by Ino Lee
“I hope so.”
“I am glad you are alive. I was not so certain you’d make it.”
“The night isn’t over yet.”
Li smiled. In a more concerned tone, he asked, “Can you tell if he is okay, Kai?”
Wong smiled back. “He’s alive . . . and probably waiting for us.”
“Let’s hurry then.”
33
THE PATH AHEAD was devoid of sound. Wong slowed, suspicious. Something about it worried him, and rightly so, as the outline of a body took shape in the distance.
The brothers readied their weapons and approached carefully. Wong stared intently at the form and sensed something familiar.
He studied it longer. “Han?”
The form did not respond. It remained motionless, eyes lowered to the ground.
The brothers inched closer and tightened their grip on their weapons. Though neither said so aloud, they harbored similar fears. Wong quickened their pace, eager to investigate, but Han’s head shot up in response, revealing pitch black eyes.
The sight of Han possessed by a lo-shur stopped them in their tracks. Its icy stare was barren and devoid of emotion; no sign of Han’s consciousness could be seen in it. The demon recognized the anguish in the brothers’ eyes and grinned wickedly, reveling in the fact that the body it harbored caused them such pain. Wong stepped closer and threatened with his weapon, but did little else.
Without saying a word, Han turned and fled. The brothers gave chase.
They ran down a long corridor.
Wong wondered what they would do when they caught up to him. There was a chance they could knock him out and free him with temple water and Li’s monk skills. And if that didn’t work, they could drag him past the range of the radiance pools, forcing the lo-shur to separate from his body. But even if they could subdue him, would they be able to get him far enough in such hostile territory?
“The path ahead splits,” Li said, interrupting his train of thought.
Wong noted the choice of directions. Fortunately, the sound of Han’s heavy, lumbering footsteps was unmistakable.
“The right one,” he said.
They pursued, but after a short time, Wong slowed to a halt. He stared after Han.
“What’s wrong?” Li said.
“It’s Kai. We’re being led away.”
Li took a moment to understand what that meant for them. His face narrowed with frustration.
“We have to go back the other way,” Wong said.
Li did not move.
“Curse the Koon Gee,” he finally said, glancing down the hallway.
“Han’s lost. We have to give up on him for now. Kai is the priority.”
“Han is not lost.”
“It doesn’t matter. We can’t follow.”
Li closed his eyes for a second and spoke. “I will not let that thing have Han. We will need him before this is over.”
“But what can we do?”
He held up the vial of temple water tied around his neck.
“We have options. I am the Shoukui, after all.”
“I’m not sure even you could bring him back.”
“I will once I find the radiance pool and destroy it.”
“You don’t know where it is. You’re losing focus. Going after Han is something I would say, not you.”
Li took a deep breath. “We have to think about this. I sensed Han’s spirit inside; it has not faded yet. If I can reach him, the demon will be drawn to the pool where its control over Han is strongest.” He looked him in the eye. “I can use him to find the pool and destroy it.”
“Destroying the pool would be key,” Wong admitted. “But it’s too risky. There’s no guarantee we’d find it.”
“We must. Even if we found Kai, I don’t know if we could escape this. Not with the radiance pool and this army. Not with lo-shur zhuks running about. We must change the equation.”
Wong sighed, then nodded. “Okay. I will trust you on this. Follow Han and go for the radiance pool.” He paused. “But I have to find Kai.”
“I know. You’ll get to him faster without me.”
“So we must separate again?”
“As you said, Kai is the priority.”
“How will we find each other again?”
Li grinned. “By following the trail of dead Koon Gee.”
Wong was unsure but then relented. “I wish I had more temple water to give you.”
“One is all I need.”
They looked at each other a final time.
“So this is it then,” Wong said. He reached over and embraced his brother.
“Good luck, Wong. At least this time I’ve gotten a chance to say goodbye before you’ve run off.”
He turned and moved away.
“Be careful,” Wong called out after him. “Facing Han will be tougher than the zhuk.”
Li nodded and then disappeared down the hallway.
34
LI CRAWLED AROUND a corner with his back pressed up against the wall. He held his sword in check, ready to unleash it at a moment’s notice. The footsteps he once heard so clearly had now gone silent. In fact, all sounds had diminished, even that of the Koon Gee in the distance. Since he was sure Han could not have escaped him, he was left with one logical conclusion: Han had stopped moving. He carefully stepped through doorways and around each corner, careful not to get his head bashed in by his war mace. Whether he was hunting Han or Han was hunting him, he could no longer tell. And then it occurred to him—if he could no longer tell, then he must be the hunted. He shook his head at the thought.
He moved around another passage and peered ahead. Licks of fire from a wall lantern revealed an unwavering silhouette. Li realized his caution thus far had been unwarranted, for Han plainly stood in the middle of the hallway and out in the open, much as he had at their first encounter.
Li slowly approached, dropping his sword slightly. He would not be intimidated by the image of a friend, corrupted as it was.
Han examined Li, and then gazed beyond him, looking for signs of Wong.
“I am enough for you, demon,” Li exclaimed.
The demon shifted his eyes back to the Shoukui.
“Look no further than this sword for your destruction,” Li said. He lifted his sword and pointed it, his demeanor becoming increasingly aggressive.
Still Han was not impressed.
“Feeble man,” he said while looking down at his hands. “From this vessel I draw great power. You cannot move me.”
“You will leave that body.”
Han laughed. “Second-rate brother. Fraud of the temple. Your idle threats can do nothing!”
Li’s eyes flamed white and a ball of searing light burst above Han’s head.
“Release him!” he commanded.
Han instantly backed away and shielded his eyes. He stumbled back to his knees.
The Shoukui advanced a step. “I can sense Han’s true spirit, creature. I can reach him.”
The demon charged and flailed wildly with his mace. Li stepped back to avoid the attacks while keeping his hand out in front of him; he focused his energy on Han and concentrated on reaching his spirit.
After dodging a two-handed strike, Li ripped the vial of temple water from his neck and threw it, slicing it in half midair to release its liquid. The water hit the possessed sumo’s face and instantly burst into a fine mist. Black wisps of smoke tore from his body like tentacles from an octopus and the demon struggled for control.
Han screamed. For a brief moment, the clear of his eyes could be seen. They locked on Li’s in a moment of clarity.
“Li,” he whispered.
Li’s spirits piqued with hope. Han was free.
“Run,” Han said before the blackness returned.
The demon
slammed his war mace into the wall, rattling it and causing part of the ceiling to buckle. Debris rained down upon them and obscured their view. Han utilized the distraction to turn and run, leaving Li alone in a cloud of dust.
Li hesitated for a moment before pursuing. Catching up to Han now would be useless. If the temple water did not release him, there was nothing more he could do except to destroy the radiance pool. Fortunately, he suspected the demon was headed there to strengthen its control over Han. It had almost lost control of his body and did not know he was out of temple water.
He followed quietly at a distance. Though the demon would not bring him within plain sight of the pool where it could be destroyed, it would probably hover within proximity while trying to kill him. His counter-strategy was simple: battle the demon long enough to determine where the pool was. He would keep moving while trying to sense Han’s spirit. The closer they got to the pool, the weaker his spirit would be. The further they were, the stronger his spirit would be. Given enough time, he would be able to zero-in on the pool’s location. Hopefully. The trick was to stay alive doing it.
Han ran down a series of corridors. Their path was relatively straightforward as Han made few deviations from their general direction. Li guessed the demon was taking the quickest path to the pool. If this was true, then it was a mistake, for he could then more easily extrapolate its location. He made a mental note of where they were and the direction they were going, trying to plot out a course in his mind.
He shifted his attention back to the chase. Han’s footsteps were now much further away then he had expected. Was it possible that the lo-shur made him so much faster than before that even he had difficulty keeping up? How would they match up in battle? When the two sparred in days past, his quickness and skill had always been able to overcome the sumo’s strength, but now he was not so sure.
Soon Han’s footsteps pulled away until they could no longer be heard, which startled Li even more. Han couldn’t possibly be this fast. He lowered his head and dug into the ground, pushing his speed to the limit. The thought suddenly crossed his mind that Han might not actually be running.
Sensing movement, he slid to the ground. A whiff of air brushed past his face as a war mace passed inches above. The weapon slammed into the cavern wall, shattering a chunk of it to pieces. Han followed up and continued swinging, trying to hit Li before he could regain his balance, but Li managed to roll away from every strike before springing to his feet again.
Still Han came at him with a barrage of attacks. The Shoukui backed away to avoid the swings, unsure if he was strong enough to block them. He made a couple of offensive slashes to change the pace, deciding he could not remain passive forever, but they were largely ineffective.
The two withdrew and separated, attempting to refocus.
Li used the pause in action to lower his sword and reach out with a hand. His eyes grew bright again with chi energy.
“Release him,” he commanded.
Han charged, screaming wildly. Li jumped back and backpedaled with his hand still outstretched; little of Han’s true spirit could be sensed. The sumo gained on him quickly so he swerved to the side to avoid his murderous swings. He ducked and rolled past him, turning forward so he could run with greater speed. The demon’s control had strengthened just as he had suspected, so instead of fighting, he continued down the hall with hopes of finding the radiance pool.
Li ran blindly; the tattered tunnel walls pointed him into the unknown. Earth and rock was precariously held back and looked like they could collapse at any point. The path was straightforward—there were no twists or turns, adjacent corridors, or decisions of any kind to make. He just followed the path he was given, knowing that it led him closer to the radiance pool.
From time to time he glanced back at Han who seemed to have little trouble keeping up. He was fast, but at least he wasn’t able to catch up completely. He picked up his pace to test his limits and slowly began to pull away. Using his chi powers, he snuffed out the wall lanterns as he passed them, hoping the darkness would slow Han down; in reality, he was unsure if one possessed by a lo-shur actually needed the light at all.
A sizable distance grew between them.
The path ahead split in two. Which one would lead him to the radiance pool? He hesitated for a moment, knowing the decision was a crucial one, when it occurred to him—why not let Han make the decision?
He silently ducked into the passage on the right and ran until he reached a safe distance. Han could be heard trailing behind, but was far enough back that he could not have known which path he had taken. Li reasoned that when Han arrived at the intersection, he would instinctively head in the direction of the radiance pool to protect it before it could be destroyed. So he would wait. And if Han came down the path that he was on, then he was headed in the right direction and he would continue running. If Han chose the other path, he would reverse course and follow.
Han’s footsteps finally placed him within reach.
They were loud and heavy at first, but grew lighter as he slowed to a stop. He paused at the intersection. Li held his breath. It was not long before Han’s footsteps could be heard moving again, but this time fading in the opposite direction.
Li’s face brightened. The scenario played out exactly as he had hoped. He would now be able to trail the sumo toward the radiance pool. He waited for a few more moments, gathered himself, and then slowly started off after him.
35
WONG COULD TELL he was getting close. The endless chatter of the Koon Gee could be heard all around him. They were roaming these halls in greater concentration than the ones before and it made him certain that Kai was near. He took mental stock of their numbers and estimated how many he would have to go through to reach the boy.
Looking around at the tunnel walls, he longed for the freedom of the forest, feeling closed-in and claustrophobic. With limited room to move, he would have to face more of his enemies head-on. It would be best to avoid confrontation in the first place.
Footsteps crossed the corridor ahead. Wong crouched silently and touched the earth, feeling for vibrations. He counted three, maybe four ninjas. They came and went, unaware of his presence. He found the speed at which they moved noteworthy: they were traveling too fast to be carefully hunting for him and were instead doing regular sweeps of the tunnels. No doubt they were trying to cover as much ground as possible. By moving so quickly, however, he could sense them coming from afar, which gave him more time to avoid them. Of course when looking around at the empty halls, one could not help notice there was no place to hide.
After the ninjas passed, Wong moved quickly again. There was no telling when he would come across another scouting party. It was only after another hundred feet, however, that heavy activity forced him to backtrack and sidestep into another tunnel. He paused and waited for the danger to pass before continuing again.
This happened several more times with increasing frustration—for every two steps forward, he was forced one back. Perhaps there was a regular pattern to their movements he could detect if given enough time, but time was not something he had in abundance.
He made up his mind and ran. Being chased back and forth through the tunnels was too slow and tedious. The thought of Kai alone with the lo-shur troubled him and spurred him on, especially now that he was so close. All caution soon fell away and he moved like a blur through the hallways, his senses completely locked in on the mark. The shackles of stealth had been cast aside—he moved without restraint and it felt liberating. If his enemies sensed his movement, then he would already be gone by the time they realized he was there.
What he did not account for were enemies that lay directly in his path. He abruptly came behind three ninjas. Though they were on patrol, they seemed unaware of his presence. He had to take them out before they could alert the others, which meant swift and efficient killing.
Pulling within s
triking distance, his Dragon Arm flashed and circled in the air, striking the heads of two ninjas in the rear. The third ninja turned around, sensing danger, but not in time to prevent the staff’s blade from piercing its throat; Wong purposely aimed it there to prevent the ninja from calling for help. The fight lasted seconds and barely impeded his progress, leaving him to wonder why he had not run with such abandon sooner.
He continued on.
Whatever positive feelings were generated by his last encounter quickly drained at the sight ahead. Soldiers brimmed wall to wall. This time, he would not catch them off guard. They were well aware of his presence and faced him with their weapons drawn.
Wong stopped and surveyed the area. His eyes jumped around—first at the soldiers, their numbers, and the weapons they carried; and then to the tunnel walls that enclosed them. There was no way to avoid them. There were only two directions: back down the hall and away from Kai, or forward and through the mass of warriors that sought to destroy him.
Wong made up his mind. He would not go back.
He reached into his pockets and dug deep. His hand flashed above his head and down again as ninja pellets cracked against the earth and exploded around him. A gray plume of smoke erupted, filling the hallway and wafting down the corridor.
And then Wong was gone.
The ninjas charged through the cloud. They fumbled as a bumbling mass, unable to see clearly through the haze. By the time they emerged from the smoke, Wong had completely disappeared. They continued through the hallways in a frenzied search, reasoning that he could not have gone far.
A brief moment passed and all was calm again.
Quietly, Wong dropped from the ceiling. Instead of retreating behind the cloud of smoke as one would expect, he leapt toward the ceiling and dug his staff blade deep into the wall. There, he hung undetected as the blinded ninjas passed by below.
He looked down the hallway after the ninjas, amused by his deception. It would not take long before they realized his trick and doubled back. Hopefully by then, he would have already found Kai.