by Ino Lee
“Well, you wanted to say goodbye to Shadow, didn’t you? We can bring you to her. Are you okay with that?”
Ting contemplated it, then agreed.
Hojin stared at the figurines and smiled. The sour mood of their morning began to turn at the thought of a new adventure.
Hojin rapped lightly on the rickety door. It opened to a familiar sight—a girl with straight black hair.
“Well if it isn’t our Shaolin muscle,” Shadow said.
Hojin blushed. “We brought a visitor.”
Ting darted by and hugged her.
They stepped inside and Panyin came over and bowed Shaolin-style. “Welcome to our humble home.”
Hojin examined the old house, wondering what it was like for Ting to have lived there. He was wary of leaving her alone, though it seemed clean enough, and much better than the worst-case scenario he had envisioned.
“Everything okay?” Panyin said.
“Fine. Ting didn’t get a chance to say goodbye this morning, so we brought her over. We were also wondering if she could stick around for a while.”
“Sure. What do you have planned?”
“Biyan. We’re not done there yet. Ting might have seen a dark ninja there, so we want to investigate. She also thinks the guards are secretly Blood Ninjas.”
“What? Why?”
“She recognized one.”
“So you’re going on Shaolin business, then?”
“Sort of.”
Shadow looked worried. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. We just sold information to the Eternal Moon about the Blood Ninjas chasing us from Biyan, and they’re not going to sit on it. They don’t know about them being security guards, but they’re going to investigate, and that’s a lot going on. Eternal Moon. Poisoned Blood. Dark ninjas. That sounds like a place I wouldn’t want to be.”
“Or maybe the perfect time. They’ll be distracted.”
“The Eternal Moon wouldn’t go there until tonight,” Panyin said. “And I would not go there during the day. There’s security everywhere and someone might recognize you.”
“But it was dark and they hardly got a look at us.”
“Two guys your age, snooping around the streets of Biyan? If they really are Blood Ninjas, they’ll know.”
Hojin thought about it for a while. “Okay, we’ll go later tonight, disguised.”
“Disguised as what?”
“Ninjas.”
“What?”
“Just like the Blade Ninja, Gray Fox, or Morning Storm.” His eyes lit up. “Hey, if you guys have ninja connections, maybe we can team up with them.”
Panyin shook his head. “I don’t think you understand how the ninjas work here.”
“What do you mean?”
“The stories folks say about them are just that—stories. The Morning Storm doesn’t really exist because no one’s ever seen them. The Blade Ninja’s been dead for years and might have been worse than the Poisoned Blood. And no one’s afraid of Gray Fox.”
“How do you know?”
“I hear things from the Eternal Moon. I know people. I know Hanai. The Moon is the only halfway decent clan with any clout to stand up to the Poisoned Blood, but they’ll just as likely kill you if you cross them.”
“So you don’t really know, then.”
“If any of the ninjas were good, they’d be Shaolin warriors or city guards. And if they’re not crooks, they’re mercenaries.”
Hojin looked dejected.
Panyin saw his disappointment. “You guys are Shaolin warriors. You don’t need help from any clan—you’re better. It’s only been a day and I already know that.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
Kai put a hand on his shoulder. “We can be the kind of heroes the city truly needs.”
“Spoken like a true monk,” Panyin said.
Hojin raised a brow. “But we still get to wear ninja disguises, right?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“We have all afternoon to figure that out.”
“I think we should figure it out at that place with the skewers,” Kai said. “I’m hungry.”
Panyin jingled his coin bag. “I’ll buy. Ting found the Blood, so consider it compliments of the Eternal Moon.”
21
SHIAN WORE A long, elegant dress with a wide-brimmed silk hat, and walked arm-in-arm with Riyon, who wore a gold embroidered white tunic, tufted hat, and walking cane. One might have thought they were father and daughter, out on the town and ready to meet family for afternoon tea. Numerous pedestrians darted in and out of shops and purchased puffed egg pastry from the local street cart. Shian and Riyon strolled casually by and took in the sights, smiling falsely at each other.
Shian whispered through a frozen grin, “Which building is it?”
“The one on the left. Separate from the neighbors. Closed shutters. The perfect place for Koon Gee.”
“In this part of town?”
“It may be upscale and busy, but it is a commercial district. Empty at night. Few residents.”
Shian glanced at the structure, a two-story building with dark wood and elongated windows—two in the front and three on the side of each floor. Nothing else stood out about the building except for the closed shutters, which may have been explained by the fact that new tenants were waiting to move in. She closed her eyes as she passed. Riyon’s attention was drawn to a man slumped up against the building.
They turned the corner before speaking again.
“There are energies inside,” Shian said. “It’s definitely not empty.”
“A little odd for a closed building, don’t you think? The man in front is suspicious, too. I think he’s keeping watch.”
“What makes you say that? He looked homeless.”
“His clothes were ragged, but his shoes were new.”
“He could have stolen them. There are many such places to get them from here.”
“Perhaps.”
They walked a couple blocks and turned into a busy restaurant, then took the stairs up to the second floor, which was quieter. The space was filled with tables, chairs, and dining equipment. The center contained several round tables that could fit at least a dozen people each, while smaller square tables lined the walls. Though the restaurant was popular, the second floor was closed.
Several dozen Shaolin warriors waited anxiously, all disguised as civilians, though less lavishly than Shian and Riyon. They were seated at the tables.
Lu-feng stood. “What took so long?”
“It’s not so easy to find nice clothes,” Shian said.
“You look the part. Tell us—was your surveillance promising?”
“Yes.”
The Shaolin warriors re-arranged their chairs and gathered around to discuss when the restaurant owner unexpectedly rushed up the stairs. She was short, almost as old as Riyon, and moved abnormally fast for someone her age.
“There are Koon Gee inside, aren’t there? Was I right? I was right, wasn’t I?”
Shian found her exuberance amusing and spoke warmly. “I can’t say for certain if they were Koon Gee, but I felt the presence of numerous bodies inside.”
“I bet you they are.”
“Do you know what that building is normally used for?” Riyon said.
“No. I never even noticed it before. Like I said, I was here late last night, which is unusual because I usually leave the late night chores to my children. You know how it goes. But I heard footsteps across the rooftops. I was so scared. By the time I went upstairs to check, they were gone, so I knew they could not have gone far. They went in that direction, and that is the only building that seems suspicious. I would have gone up sooner, but like I said, I was so scared.”
“You did well, Mae-yin. Do you remember any more details? What,
if I may ask again, caused you to believe they were Koon Gee?”
“There were so many. It felt like hundreds of footsteps. I know ninjas usually trouble the city, but they rarely travel with so many, do they? But then again, what do I know?”
“Can you think of anything else? Any other details that might help at all?”
Mae-yin concentrated. “Yes. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I thought I heard laughing, like a child laughing. It was so unnatural and frightening. I am scared just thinking about it, even now. When morning came, I knew I had to say something.”
The Shaolin warriors glanced at each other knowingly, having faced Lafay many times before.
“So am I right?” Mae-yin asked again.
“You have good instincts,” Riyon said. “This is the best lead that we’ve had so far. It’s been impossible to find where the Koon Gee have been hiding, so we were at a loss. Thank you for the information and letting us use your restaurant.”
“No. Thank you. If you can get them out of here, I will owe you, not the other way around. I don’t like the thought of demons hiding so close.”
The owner waved a couple of waiters over and signaled for refreshments to be distributed. She claimed she had the best soup dumplings in town, but Shian said they would have to wait. Lu-feng looked disappointed, but then focused on matters at hand.
“What’s the plan?” he asked. “Will we storm it?”
Shian nodded. “We must strike while we have the advantage of day.”
“What are the logistics?”
“The building is narrow and isolated. I would estimate not more than fifty ninjas inside. Because of the heavy Tonkai presence of late, we must take extra care. We will coordinate a strike with the city guards. They must also clear the streets of the innocent.”
“We can handle fifty Koon Gee. That’s just a portion. I wonder where the rest are hiding.”
“They seem to have dispersed into pockets like this one. Fifty less Koon Gee is still a worthwhile endeavor, especially since their numbers cannot be replenished as easily.”
“And the plan of attack? Why don’t we burn them out?”
“As last resort,” Riyon said. “That would be the easiest option, but I don’t want to lose any information. What is the building used for? How did the Koon Gee get there? Why was it not reported? These questions must be answered. The Koon Gee have integrated into the fabric of Hanai too easily. Something is amiss and we must get to the bottom of it. In fact, there is a homeless man loitering in front. If he is still there, I want him apprehended.”
Lu-feng nodded and made sure the other warriors took note.
“So it will be hand-to-hand fighting in tight quarters?”
“We’ll hit them all at once. There are numerous entry points through closed shutters.”
Shian spoke. “The moment we strike, we’ll have the city guards rush down the street and surround the building, but not until then. The Koon Gee will have no place to go.”
“When do we begin?”
“We should be ready to go within the hour,” Riyon said. “Then we strike hard.”
Lu-feng carried a giant spear across the rooftops, running swiftly with a gang of Shaolin warriors in tow. The tip of his weapon was sharp and barbed, with ten separate rope lines tied near the bottom. He draped two rope bundles over each shoulder, careful not to get tripped up by the cordage; one misstep could cause him to tumble off the rooftops, or worse yet, throw off the timing of their well-coordinated attack.
The view up high was vastly different than the one on the ground: this was a sea of tile and wood, both flat and angled, red, gray, and the color of earth.
The Shaolin warriors bounced onto a final building before facing their greatest obstacle—a gap across the street. Lu-feng waited for the warriors to fall within proper spacing before turning them loose.
“Together.”
They raced to their fullest, then powered through a leap. Air passed beneath their feet, the sun hit their backs, and time seemed to slow. The rooftop of the offending building loomed large. Somewhere on the ground below, a procession of invaders was mobilizing.
Lu-feng was the first to land. He raced toward the center of the building and leapt again with greater height than distance, thrusting his spear down upon landing. He made sure the barbed end stuck solidly before letting the other Shaolin warriors gather around and grab a line.
They fanned out in separate directions, aiming for a spot directly above a second-floor window, then propelled their bodies off the rooftop, hanging onto rope and using their momentum to swing around and crash through the shutters. The room flooded with afternoon sun.
Inside, ninjas scrambled. A second round of Shaolin warriors came through the windows to join the raid as several unan rallied with tonkaijas.
Crashes could be heard below as assault forces stormed in from the lower floor. The entire building shook with activity, and soon after, smoke bombs ignited to shroud everything in a cloud of chaos.
Shian sheered through the haze with her gleaming staff and spotted the Koon Gee pulling back into a staircase.
“Where are they going? Pursue them!”
The warriors rushed down the steps to a lower level, but when they landed, the Koon Gee were nowhere to be seen. The small room was barren except for a locked door, which the soldiers attempted to knock down.
“Stand back!” Shian said.
She came running through with a charged staff and pummeled the door off its hinges, revealing the entrance to a tunnel.
“A tunnel?” she said incredulously. “There is a tunnel!”
She cast light and then started cautiously moving down the path. Rough wooden support beams held up the earth and looked like they could buckle at any moment. She wondered how far the tunnel went and how the Koon Gee were able to secure such an escape, when a rumbling noise permeated the enclosure. Dirt fell from the ceilings.
“Turn back,” she mentally projected.
Word of the tunnel passed up through the building to Riyon on the street, who was made to administer the assault from afar because of his elder status. He rushed in upon hearing the news, ran to the bottom of the stairwell, and saw Shaolin warriors rushing through the doorway, followed by a plume of dust.
“How many?” Riyon asked.
Lu-feng tallied up their kills. “Seven ninjas, three of them elite. But we also got one unan and suffered no fatalities. It could have been worse had Shian not gotten everyone out of the tunnel.”
“Please tell me Lafay was the one unan.”
“No. The white mask was not seen.”
Riyon sighed. “We suffered worse last night.”
“The tunnel was found to exit into an alley several blocks away. The city guards questioned the residents there and witnesses saw covered wagons leaving the area. It appears most escaped this way.”
“How is it possible the Koon Gee were so well-prepared?” Shian said. “It would have been impossible to have constructed the tunnel in the time since the invasion, even as hastily constructed as it was.”
Riyon paced around in thought. “You are precisely right.”
“What are you saying?” Lu-feng asked.
“Where is the homeless man apprehended during the siege?”
“He is being detained by the city guards. There is a containment wagon around the corner.”
“Let us hear from him. I have questions.”
They left the front of the hideout. City guards moved hurriedly about the closed-off street, knocking on doors and gathering as much intel as possible on the neighborhood’s activities. The building was hiding Koon Gee, and Riyon wanted to know exactly how it came to be. Someone must have seen something.
They turned the corner and saw the wagon.
“What’s your thinking, elder?” Shian asked as they wal
ked.
“The tunnel. The wagons. The fact that the Koon Gee can disappear every morning without a trace. They cannot do this alone. Even if Hanai were flooded with lo-shur spirits and every possible section of the city was mapped out, they could not pull off this level of organization. Sure, they may find a building here or there, but all of them safely hidden?”
“You believe there are more forces at stake?”
“Yes. I believe they were helped.”
Lu-feng was in disbelief. “Who would help them?”
“Let’s find out.”
The elder threw open the wagon doors, only to find the man in detention dead on the floor.
Riyon’s face went blank and he stepped away. Shian hoped to revive the captive with chi water, but it was too late.
“How did he die?” Lu-feng asked.
There were no stab wounds on his body. Shian looked into his eyes and determined the cause.
“Poison.”
Riyon’s mind raced. He thought about the dead man, the smoke-filled escape to the tunnel, and the alleyway where wagons were once parked. He then drifted to the previous night where they fell prey to the ninja elite, who were more numerous and resistant than expected. Then another shocking thought crossed his mind.
He raced back to the hideout. Shian and Lu-feng chased him.
“Stop! Stop!” the elder yelled at city guards securing the building and cleaning up in the aftermath of the battle. They were hauling out bodies of the deceased.
Riyon quickly shuffled through the bodies and found what he was looking for. He identified a tonkaija wearing a screen mask before tearing it off. A pale white demon stared back at him. He moved onto the next and did the same, met with a similar result. The city guards looked at him as if he were crazy.
“Three,” he said to himself. “Lu-feng said three.”
He finally found the third, this one wearing a simple mesh liner.
“What are you doing, elder?” Lu-feng asked.
“Dark ninjas only operate at night, when it is dark.”
Lu-feng shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“So why carry so many smoke bombs? Dark ninjas rarely use smoke bombs.”
