by Ino Lee
Lafay closed the distance between them in an instant and lifted the trident from the ground, intent on murder.
Ting screamed a single word—Hojin.
Kai gasped and instantly recognized the sound—the pitch, the tone—all identical to the echo that was etched in his brain so long ago. He hadn’t heard an echo from the past or present; it was from the future—now—and the gut wrenching feeling that he once felt was the exact same as it was now—terror at the thought of Ting being skewered in front of her brother.
His eyes turned to fire and he willed his legs to move faster, propelling him forward like a bolt of lightning. Without a staff to funnel his power, his hand radiated flames of pure chi, a bright white radiance of flowing energy. He caught the demon by the ankle and held firm.
Lafay shrieked in horror, unsure of the magic that burned through its foot and traveled up its leg, incredulous of the boy who wielded such power. It slashed with the trident to sever its leg, then crawled up to the window and stumbled out it.
Kai remained on the ground in a daze as his power subsided, Ting crumpled over in relief, while Hojin ran to the window and looked out.
“He’s gone. It’s three floors down on this side.”
He turned back to Kai, who rose from the ground, his face full of distress as his body was half-covered in Raikahn’s gooey remains.
Hojin’s mouth dropped. “That’s nasty!”
42
WONG SAT ALONE atop Biyan watchtower in the late afternoon, a quiet place to reflect as city guards completed inspections on the storefronts below and rounded up additional residents for questioning. The investigation of Biyan and the Poisoned Blood was just beginning, and would last for many more moons to come; even now, the security station beneath their feet was being turned inside out.
Kai emerged from the staircase. “Wong, is that you? Riyon said you were looking for me.”
Wong twisted the dial on the side of his mask to close the slatted visor, then faced Kai to quickly open them again. “Boo!”
Kai tried not to humor him. “Do you have to wear that thing?”
Wong’s voice deepened and echoed. “What’s wrong? Afraid?”
“It’s weird. A tonkaija’s face was in it.”
Wong removed it. “Says the boy who took a bath in unan goo.”
Kai looked down at his clothes, his soiled garb replaced by ill-fitting ninja gear taken from the building. He shrugged. “At least I was in disguise and not wearing anything good.” He took a seat beside him. “What are you doing?”
“Taking a break.”
“From what?”
“Looking for secrets. Interrogating ninja. Making them talk. With this mask, in fact.”
“Did you find out anything?”
“A little. The Poisoned Blood cover their tracks well, but there’s more to go through.”
“Is it over then?”
“It’s never over.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Nothing. We can call it a victory. This was a big blow. Hanai is in much better shape than it was just yesterday. Han passed a message from Jaguan in Tanjin, as well, and they were victorious. Today is a good day.”
Kai looked at the horizon where Tanjin might have been, though he wasn’t truly sure.
“You should be proud,” Wong said. “You were a big part of it.”
Kai looked subdued. “I am.”
“What’s wrong?”
Kai frowned. “My echo. When I first heard it, I thought it was from Ting calling Hojin at the time, but it was actually from the future, from when we were fighting the unan. I’m sure of it.”
Wong smiled. “Take it from me—don’t try to understand visions.”
“But it’s weird. I wouldn’t have come to Hanai if it weren’t for the echo . . . but the echo was caused by me being here.”
“Don’t overthink it. It just means you were meant to be here. You saw a need and took action. That’s all you can do.”
“I wish the elders saw it that way.”
Wong laughed. “They might now. After all, where would we be if you hadn’t come? Maybe they should take you more seriously. Plus, if you weren’t here, you wouldn’t have rediscovered the Enlightened Hand.”
He raised his hand horizontally and gestured as if ripples went down it.
“What’s that?”
“That’s what Grandmaster Tienkow used to call it. When your aura of yang chi physically manifests as a weapon to nullify yin chi. He used to be able to summon it around his fist. His was a torch, though; yours is a flamethrower, so you can call it whatever you like. Enlightened Hand is pretty dull sounding.”
“How did you know about it?”
“It was Grandmaster Tienkow. Everyone knew about it.”
“No. How did you know I used the Enlightened Hand?”
“I thought I told you not to call it that.”
“How did you—”
“—Oh, before I forget, I wanted to give you this.” He handed over a small satchel. “That’s why I called you here.”
It was heavier than expected and felt full of coins. Kai loosened the string to open its contents and looked inside. His mouth dropped. Shiny gold pieces twinkled in the late day sun.
“Where did you get this?”
Wong thought to speak, then paused. “I have a feeling no matter what I say, you’re not going to like it.”
“You stole it? We’re not supposed to profit from Shaolin activity. It’s against our principles.”
“Maybe your principles. Plus, I didn’t steal it. I just reclaimed it from the bad guys.”
“It’s blood money.”
“Pfft. The money will be used for good now . . . to stop more bad guys. Call it a fee. I owe you for the food, anyway.”
Kai looked uncertain, and then handed it back. “I don’t think I can take it.”
Wong rolled his eyes. “Okay, but how much do I owe you, then?”
“Not a whole bag of gold. Just a couple copper pieces.”
“Hmm.” He reached into a pocket and handed over a gold coin. “Do you have change?”
Kai shook his head. “You’re a bad influence.”
Wong smiled. “You keep the change.”
“I know you’re just trying to distract me from my question about how you knew what happened—”
“—Oh, another thing before I forget.” He pulled a basket of pastries out from underneath his seat. “The bakery store got raided and I didn’t want the spoils to go to waste. That’s not against the rules, right? We should probably bring some to Ting. She’ll like that.”
Kai looked suspicious, but then took an egg tart.
“How are they?” Wong said. “Hojin and Ting?”
“A little hurt, but they’ll be okay.”
“Good.” He reached into the basket.
Kai devoured the egg pastry. He was hungrier than he realized.
“We know you were there, you know.”
“Where?”
“The warehouse.”
“What warehouse?”
“You know what I’m talking about. You threw the shuriken into Lafay’s back, then you freed Hojin’s butterfly sword from a barrel and rolled it into Raikahn’s leg.”
Wong bit into a taro bun. “This isn’t another one of those weird vision things, is it?”
“Ting used all her sembu bolts. It wasn’t her, so it was you. Who else would have one?”
“You got me.”
“I could have taken Lafay out on my own, you know.”
“You did.”
“I was going to fire a chi burst.”
“That would have been a fine tactic.”
“Why didn’t you show yourself?”
“I wanted to see what you were capable of.
I wanted to know if I could trust you.”
“Why?”
“Because if you can fight the likes of Lafay and Raikahn, I’m going to need you for what comes next.”
By Ino Lee
Chi Warriors
The Mark (Book 1)
Demon Hunters (Book 2)
War (Book 3)
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