again. “Wake up.”
Kai rolled over from his bedding and blinked.
“I wasn’t sleeping. I was meditating.”
“I heard you snore.”
“I don’t snore.” He examined the approaching gates. “When do you think I should get off?”
“Probably not until we’re inside. You should get ready, though.”
“Okay.”
Kai gathered his belongings: a carrying pack, cloak, and monk staff. He dressed simply and carried only what was needed.
The gates opened. Hojin whipped the reins of his wagon and the Shaolin warriors started to funnel through, gathering in the courtyard just past the gates. They spread out haphazardly and Hojin used the disorganization to maneuver his wagon to a quiet part of the field.
He pointed. “It’s about eight blocks that way.”
Kai nodded and hopped off the wagon.
“See you in Jade Park.”
He pulled a hood over his head and ran in the direction indicated. Fortunately, it was nighttime and easy to sneak away without being seen.
Hojin circled around and gathered with the others, growing nervous at the thought of leaving. He unloaded a few tents and took the first opportunity to sneak away, not wanting to stick around for long in case word of Kai’s disappearance had already reached Hanai.
Kai sat alone in Jade Park and tried to remain small under the cover of a pavilion overlooking a stone pond. It seemed like a tranquil place to retreat to in the bustling city, reminiscent of the Emerald Pond back in Shaolin, though the apparent peacefulness might have had something to do with the empty streets caused by the invasion. He wondered if he should be more worried about the danger, but several hundred invaders in a city so large wasn’t especially bothersome considering he survived being hunted by armies in the Koon Kagi. He was happy just to be free, away from the confines of Shaolin where he was constantly under watch and being evaluated. The feeling surprised him. He loved living at the temple and being a Shaolin warrior, but sitting alone and not knowing what to expect next was liberating.
He basked in the feeling for a while, then decided to meditate for visions. They were there for a purpose and perhaps something would come to him regarding Ting.
Hojin’s figure soon sauntered down the path opposite the pond. Kai was glad to see him, though part of him was disappointed to lose his peace. He suddenly realized that he had lost track of time and didn’t know how long he’d been there.
“Hey,” Kai said. “Did you get away okay?”
“Yeah. They’re busy with lots of stuff. It was easy.”
Hojin rounded the pool and sat awkwardly on the bench near him, rearranging his sword’s scabbard underneath his cloak.
“I don’t think we’ll make it to the farm tonight,” he said.
“Why?”
“We have to cross the entire city and then it’s still a long way to the farm. There’s also a curfew. We might get caught.”
“Oh,” Kai said glumly. He looked up at the pavilion’s roof.
Hojin guessed his thoughts. “You’re not thinking of staying here, are you?”
“It’s not the worst place.”
“I guess not, but I should have taken blankets or something. We could have even pitched a tent.”
Kai thought a little longer. He took a journal out of his pack and turned the pages, summoning a little light.
“Is that Wong’s again?” Hojin asked.
“Yeah.”
Kai finally found the page he was looking for. “Where’s Kanju?”
“South. A little more on the eastern side of town.”
“Far?”
“Kind of. Why?”
“Wong has a place there. Maybe we can stay there tonight. It must be empty.”
“Really? He has a place? Why does he have a place?”
Kai shrugged. “I don’t know. He has lots of places. He hasn’t always been in Shaolin and had to live somewhere. What do you think?”
“That sounds good. Let’s go there. It’s on the way to the farm and better than sleeping here.”
They pulled hoods over their heads and left the park, ready for the long walk.
Hojin wondered how Riyon would react when word of his desertion got out. It would probably be made worse when they realized Kai was also missing. Perhaps if they pushed through the night, they could get to the bottom of Kai’s echo and return the next day before getting into too much trouble. But a whole day gone with Kai was bad enough, and that was the best-case scenario. He would just have to face whatever consequences awaited him when the time came.
Kai focused o
n their surroundings and sensed for moving energies, wanting to avoid Shaolin warriors and Koon Gee alike, but the infinite bodies moving inside of the city’s buildings clouded the landscape.
“It’s hard to sense anyone coming here. There’s so many people.”
“The streets have never been this quiet,” Hojin said. “What are you worried about, anyway? What are you trying to sense?”
“Shaolin warriors and Koon Gee. I’m not worried; I guess it’s just habit.”
“This city is like a hundred times bigger than Shaolin. I doubt we’ll run into them. Some neighborhoods can be pretty dangerous, though, and I don’t know them all. I’d be more worried about running into trouble there.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Crooks. Ninjas. Crazy people.”
“Ninjas? Like dark ninjas?”
“No. Human ones. There are a lot of organized ninja clans here.”
“Really? What do they do?”
“All kinds of stuff. Most won’t rob you on the streets like a normal crook, but they do stuff like take money for protection and break into buildings. You can also hire them to kill people.”
“They protect people, though? For money?”
“Not exactly. Like pay me to protect your house, or else I’ll burn it down.”
“That doesn’t sound like protection.”
“Nope. They’re not all like that, though. Some you can hire to fight other ninjas. A few are good. There’s this one ninja that fights clans all the time and everyone’s afraid of him—the Blade Ninja. He’s kind of my hero. And there’s this other clan that patrols the streets for crime until daybreak—the Morning Storm.”
“I know one like that. Not here, but in the Stone Forest. The Hunters of Shunnan.”
“Never heard of them.”
“You should. They’re the best. And their name’s better, too.”
“What do you mean?”
Kai scrunched his face. “Morning Storm?”
“I guess that’s not too intimidating. Maybe if it were a monsoon instead of a morning storm. If you had a ninja clan, what would you call it?”
“Flying Dragons.”
A while later, they reached the Kanju District, a commercial area with few residences. They searched up and down the streets for Wong’s home.
“Are you sure you have the right address?” Hojin said.
Kai held up the journal. “That’s what it says.”
“This is the closest address.” Hojin looked up at a closed noodle shop. “I don’t see yours.”
They stared at the storefront. Hojin looked down the stone street and noticed that all the buildings looked the same.
He pointed at a neighboring structure. “Could that be it?”
The building almost looked like it was a part of the noodle shop, but was narrow and taller, and recessed behind the others. A tall brick wall blocked it from the street and made it blend in with the neighboring buildings so that one wouldn’t have noticed it if one hadn’t been looking for it.
A black metal gate provided the only entry.
Kai pressed his face against a thin gap in the metal. He flared a light orb and tried to see what was on the other side, but all he could make out was a small open space.
“I think this is the place.”
“Are you sure?” Hojin said. “It looks haunted.” He turned the handle, but the gate didn’t budge. “This is more complicated than I thought.” He looked up at the wall. It would be tough to climb.
Kai noticed a decorative element on the door. He fiddled with it and was able to slide it left to unlock the gate.
“Was that in the book?” Hojin asked.
“No. I just know Wong.”
They stepped into the open space and found it riddled with stacks of crates. A door on the left connected to the noodle shop.
“This doesn’t look right,” Hojin said.
“Don’t mind the mess. It’s just a distraction.”
They looked around and found another door in the back with numerous levers.
“It’s a puzzle lock,” Kai said. “Just like the one on his cottage in Shaolin.”
“Why is he so weird?”
Kai played with the lever positions for a while before finally opening the door. Fortunately, Wong kept a similar pattern at his cottage. Kai floated a light orb and stepped inside.
A corridor was illuminated, with a large table near the rear. Training equipment could be seen closer to them, including a wooden martial arts dummy. Hojin noted its condition and wondered how many tens of thousands of punches and kicks it had sustained before wearing down to its current state. They closed the door behind them and found a lantern.
Weapons of every kind hung on the walls, the shiny metal glimmering when touched by the light of the lantern. The center of the room opened to the second floor, causing Kai to summon another orb to illuminate the ceilings. Many more windows appeared up high. While the building looked small and narrow from the outside, it seemed expansive on the inside due to its openness and height. Two loft platforms appeared on either end of the corridor, with gangways that connected them. The one on the far end looked like a sleeping loft. A forge and metalworking equipment could be seen on the main floor beneath it, which also served as a kitchen.
Kai thought the place felt more like a war room in the Great Wall than an actual home. It was certainly unique and what one would expect from Wong.
“What do you think?” Kai said.
Hojin grabbed a crescent moon knife off the wall. He smiled.
“I think this is better than Jade Park.”
14
WONG FELT NAUSEOUS. He wasn’t sick. The wounds from his fight with Renshu had fully healed. But the lump in his throat stemmed from the conflict in his head. He had promised to do all he could to save Tangled Root, even though he knew it was hopeless and likely meant the end of the magaus. If only he had beaten the magau king and been able to spare his people from such a fate, but he had not and instead been given the gift of dark chi fai, on his own and without the aid of lo-shur or unan. Should he be happy or sad?
His stomach churned. He had to find a way to save Tangled Root . . . though he no idea how to do that, maybe there was someone who would.
Renshu jumped down to his branch. “Wong. Is it your plan to sit and watch the birds?”
“Patience.”
The magau growled. “This sneaking is a waste of time. We should attack. Break their line.”
“We’re not strong enough. I told you the plan. We need information. We need to capture the Painted Tear.”
Renshu grumbled. “That is no plan.”
Shiki joined them. “The lady demon will be with others. It will not be easy. What will be different from the last time?”
He held out an unan mask. “I brought Kunchu.”
The insect-like token had been captured many months before, its features bearing a faint resemblance to a black beetle, cricket, or ant, with two round eyes and antennae. The unan was found spying close to the mud pool, sitting silently in the dark before being sensed by Yimae. It did not put up much of a fight before going down, and when Wong tested the mask out for the first time, he understood why: the unan was a sensory demon, not built for fighting, but covert surveillance. Its senses were honed from the abilities of a medley of insects—the powerful smells, sights, and sounds manifesting to Wong as a jumbled blur, overwhelming and hard to interpret. Only after a dogged effort could he even begin to understand the signals, though he could not wear it for long before becoming dizzy, and fighting with it on was nearly impossible.
“Not that one again,” Shiki said.
“I’ve been practicing.”
“For what good?”
“Not for fighting. It’s for finding her before she finds us. We’re not scouting the ma
in force this time. She is our target.”
“What then, if we find her?”
“We’ll have to drag her out of the range of the pool. Only then will the lo-shur separate.”
“But she will die?” Renshu said.
Wong hung his head. “Yes. She’s been possessed for too long. The separation will be deadly. But we may be able to learn something before she passes. That is our only hope.”
“You would kill her?”
“It’s a better fate than leaving her possessed. And at this point, it’s the only chance we have of finding a weakness in the Koon Gee’s advance before it’s too late.”
Renshu scanned the forest canopy. “Very well. How will we get this demon?”
Wong thought. “I’m making this up as I go, but I’ll find her, draw her back here. Perhaps with company.”
“A trap?”
Wong nodded. “Watch for my return.”
He sprinted away before Renshu could protest, knowing it would annoy him. This secretly made him happy since Renshu had been taunting him about their fight ever since winning.
Energy from the radiance pool grew stronger as he ran. Since he was on the most direct route from the heart of the Tangled Root Forest, he would surely run into enemy scouts. He stopped to don Kunchu before getting too close, the sudden flood of senses coupled with the radiant energy a difficult test of his chi control. He settled his mind and let in the noise, trying to find a harmonious note in the cacophony.
A subtle scent colored the air, warning him of approaching danger. If Aiying were there, she should be distinguishable from the rest. He dropped from position and touched a large root beneath his feet, feeling for vibrations, closing his eyes and embracing the entirety of Kunchu’s senses. Four lo-shur beings moved, along with another whose scent was distinctly human—just as he had hoped.
Kunchu’s task was fulfilled, paving the way for Houzon. He switched masks and planned to hunt the Painted Tear with magau agility, needing a covert approach so they wouldn’t know what hit them.
