by A. H. Shinn
The threat didn’t seem to afflict Tsering. “Take them to the arena,” she said with indifference and walked away.
With swords shoving them along, Kellie, Master Chen, Jake, and Jory marched to the dreaded cement floor. No one said a word. No one needed to.
Kellie hoped something would pop into her brain to get them out of this mess. Begging these women to release Master Chen and the boys wouldn’t stir an emotion out of their cold hearts. Bribery? Doubtful. Unfortunately, there was only one thing they wanted. And she couldn’t give it to them.
Kellie’s heart sank when the training arena came into view. Every nun in the monastery was waiting. As they got closer, Kellie saw something that was wheeled to the center. It was the archer’s target practice wall. But instead of targets hanging from it, two ropes were nailed in as if for shackles.
Tears moistened her eyes and she blinked them dry before anyone could see them. She couldn’t bear being unable to stop Tashi from hurting her friends.
Jake and Jory were dragged across the hard floor.
“Stop!” Kellie cried and tried to follow, but she was thwarted by sharp blades. She watched as her friends were led to the other side of the arena. Confused, she turned her head to look at Master Chen, but he was already being coerced toward the wooden wall.
The nuns were obviously aware of his superb skills and were cautiously steering him. Their arms held the sharp steel blades of the swords far away from their bodies to distance themselves from the monk.
The expression on his face was calm, and he willingly obeyed their instructions. A nun carefully put down her sword and reached for one of his wrists. The others drew their weapons closer to him as a warning. He allowed the woman to tie both hands. His arms were outstretched, turning his body into a bull’s-eye.
“Go!” commanded Tsering, seeming more impatient and irritated than ever.
Kellie stumbled toward Master Chen, asking him desperately with her eyes what she should do. Her palms were wet, she could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and she wanted to vomit.
Master Chen gave her a smile and shook his head.
What was he trying to say? Was he telling her not to stop the arrow from hitting him? In her heart, she knew the answer. He did not want her to expose her gift to these people. He would be impaled by an arrow in order to protect her.
She needed to find her energy and prevent Master Chen from being harmed.
“Wait!” she shouted, putting up her hands as the archer picked up her bow. “I need a minute.”
She closed her eyes before Tsering objected, and she took a few deep, calming breaths.
“No, Kellie,” she heard Master Chen murmur.
She continued her breathing as she ignored him.
Desta said my fear was suppressing my chi. I just need to stop being afraid. But she had never been more afraid. Stop it. Stop being afraid. Stop being afraid! Kellie hoped by saying it enough times, she would start believing it.
Remembering Mulin’s suggestion for using personal pain to muster up her chi, she relived the moment when she’d learned about Shifu Lau’s death. Her soul ached immediately. She opened her eyes, looked out into the trees, and threw out a shaky hand.
It looked like the branches waved, but the other trees around it waved as well. It was the wind. She tried again, and then Tsering shouted, “Enough!”
Tsering turned to the archer. “Ready,” she ordered.
Tashi lifted her bow and pulled back the arrow.
Kellie threw her palms repeatedly at Tashi, but nothing happened. She couldn’t even make her teeter. Her heart raced faster as she eyed the nun’s fingers holding back the bowstring.
If she couldn’t stop the arrow with her energy, she was going to stop it another way. Kellie sprinted in front of Master Chen to block the path between him and the toxophilite. Master Chen screamed, “NO!” as Tashi let go of the arrow.
Shouts of her name echoed as she spread out her arms and created a shield with her body.
Standing frozen in front of Master Chen, she heard a clank. She felt nothing. Perhaps her body was in shock and temporarily numb. With her arms still outstretched, she peered down. There was no blood or arrow sticking out. She shot her gaze back at Master Chen, afraid she hadn’t covered him in time. He appeared unharmed and was staring at the ground in front of her. A second arrow was several yards away. It appeared that it had intercepted the one aimed at Master Chen.
Figures began to emerge from every concealed area surrounding the arena. They jumped from trees and bulleted from behind the buildings.
Bald men hollered a battle cry as they rushed the Druk nuns. Kellie’s jaw dropped, and a lump formed in her dry throat. It was the Taiping monks! They’d come to rescue them!
Master Chen’s saying about hope being behind her had meaning now. Even if it wasn’t in front of her where she could see it, it was still there.
Kellie jumped toward Master Chen and untied him. “Did you know they were coming?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Was my plan, but thought they would come sooner…”
They stood side by side, unneeded in battle, watching men fight women. Their skills seemed evenly matched. Kellie noticed a discrepancy, though. She knew there were more Druk nuns than Taiping monks, but one male sparred against every female. That’s when she distinguished two different sets of colored robes blurred in the chaos. Kellie recognized the red-and-gold garments. They were the Gatokto monks, the ones who gave free rides from the mountain.
Without the clothes representing each monastery, Kellie wouldn’t have been able to differentiate one bald head from the other. She wondered if she and Master Chen should help, but all of the nuns were being dealt with.
Jake and Jory were now at Kellie’s side, watching what looked like a kung fu tournament. She heard Jake making a wager with Jory as to who would win.
Kellie wasn’t afraid anymore. Her heart warmed to see that her family had come all the way to Bhutan to save them. Her fingers and toes tingled with joy.
“Shifu Su,” mumbled Kellie as he came into view, exchanging punches with one of the nuns.
Lin was sparring with a monk behind Shifu Su. Her back was toward him. She looked over her shoulder and blasted Shifu Su with a rear kick.
He flung forward and fell to his knees. Kellie clenched her fists and charged Lin. Kellie must have had a menacing growl on her face because, for the first time, Lin stared at her with a glimmer of fear.
Shifu Su got up and shook off the blow. He returned to the brawl, exchanging punches with another. He wasn’t hurt, thankfully.
When Kellie was face-to-face with Lin, she skidded to a stop. It wasn’t like Kellie to be the aggressor and she refrained from attacking out of anger.
“Let’s end this, Lin,” Kellie said as she waved her hand to the mayhem. “If we stop fighting, maybe everyone else will stop, too. Or this will go on forever because the Taiping monks aren’t going to leave without me.”
Lin’s eyes narrowed. “We do not give up or give in. We have been waiting for centuries for our advancement, and it is time.”
Kellie sighed. Lin was the wrong person to be negotiating with, and Kellie should have attempted to form a truce with someone else.
“You will stay here,” Lin said and gripped Kellie’s shoulder.
Kellie threw off the nun’s hand. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Lin snorted and proceeded with a series of kicks.
Kellie evaded Lin’s attacks without much effort by stepping or twisting out of the way. The more Lin missed, the harder she fought. She looked like she was quickly losing energy and she began huffing and puffing. She had such strain on her face, but she kept going.
As Lin wiped the sweat that was dripping down her eyes, Shifu Han, a very big Taiping monk, came crashing toward her. Kellie grabbed her arm and pulled
her out of the way.
Lin stared at the heavy monk who was sprawled on the ground, and then at Kellie. Then a nun and a Gatokto monk trading punches got between Kellie and Lin. As Kellie stepped away, she saw Lin’s expression soften.
Kellie began to feel sorry for her and the rest of the nuns. They didn’t have the camaraderie the Taiping monks had. The monks were true brothers and family to one another. The nuns called each other sisters, but there was little fellowship among them.
Perhaps Lin had never received compassion from her sisters. She certainly didn’t receive any mercy from the much larger nun who had given her a beating.
Then Kellie was spun around in the madness and bumped into two nuns. The women were tall and muscular, and they eyed Kellie with eagerness. They were two of the last four who had been waiting for Tsering’s command to spar with Kellie the other day, but didn’t get their turn. They were going to get their turn now, and they looked at Kellie with intent.
Kellie didn’t fear them, though, and no longer hated the Druk nuns. They were human beings who had chosen the wrong path. Kellie didn’t want to fight them, but had to at least protect herself.
She stepped away from a front snap kick followed by a rear kick from one, and flicked away the chops from the other. When the two challengers moved in from opposite directions at the same time, Kellie ducked low and threw two heel palms at their midsections.
The nuns were thrust back several yards. Kellie had barely touched them. She stood up tall, feeling warm and vigorous. Her body felt light, yet sturdy. Her skin tingled, and energy surged through her spine.
It was the Emotive Chi. Desta was right. It hadn’t left her. Being surrounded by the Taiping monks, the people she loved the most, had helped remove her fear. She had felt alone at this monastery, but realized she never was. She had people who cared for her unconditionally—deep love from her family and friends. They had always believed in her, so she would have to believe in herself and learn to control the Emotive Chi.
Her senses jumped into hypermode; she could hear the drumming of rapid heartbeats and smell the saltiness of sweat. She was attempting to control her hearing, vision, and sense of smell by breathing slowly in and out when she heard Jake yell, “Watch out!”
A nun spinning in midair had her kick aimed for Jory’s head. His back was toward the attacker in flight as he wrestled another. He turned his head, which made his face the new target. Kellie sucked in air and let out her breath as she threw out her hands. The nun floated away from Jory as if a gush of wind had blown her over. She landed hard on the cement with a confused expression.
Kellie looked around nervously, hoping no one saw. Luckily, everyone was too preoccupied in their own clashes.
When was this going to end? One side had to concede, but she didn’t expect either group to be the first to volunteer. The nuns had too much pride, and the monks believed in fighting for justice.
The intensity was only increasing. Hundreds of bodies were on the square floor, which had now become cramped. People thumped on one another as they bumped into one another. Even the wooden wall Master Chen was tied to wasn’t left out of the brawl. It was taking a beating on both sides as fighters rammed into it.
Her fake mother, Kabita, came into view as she sparred with Shifu Wong. He had her cornered against the wall and aimed a punch at her nose. She swayed her head to the right and his hand hit the wood. The monk yelped as he tried to shake the pain out of his knuckles.
Kabita saw Kellie watching and smirked at her. Unfortunately for the nun, her victory was short-lived. A sister of hers flew into her side, and Kabita tumbled to the ground. As Kabita got up, she buckled and grabbed her ankle. She grimaced as she leaned on the wooden wall for support.
People were beginning to get hurt. This had to stop. Before Kellie could take a step, the thick wall began to teeter. The combat on the other side was pushing it over.
“Get out of the way!” yelled Kellie.
Everyone except Kabita scrambled away from the swaying wall. She hobbled slowly. Her injured ankle couldn’t hold up her weight, and she fell to her knees. A few of her sisters rushed to help her, but they couldn’t move fast enough. The wall fell.
Kellie thrust out her hand. The wall hovered over Kabita. It was a strange feeling Kellie was having as she was frozen in place. There wasn’t that surge of energy she had felt coming out of her when she had blasted Hagos into the trees. Instead, she felt calm and steady—as if she was controlling her chi.
Then ten monks jumped underneath the wall and held it up with their backs—Kellie lowered her hand. Two nuns pulled Kabita out as silence waved through the entire training ground.
Together, monks and nuns lifted the thick, heavy wood as the monks under it slipped out. Once it was safely placed down, the silence was replaced with cheers and claps.
Kellie exhaled in relief. It was over.
A nun stood slightly away from the madness, staring at Kellie in astonishment. It was Choden, and she didn’t break her gaze when Kellie caught her gawping.
Had Choden seen what Kellie had done? How long had she been watching her?
The unyielding bhikkhunı− may have finally gotten what she had been impatiently waiting for. If she shared this with her sisters, the conflict would begin again and increase to an epic proportion. Kellie looked at the people around her; she didn’t want to be the reason they were fighting.
“I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!” a determined voice bellowed from above the training ground.
Kellie shut her eyes. It wasn’t over. Was Choden about to broadcast what she had just seen?
“PLEASE!” the woman yelled again.
The forceful plea captured everyone’s curiosity, and silence took over once more.
It didn’t sound like Choden…Who was this person? After moving to get the sun out of Kellie’s eyes, she stepped toward the speaker.
What are Sarna and Lia doing here? They were standing on the platform.
“We know who your Teacher is!” shouted Sarna. “Kellie”—Kellie’s heart stopped—“is not the one you seek.” Her heart started beating again. “So I ask you to let her be!”
Sarna’s typically glowing features had been replaced by dark circles around her eyes, set against pale skin.
The hush was broken when Tsering advanced toward them. She ceased her marching so close in front of Sarna, the mother stepped back and pulled her daughter with her.
“How would you know who the Teacher is?” Tsering sneered. Without waiting for the answer, she continued her berating. “You are lying to protect the girl. You and your people want her secrets for yourself. That is why you protected her so. How dare you think you are worthy of the knowledge? You and your offspring”—she tossed a look of disgust at Lia—“are not even good enough to scrape the mud from my slippers.”
Sarna maneuvered Lia behind her and took a step toward the nun, their noses almost touching. “We protected Kellie because she is an innocent girl who you and your sisters violently kidnapped. You are not above others. As a matter of fact, you and your sisters are a disgrace to the name of bhikkhunı−s!” Sarna was so riled up and passionate about her words, she was spitting in Tsering’s face. “Your mission should be to help others and demonstrate humility, not maltreat villagers and seek power. You are a hypocritical monastery, and you could all learn something from Kellie. She understands the purpose of kung fu. I watched her teach our children. She knows what it is truly meant for.”
Kellie cringed. She was afraid Sarna would anger the nuns by passing judgment on them, and very harshly. She also hoped the mention of her teaching the children wouldn’t reinforce their belief that she was the Teacher.
The expression on the faces of the women around Kellie surprised her. They didn’t have scowls on their faces, but contemplation.
She couldn’t say the same for Tsering, though. She looked as if she
was going to pummel Sarna. As soon as Tsering raised her hand and gripped Sarna’s arm, Kellie darted toward the platform. Lia appeared from behind her mother and said, “Please, don’t hurt my mom. She is here because of me.”
Kellie skidded to a stop, and not a sound came from a soul. It seemed as if even nature was at a pause. The birds were silenced, the trees were still, and buzzing insects quieted. Tsering also froze, glaring at Lia while Sarna looked on anxiously.
Lia stepped forward and turned to face the waiting audience. She tugged at her hair and pulled it off, holding a wig in her hands. Tsering dropped her hand from Sarna’s arm and stared at the back of Lia’s head. The brave little girl twirled around to display her baldness and the birthmark that resembled the tattoos that were adorned on the backs of the Druk nuns.
Dramatic gasps were heard throughout the crowd. Kellie even found herself holding her breath.
Looking up at Tsering, Lia reached out and gently touched her arm. Lia whispered something to her, and the nun’s countenance transformed. The corners of her eyes drooped, and her lips quivered. Tears began to flow down her cheeks, and she fell to the ground, covering her face as she bawled.
Huh, thought Kellie. I didn’t see that coming.
Another pair of footfalls rushed up toward the scene. Kellie worried it was going to be another disgruntled nun to persuade her sisters that she was still the One.
Simi appeared and made her way up the steps to stand before the crowd. Her grim features matched that of Sarna’s. The bags under her eyes suggested she hadn’t had a decent night of sleep. Her sunken face exaggerated her cheekbones. She either hadn’t had much of an appetite lately or she’d grown tired of their tasteless food. One thing was obvious, she was dispirited.
“I—I would like to speak,” said Simi, darting her eyes from sister to sister. “When I first heard of Druk Monastery, I was thrilled when I learned of its history and way of life.” She cleared her throat and tried to control the shake in her voice. “The Druk nuns were devoted to both physical and inner strength, something I wanted to develop. I dismissed its reputation of callousness believing that it was a description from ignorance…because how could nuns be brutal? Ever since I have been here, I have been in denial. Then when I learned about how we brought Kellie here, I was ashamed.” She took a deep breath and said, “I helped her to escape.”