by Ino Lee
“What are they doing? Are they insane?”
“It’s his brother, Li. He arrived here just hours ago.”
“His brother? Where did he come from? How did he know we were here?”
“He was originally sent from Shaolin to combat the Koon Gee along the Great Wall, but word of the mark eventually reached him.”
“From Wong’s message in Dailan?”
“Indirectly, yes. So he traveled here, guessing that Wong would pass through Guilin on his way to the temple. It was pure coincidence that you and he arrived on the same day. We are very fortunate to have him.”
“Why? Who is he?”
“He is the Shoukui—the active head of the Shaolin Temple.”
“Wow, I did not know that. So can he remove the mark?”
“No, that can only be done at the temple. And either the temple grandmaster or one of the elder monks will do it. Li is the field general, the strong arm of the temple. He is bearer of the Shaolin Sword.”
Tae wondered about them. “That is some kind of family. I guess it runs in the blood.”
“They trained at the temple together. Li chose to remain and serve at Shaolin, while Wong left long ago. Two very powerful brothers. Different, but the same. Li brings the strength and wisdom of the temple. Wong brings . . . other things.”
Li knocked Wong off his feet, only to be swept off his own a moment later. They were covered in mud, yet sparred on. They fought with blinding speed and sent waves of sludge sailing in every direction.
Tae decided to use the moment to pick Han’s brain.
“Why did Wong leave the temple?”
“I believe he needed to find his own way.”
“He certainly did. He’s not like most Shaolin warriors.”
“Agreed,” Han said, somewhat proudly.
“So what does he do now if he’s no longer part of the temple?”
“What Wong does with his time is beyond me. But he will always be a member of the temple . . . just one that does not stay there or share all of its values.”
“Figures he wouldn’t like it there.”
“It’s not so simple. The grandmaster’s vision weighed heavily on his mind. The burden of it changed him. It was as if he let go of everything. I cannot blame him.”
“Let go of everything? What do you mean? How so?”
“His prophecy—you don’t know?”
Tae looked confused. “I know of the mark and Kai?”
“It does not matter. I do not place my trust in prophecies. They are fickle and only offer one aspect of the truth.”
“Then humor me. What do you mean?”
“Forgive me for mentioning it. Just meaningless dreams of old men.”
“I cannot forget it. I know something is going on. What are you hiding?”
“A sumo hides nothing.”
“Then prove it.”
Han frowned, searching for words. “The prophecy . . . is complicated. It started a long time ago. The Koon Gee prophesied that a boy would be born on the day of the new moon. He would be the key to their destruction.”
“Yes—go on.”
“It was originally thought the prophecy was about Wong, but it turned out it wasn’t. The temple grandmaster foretold another one. He saw in a vision that Wong’s fate was tied to the one who would lead them to the destruction of the Koon Gee, and—”
Han fell silent.
“And what?”
The sumo grimaced.
“I’ve risked my life for this,” Tae added. “I’ve earned the right to hear the truth.”
Awkward silence followed, until he finally sighed and relented.
“Have you noticed that look . . . how at times he withdraws? That look of emptiness?”
“Yes.”
“It’s because he believes the prophecy.”
He turned away from her and fixed his gaze on Wong, out in the field.
“It was foretold Wong’s fate was entwined with Kai’s. He would find Kai and deliver him. And in doing so, he will pay the ultimate price . . . he will die.”
Tae paled.
“That’s a terrible burden,” she whispered.
She watched as the brothers continued to fight. They fought like they were children again, without a care in the world.
“Whoa, more food?” Kai exclaimed.
“That was late lunch, this is dinner,” Han reasoned.
They were seated in the same room where they ate earlier, except this time there was even more food. An additional guest joined them now, as Li took a seat across from his brother. They were clean, having washed up from their spar in the rain.
At first they spoke lightly to get acquainted. Li asked Kai about his village, his parents, and what he knew of Shaolin. He asked Tae how she became involved in their quest and learned of their midnight encounter in the Stone Forest. He also inquired more about Shunnan and the guardians of the Stone Forest.
Before long, Li shifted the conversation back to more pressing matters.
“We can’t stay long. Presently the only place beyond the reach of the Koon Gee is the temple, and that is where Kai must go.”
“Our borders will hold,” Han said boldly.
“Even the mighty borders of Guilin will fail with time.”
Han did not answer.
“With every hour that passes, our quest becomes more difficult. The enemy is reinforcing quickly. I have seen it firsthand. They are drawn by the mark and soon it will be more than Guilin can handle.”
“So then what?” Tae asked.
“We marshal Guilin’s forces and try to break through,” Han said. “Can help come from Shaolin?”
Li shook his head. “The Great Wall is besieged and the Shaolin warriors are in battle afar. Without their aid we will not break through. The Koon Gee have had too much time to dig in and there will be great loss of life. Our strength is lacking.”
There was a brief silence as the party thought solemnly, until Han offered a new idea.
“A dragon. If we could find a dragon to fly Kai to the temple—”
“They are further away than the temple is,” Wong said. “And that’s assuming we could find one willing.”
“You could.”
“The dragons are a bit fickle to rest our hopes on. And at this point, they are still too far.”
Again there was silence.
Li spoke. “I have one other plan to offer. To get out, we can take the path from which I came. The forest was too dangerous to cross, so I circled around through the mountains bordering Guilin. The mountain will shield us from the forces hiding in the forests.”
“The path is difficult. It will be impossible get a force across,” Han said.
“Yes, that is the downside.”
“Then we go it alone. Less messy,” Wong said.
“You always want to go it alone,” Han said.
“True, but in this case the quicker we get to the temple, the better. A large force will be too cumbersome.”
“I do think that evasion is called for, not direct confrontation,” Li said. “But perhaps we can afford some help. There will be Koon Gee waiting for us on the way to the temple. We are not invincible.”
“What waits for us on the other side is not our only worry,” Han said. “The enemy will close in behind us. The path is narrow and treacherous, with cliff walls we must scale across. It would be too easy for the Koon Gee to catch up to us when we are most vulnerable.”
Li spoke as if he had already thought of the scenario. “Then I must ask of Guilin’s forces to barricade the opening to the mountain path. We cannot be caught off guard.”
“The House of Han and its sumos are yours to command, but I cannot speak for the rest of Guilin. I will need to speak to the other households to be sure, but I be
lieve it can be done.”
“Excellent.”
“So it is decided then?” Han said. “We take to the mountain pass?”
“It is our best option,” Li said.
Wong agreed.
Han continued. “Then I should meet with the heads of the houses immediately. They must know our plan. We will need to get our forces in place to secure the passage before the mark can move.”
“How soon can that be?” Li asked.
“I can call an emergency meeting tonight. We can have our forces deployed and dug in, at the earliest, tomorrow afternoon.”
“So we leave then. Early morning. The Koon Gee will not attack in the daylight and your forces will have time to prepare for nightfall. It will give us a good head start.”
Wong and Han nodded.
Li looked over at Tae. “I did not mean to imply that you had to come with us. You should of course return to Shunnan.”
Tae took a moment to consider and then said, “I am a part of this, aren’t I?”
“The path is dangerous,” Han said. “It is no place for a woman—”
“Oh oh,” Wong said.
“—Tread carefully Han!” she shot back.
Wong snickered and then came to her defense. “She’s as good as any of the Shaolin warriors—better. Don’t let her personality fool you—she’s deadly. I would not say so if it wasn’t true.” He made sure they understood with a look and then turned to Tae. “But Li’s right. You are not obligated to come. You have done more than enough. You should go back home to your uncle, or he’ll have my head.”
Although Tae understood she was the outsider of the group, being singled-out made her feel as though she was being attacked. She was determined to be a part of it, especially since finding out about Wong.
“Is Kai not still in danger?” she said. “I choose to stay. I’ll send a letter back to my uncle. He will understand. He probably half expects it.”
“Are you sure?” Wong said.
“I am.”
“Okay then,” he said, knowing that she could not be argued with once she made up her mind. “Welcome to the team.”
“Yes. A noble gesture,” Li added. “We are glad to have you.”
“Yes. Sorry,” Han said.
Tae looked satisfied. “Good. What now?”
They brainstormed a few other scenarios, but always came back to Li’s plan as the best course of action. Once that was settled upon, Li described the passage and the dangers they would face. They briefly went over the particulars of their route to the temple and the barricade the Guilin warriors would need to set up. More detailed planning would happen later that night and over the course of the next day.
Eventually even more food was brought out, causing Wong, Tae, and Li to wince. A heavier course of fried meat and potatoes was set before them. The sight and scent of deep fried pork belly made Tae nauseous. Wong managed to gnaw on a piece, while Kai helped himself to seconds of the fatty meat.
“He really must be the chosen one,” Wong said.
After the meal, Han sent an aide to gather the other heads of Guilin; they would host a meeting that night. Han also thought it would be a good idea if everyone attended the meeting as a show of support. Although he did not anticipate resistance, he felt that having Kai there would induce sympathy, while Li and Wong addressing the crowd added legitimacy to their cause. He had little doubt the other heads of Guilin would comply, but their plan called for quick action and cooperation. Anything he could do to avoid delay was worthwhile.
Wong grumbled about attending as he often refrained from such matters. Li’s presence would be more than enough, he reasoned. His brother was the better politician anyway and he carried the clout of the Shaolin Temple. Han disagreed, however, and convinced him to stand off to the side. His presence was all that was needed since the Weapon Master’s exploits made him somewhat of a legend in the area.
An hour had passed before the heads of the houses of Yan and Ju Lai arrived. They brought with them an assortment of advisors and field commanders. Hot tea was served as they gathered and talked about their recent troubles with the Koon Gee. The mood of the attendees was tense. Worry about the increasing numbers of the enemy was universally shared.
Han finally called for their attention and brought the meeting to order. He explained what was happening by recalling the prophecy of the mark, detailing Kai and his journey, and describing the troubles they would face ahead. When Kai’s story was revealed, the delegation looked at the boy with concern and whispered about him. Midway through the meeting, Li took over and explained his plan to sneak through the mountain pass as well as his need for a blockade. He stressed how they needed to move quickly and warned them that aid from Shaolin would not come in time.
Overall, Han’s plan worked admirably and the houses readily agreed to help. They gathered around more casually now and began to plan out the logistical details for the upcoming days.
Wong excused himself from the meeting, citing Kai’s need for sleep. Tae came along too, following his lead, but when they left the room, he asked her if she could put Kai to bed for him; he was not yet tired and needed to work some things out. She agreed and he wandered off down the hall.
Tae brought Kai to his bed. She talked with him and consoled him to make sure he was okay. He said he missed his family, but did not offer much else, so she sat by his side silently until he finally fell asleep. She lingered for a little while longer. Watching him sleep so innocently reaffirmed her decision to keep on going.
Before long, she decided it was time for her to retire too, but first she wanted to find Wong. She wanted to talk to him about the prophecy of the mark but was not even sure what she could say.
She walked through the halls, past the kitchen, and through the dining areas, until she finally found him standing outside on the same porch where she talked earlier with Han.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like meetings?” she said.
Wong looked up, startled at her voice.
“Oh. My brother and Han can handle it. They don’t need me for that.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“No, not at all.”
She walked over to him and leaned against the railing. The sky had cleared behind the storm that drenched them with rain earlier, revealing a bright moon and sparkling stars. The air was fresh and vibrant. It was as if the rainfall had washed the earth anew.
A cold breeze swept past them, causing Tae to fold her arms for warmth. She thought about how Wong and Li fought in the mud and rain on the field before them. She stood quietly and struggled to find something to say.
Wong finally spoke. “I hope we didn’t make you feel uncomfortable, like you weren’t wanted before.”
She looked at him.
“It’s just that . . . it’s going to be tough,” he said.
“I know. I’m a big girl.”
“But we were bound to this. It’s our duty. You had a life outside of this.”
“As a protector of the Stone Forest. That does not mean my sense of duty ends outside its walls.”
“You’re right. I’d just feel guilty if something happened to you. I stumbled across you and brought you into this and there’s a good chance it does not end well for either of us.”
“We share the same risk.”
“It’s going to get much worse. This is only the beginning. I may not be there for you . . . or Kai.”
Tae understood his concern. “I know. I know all about the prophecy.”
Wong looked at her curiously.
“The whole thing,” she said.
He looked away.
“I know you think you are going to die, but Han does not believe it and frankly, neither do I.”
He remained silent for a while before speaking.
“Han’s got a big mouth.”
>
“Don’t be angry with him. I forced him to tell me. I knew something was wrong. And you should have told me anyway.”
“I’m sorry. I thought you’d go back to Shunnan and that would be the end of it.”
“I’m still here.”
“Yes, you are. I’ve struggled with the prophecy for some time now. It was hard at first, but I’ve finally accepted it. It was the only way I could find peace, as odd as that may sound.”
“That’s terrible. You shouldn’t accept it.”
“It’s hard to believe the words of a sumo and a ninja over the that of an all-knowing Shaolin grandmaster, as much as I’d like to believe it.”
“You can’t let it dictate your life.”
“I don’t think about it that much, actually. Whatever happens will happen. If the prophecies are true and I die, then it will also be true that Kai destroys the Koon Gee. And that is a good thing.”
Tae shook her head. “I hate this entire thing . . . the fact that they are after Kai. Everything.”
“I’m not fond of it either. Death doesn’t suit me well.”
“Stop saying you’ll die. And stop joking about it.”
Wong smiled. “Thank you.”
She did not respond, unhappy with his disposition.
“Promise me one thing,” he said. “That when my time comes you won’t worry about me. You’ll do your best to keep yourself and Kai alive.”
“No.”
“No?”
“That sounds like a death-promise type of thing and I won’t entertain it.”
“I’m serious. Kai is the priority. If my time comes, don’t put yourself at risk. That’s the last thing I would want to happen.”
“Well then don’t die.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
Wong appeared flabbergasted, unsure of what to say next. He turned to her and grinned.
“This is the best conversation I’ve ever had about my death.”
18
IT WAS EARLY morning and the first of the sun’s rays cracked the horizon. There was much activity across the land as troops from the various houses of Guilin raced to and fro. Over the course of the night, the beginnings of a blockade had been formed, protecting the entrance to Li’s narrow mountain path, and even now, the blockade continued to be strengthened as reinforcements from the houses of Yan and Ju Lai arrived.