Dragon Kings of the Orient (The Myth Hunter Book 2)

by Percival Constantine

  Elisa quickly revised her thoughts about the throw being lucky. The wound seemed to enrage the dragon more than it seemed to incapacitate it. The shrieking serpent came at her, his powerful jaws about to tear through her soft flesh. In the nick of time, Shroud drew the dragon’s attention with several shots. These shots confirmed Elisa's theory about the thick armor of the dragon because the nine millimeter rounds ricocheted away, leaving nary a scratch. The bullets didn't seem to harm the creature, but they sure did annoy him. He spewed off another burst of flames and Elisa jumped from the dais upon which she stood, plowing into Shroud, and taking him down behind a pile of gold coins. The flame was so intense to seem unbearable, and the shirt upon her back began to smoke as it neared the combustion point. Molten gold ran in rivulets down the pile, and then just as Elisa was about to abandon all hope of avoiding complete and utter incineration the flaming breath of the dragon ceased.

  To unleash such a wave of flame from the fiery bellows of its lungs required great concentration. Asami took advantage of this and, in her transformed fox state, jumped on the dragon’s back, her claws digging into the seams between his callous scales, searching for the protected flesh beneath. Her jaws clamped onto him and the dragon roared in anger. He swung from side to side, slamming into the wall with a loud crash in the hopes of persuading the fox spirit to release her grip of fangs and claws. The dragon thrashed with such force that Asami was thrown free, prying a scale from the beast's neck—which she still held clamped between her jaws.

  Apparently, losing this scale caused the dragon some pain, for he bellowed out in anguish, casting his burning yellow gaze about for a target upon which to vent his spleen.

  She landed hard, and Max went to Asami's aid, checking to see if she still lived. Already the Monkey King had severely injured her, and Max wasn't sure how much more brutality she could take, even in her vulpine form. The orbs connected to her life force still had a pulsating, but weaker glow than he had seen prior to her fight with the Monkey King. What happened to his control over Sun Wukong, Max wondered, if he was knocked unconscious or was killed. Would the Monkey King be released from his control? The dragon roared and fear paralyzed Max. All he could do was stare at the dragon through the lenses of his glasses. He had the gun in hand but his body wasn’t responding to his mind’s commands.

  Someone with a tail jumped on the dragon’s back, driving a powerful gold staff into his head with a powerful stroke. The Monkey King flipped off the dragon’s back and landed between him and Max. Sun thrust forward with his staff, which mystically extended, and the dragon backed off to avoid the strike.

  Then with a great beating of his wings that sent coins and gems tumbling across the flagstones, the dragon lunged towards the Monkey King. Sun fell on his back, thrusting his staff between the gaping jaws of the dragon, so that the teeth couldn't come together and make mincemeat of him. The Monkey King twisted the staff to the side, forcing the dragon to move with it. Sun Wukong cartwheeled with his staff still between the dragon’s jaws, and so great was the strength of his grip that he caused the dragon to flip with him. One of the dragon's wings snapped, and the beast was beaten and pummeled by the time that Sun finished his cartwheels and slammed the dragon against the ground.

  The dragon was disoriented by his unexpected acrobats, but a twenty-foot-long lizard that breathes fire is dangerous even when disoriented. He instinctually swatted Sun Wukong away with a massive talon, slamming Wukong against a pillar that cracked. Rubble began to pelt the head of the Monkey King as the stunned simian god attempted to hoist himself back to his feet.

  The red dragon had exhausted much of the hellfire that excreted in the furnaces of his lungs, but those heaving lungs began to gather enough of the liquid flame for one last blast that would incinerate the intruders who had violated the sanctum of the Dragon Kings.

  Elisa could see what was coming, and without hesitation she drew a pair of Chinese jian swords from the hands of a massive statue. She whistled loudly, drawing the dragon’s attention her way. He directed his maw, still jammed wide-open by the staff, toward Elisa and spat out the last of his flame.

  The myth hunter was prepared for this and ducked behind the statue, using its impressive girth to shield her from the firestorm, that charred away layers of the statue, and turned its face to crumbling ash, so hot was the hurricane of flame.

  The moment the onslaught of incineration ceased, Elisa left her cover and sprinted toward the gasping, wheezing dragon who had spent much of its vital energies in this one last effort to burn the intruders out of the temple he guarded. The Ruyi Jingu Bang was still propped beneath the dragon's jaws, miraculously unharmed by the stream of flame that had passed by it. Elisa jumped toward the dragon and drove both swords into his chest. The angle of her thrusts was not so amenable as her earlier throw, and the heavy scales deflected the points of both sword blades. Elisa rolled away from the enraged dragon before he could exact revenge on her. The Monkey King came to her side, empty-handed.

  “How are we going to stop this thing?” she asked. “Especially not that you've lost your staff?”

  “That's all part of my clever plan,” boasted the Monkey King. “You and your friends stand clear. Get ‘em outta this place.”

  “You mean leave you behind?” asked Elisa.

  Sun Wukong glared at her. “Look, this headband Max put on me means I’m stuck with you. I’ll distract the dragon, you guys run like the puny mortals you are. Wait for me on the surface.”

  “Fine,” said Elisa, who was in no mood to argue with the petulant simian-man. “But remember that I'm the one that kept you from getting fried alive. That dragon had you dead to rights!”

  “Appearances can be deceiving,” said Sun Wukong as he approached the dragon. “Come on, you overgrown gecko. Why don't you give me back that toothpick you've got jammed between your teeth?”

  As the Monkey King taunted the dragon, Elisa collected Shroud and Max. Asami was still stunned but capable of staggering along with a bit of help.

  “Wukong's distracting the dragon, giving us a chance to escape.”

  “The hell he is, he’s going to give himself a chance to escape!” said Asami.

  “Look at you. We don’t really have a choice. Are you going to follow my lead or what?” asked Elisa.

  Asami didn’t respond directly to the question, instead she just stumbled towards the exit. “Oh follow me.”

  While the quartet escaped, Sun continued to distract the dragon with various acrobatics. He back-flipped several times, putting some distance between himself and the razor-finned tail and claws. Once he was on his feet again, he reached out toward the Ruyi Jingu Bang, caught between the dragon's teeth. The dragon was trying to push it out with his forked tongue, bending it nearly in half, but the staff appeared to be nearly indestructible and did not break.

  The Monkey King concentrated and as before, the temperature began to drop. But this time, it dropped far more drastically than the last, ice frosting the gold and silver coin that littered the floor. The Monkey King’s eyes continued to burn as the temperature dropped more and more. And though he did not touch the staff a wave of energy came forth from Ruyi Jingu Bang and the dragon was flash-frozen in an instant.

  Sun Wukong jumped towards the chilled dragon and pried out his staff, causing the dragon to shatter into millions of fragments.

  CHAPTER 12

  Once they reached the surface, Shroud used the satellite phone to radio their location to the helicopter pilot. Asami had said nothing further since they left the underground treasure chamber. She just stood in the distance, watching the sunset. That left Elisa and Max sitting together as they waited for some word from Sun Wukong.

  “Think I did the right thing?” she asked.

  “You stabbed that dragon with two swords and the points just ricocheted off. If anyone could defeat that thing, it’s Wukong.”

  “Assuming he wasn’t killed himself,” said Elisa. “In which case, we’re going to have one
pissed off dragon coming after us, very soon.”

  “Maybe the dragon was just protecting that chamber: threat’s gone, no need for vengeance,” said Max.

  “Hopefully that’s the case, but I dunno. The Dragon Kings and their minions aren't exactly known for their forgiving temperament.”

  “It may be a moot point,” said Max. “Wukong will take care of him.”

  “You've got control over him with that headband,” said Elisa. “Can you tell if he's still alive...or read his thoughts?”

  Max shook his head. “It doesn't seem to work like that.”

  “That dragon was pretty strong. I hope Sun can defeat him.”

  “Isn’t that sweet?”

  Elisa and Max turned towards the entrance. Asami and Shroud also directed their attention as well, hearing the new voice. The Monkey King stood at the entrance to the chamber with a wide grin on his face, dust and smoke rolled out of the open cavern mouth behind him. He strolled over to Elisa and Max as if taking a Sunday jaunt.

  “I didn’t know you cared,” said the Monkey King.

  “I don’t, but you might be able to help us figure out what’s going on,” said Elisa.

  “Well, I can tell you one thing,” said Sun. “That wasn’t any ordinary dragon—it was Ao Qin.”

  Max slowly stood up. “…one of the Dragon Kings?”

  Sun nodded. Max turned to Elisa. “This is bad. They came after us directly. They didn’t even know we came to an arrangement with Wukong.”

  “Why would they be after us?” asked Elisa. “Any idea?”

  “They must think of you as a threat to their plans. Maybe you were just a means to an end for them, a way to get rid of me, so they wouldn’t have to do it directly.”

  “Why not just do it themselves?” asked Elisa.

  “Like I told you, they’re planning something. What it is, I’ve got no idea. But you can bet it’s bad,” said Sun.

  Shroud approached the trio. “I’ve given the pilot our coordinates. He’ll be here shortly. Now did I hear all that correctly? Wukong’s now killed two Dragon Kings?”

  “Halfway there,” said Sun. “Just two more to go.”

  “No,” said Elisa. “We are not gonna help you kill them—not unless I’m convinced they pose some kind of threat to the rest of us.”

  Sun rolled his eyes. “Don’t be an idiot. They’ve tried to kill you now.”

  “So did you,” said Elisa.

  “I wasn’t trying.”

  “You almost did. I had to go through a lot to save Asami’s life,” said Elisa.

  Sun sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? And now, you’ve evened the score. I’m at your mercy, because of this stupid headband, and it looks like we’re on the same side, anyhow. The Dragon Kings are planning something diabolical. We don't need to know what it is, we just need to kill them all.”

  “Ao Jun claimed that if all four Dragon Kings were killed, the oceans of Asia would fall into chaos and the entire continent could be swallowed by the sea,” said Max.

  Sun Wukong first snickered at this assertion. His snicker quickly grew into a full-fledged laugh that dropped him rolling to the ground in paroxysms of uncontrollable humor. Elisa, Shroud and Max exchanged glances of confusion and could do nothing but wait until the Monkey King finally regained control over himself.

  “Seriously? He said that?” Sun wiped a tear from his face. “And you bought it? It’s a wonder you mortals have lasted this long if you’re really that stupid.”

  Elisa folded her arms across her chest in annoyance. “Just get to the point.”

  “The Dragon Kings can control the tides, but they aren’t tied to them. If they die, the tides just won’t have anyone to control them—their control will be determined naturally—by gravitational forces and pulls.”

  “So the increased roughness of the waters…” began Shroud.

  “…is just a result of the remaining Kings manipulating the tides to make it seem like this is my fault,” said Sun. “Hey look, I may not be playing with a full deck, but I’m not a monster. I was a hero, remember? I’m trying to get back at them for trapping me in that monkey’s body.”

  “They claimed you tried to overthrow the Jade Emperor,” said Elisa.

  “Bull,” said Sun. “I don’t wanna be emperor. I was happy being a Buddha. That’s all I want again—I want what’s mine.”

  “Just a Buddha,” commented Elisa. “Not asking for much, are you?”

  “Not like I didn’t earn it.”

  “You also said you don’t clearly remember, though,” said Max. “I’m not completely convinced you’re being straight with us.”

  “Then get convinced,” said Sun. “‘Cause as long as this headband’s on my noggin, you’re stuck with me. You know, you could always pry this sucker off my head. I'd be happy to go on my own merry way...”

  ***

  They returned to Hong Kong, rather than going back to Asami’s penthouse, because Shroud offered to bring them to a Masonic library located in the city. The trip, like the journey from Tian Shan, was a silent one. No one seemed willing to speak up and everyone was uncomfortable with Sun Wukong’s presence.

  Asami remained especially distant. She said nothing and wouldn’t even look at Shroud, Max, or even Elisa. Once they were at the library she retreated to the roof and sat perched on the cankered copper shingles looking out over the ocean.

  After searching vast library, Elisa finally found her missing companion when she felt a cool breeze and noticed a window ajar. She carefully eased herself onto the steep slope of overlapping copper shingles that had been turned green by oxidation, and crept alongside of Asami.

  “We could use your help with research,” said Elisa after enjoying the view of the unceasing waves, and the sunlight that scintillated like diamonds from the bay. “You know more about this than we do. And you worked for the Dragon Kings. We need your insight.”

  “I worked for Ao Jun, not the others,” said Asami. “I don’t know how they think and I don’t know how to find them. You’ve got your new expert, you’ve got Shroud’s resources, what do you need me for?”

  Elisa sat next to her on the roof. “I thought we were bound together?”

  “We are. Doesn’t mean I’m about to overlook the fact that you’re working alongside a guy who almost killed me. And another guy who threatened to.”

  “How's your leg doing?”

  “Healing quick,” said Asami. “That's the advantage of being a yokai. It takes a lot to put one of us down.”

  “Look, Asami. We really don’t have time for any sort of grudges. You've got a good reason to dislike Wukong, I get that. I don't like working with him either, but if you’re with us, I need you to put in the same effort as everyone else. Can’t have you sitting around moping because you don’t like the choices I’ve made.”

  “Then to hell with you.” Asami jumped from the roof, transforming in mid-air.

  “Asami, wait!”

  Once Asami struck the ground in her vulpine form, she began running down the street. She darted into the alleys and it didn’t take long before Elisa lost all sight of her friend. Elisa sighed and returned to the library through the still open window.

  As she wandered the halls, some of the Masons passed her, shooting her dirty looks. The Freemasons were a secretive organization dating back thousands of years. For an outsider to be allowed such unfettered access to their library was unthinkable. Still, Shroud was in control here and his word was law.

  It didn’t prevent Elisa from feeling a bit unsettled by the unwelcome wagon, though. And Shroud’s orders or not, it wouldn’t surprise her in the least if a zealous Mason tried to take her head off in some deserted book aisle, in order to protect their secrets. So she remained on guard, even walking with the kukri still on her person—which no doubt only served to heighten the tensions of her reluctant hosts even more.

  She reached the main library where the others were waiting. Sun Wukong was busy practicing with his staff,
relishing the feel of the Ruyi Jingu Bang in his hands after centuries of being apart. Max and Shroud sat at tables piled high with musty tomes, searching through ancient volumes of text.

  “Where’s Asami?” asked Max without looking up from his book.

  “She ran off. She’s pretty upset that we’re working with Sun against the Dragon Kings.”

  Shroud snapped to attention, the concern evident on his face. “How upset?”

  Elisa shrugged.

  “This is bad,” said Shroud. “What if she notifies them?”

  “I trust her,” said Elisa.

  Shroud and Max exchanged glances and returned to their books. It didn’t escape Elisa’s notice. “What was that?”

  “What was what?” asked Max.

  “That look. You think Asami’s gone to the other side,” said Elisa.

  Max removed his glasses with a sigh. “I don’t know, but I’m suspicious of her. Regardless, I don’t think it’s a good idea to count on her in this situation.”

  “I’m not,” said Elisa.

  “We can’t worry about her now, anyway. We’ve got bigger concerns,” said Max.

  “You find something?” she asked.