by Ino Lee
“I have seen it for myself,” Jaguan said. “We are safe.”
“We may be safe, but the bird is not.”
“Zhanzu is a creature of instinct, Renshu. You cannot hold him accountable for his actions.”
“He is smart. He is sneaky. He will taste like chicken.”
Wong laughed. “Well, at least we know Zhanzu can distract you from worrying so much.”
Renshu scoffed. “The king is not worried. The king is focused.”
They moved again soon, only resting long enough for a quick snack, wanting to make the most of the noon sun; travel during the hours of brightest light was preferable since dark ninja activity would be minimal. If not for the children and elderly, they might not have stopped at all.
The forest growth was now less tangled than the terrain nearer home, allowing them to move at a quicker pace, but leaving them more exposed. The trees had a grayish hue, a dismal indication that it was dark ninja territory. The magaus often referred to the area as The Sad Forest. Wong and Renshu decided to forge ahead with separate scouting parties in response to the increased danger. Jaguan stayed behind but sent Zhanzu ahead, while Domu, the mighty gorilla-man, took lead of the migration group.
Aiying wanted to join the scouting parties, but was held back so she had more time to recover and feel normal again. She refused to remain idle, however, and helped guard the perimeter in the trees closest to the main line, reasoning that the activity would help test her skills. The Lady of the Painted Tear was the lead scout for the Koon Gee, after all, and the demon’s skills were just a dark chi-fueled manifestation of her own innate abilities. She could not let them go to waste.
The further they traveled, the safer they felt. Koon Gee soldiers usually camped out in the canyons more central to the Great Wall, but they traveled around the fringe where only loose pockets of dagwais would be found.
They would maintain course throughout the afternoon, and if all went according to plan, reach the mountainous territory before the Great Wall with plenty of daylight to spare.
Zhanzu swept the high ground, the rocky and mountainous terrain exposed to the sun, a stark contrast to the channel of canyons that carved up the lowlands. The earth was barren except for some dry brush, and without cover except for an occasional rocky outcrop. The hawk’s sharp eyes scanned for signs of movement and saw a lizard scurrying across the ground. Zhanzu instinctively wanted to dive, but Jaguan willed it to stay afloat with his mental connection. The hawk initially resisted, hungry from a long day of work with only a handful of grubs as reward, but ultimately gave in. Jaguan sensed a weakening mind link and urged him to turn back and perform a return sweep. A less experienced animal handler might have lost Zhanzu in that moment. Though Zhanzu would not have flown away, a broken mental link would mean that he could not see what was happening, and it might have been hours before the bird returned.
“How does it look?” Wong said.
“Promising. Still no Koon Gee. I’m sweeping back now.”
Renshu waved his hand in front of Jaguan’s white eyes, just as the child did before him, fascinated.
“Why can’t you do this, Wong?”
“I can wave my hand.”
He grunted. “Control the birds.”
“I actually have this owl, but he doesn’t listen much.”
Renshu scratched his chin. “If I tilt his head, will the bird crash into the canyon?”
Jaguan shifted. “Just because I cannot see you, does not mean I cannot hear you.”
Renshu yelped and jumped back.
Wong laughed. “At least you’re not as focused as before.”
“I have need of some nourishment,” Jaguan said, interrupting while still in his trance. “A rodent or lizard, perhaps.”
“I thought you were a vegetarian,” Wong said.
Renshu slapped his leg and laughed.
Aiying stood nearby with a perplexed look on her face, overhearing their entire conversation. “I don’t understand how it is possible you guys were in charge all this time.”
“I’m in charge?” Wong said. “Then why isn’t there a sweet taro bun in my hand? Right now?”
Aiying continued talking to herself. “To think you’ve been causing the Koon Gee such trouble.”
“Our style is odd,” Renshu said. “But we accomplish much.” He raised a hand, which held the tail of a dangling lizard.
Zhanzu promptly landed on Jaguan’s glove. He flew off after being reluctantly given the lizard by Renshu, looking for a more private place to eat.
“Did you really catch that just now?” Aiying said.
“A magau’s speed and reflexes makes one a formidable hunter.” He snatched at the air like he was catching a lizard.
“No. Not true,” Wong said. “He probably had one in his pocket. He picks them up and plays with them. I told him not to do that, it’s unsanitary.”
Renshu protested. “A magau is an apex hunter.”
Aiying shook her head, but smiled, amused.
“Would you look at that?” Wong said. “Not even a single day goes by from being the pawn of a lo-shur demon and she’s already smiling.”
She blushed. “Thank you, but I can’t tell if I’m better off now than before.”
The Great Wall was tall and imposing, the massive stone barrier extending across the horizon as far as the eye could see. It was the first time most of the magaus had ever seen it, and they were shocked that such a thing could exist. The wall seemed more like a creation of nature, a barrier purposely meant to separate creatures of yin and yang chi, and a reminder of the unorthodox nature of their alliance.
Jaguan could sense apprehension in the crowd upon seeing the unwelcoming barrier, and wanted to dispel it.
“We have always looked at the Great Wall as our hope and protection against creatures that sought to harm us. May you also take comfort in its defense.”
“Hmph,” Domu growled. “More like a prison.”
Renshu shot him a glare. Part of him felt the same way, but now that they had uprooted the entire troop, it did no good to voice displeasure aloud. There was no turning back.
“Perhaps one day, there will be no need for walls,” Renshu said.
Wong was impressed. “Well said.”
“Kingly,” Aiying added.
“Then let this be the first step toward that goal,” Jaguan said. “A future with no walls.”
They traversed more mountainous terrain and arrived at the northern section of the Great Wall. An army of converging magaus would have normally been greeted with a rainstorm of arrows, but the parapet soldiers had already been briefed on Shaolin’s plan. Jaguan also sent his hawk in advance with a note, just to make sure their trek to Tanjin didn’t end abruptly.
A dozen rope lines came down, six on either side of an archery tower to better camouflage their ascent from afar. The nearest gate was far away and would not go unnoticed if used, so climbing up the wall was the next logical option. The magaus didn’t mind and viewed it as a mere inconvenience. It felt almost luxurious, in fact, since the climbing ropes had knots for grip, a comfort not found on jungle vines.
Soon the entire congregation of magaus was on top of the Great Wall, gleefully peering from one side to the next. The views were breathtaking. From sun drenched plains and valleys to glowing mountaintops, they could see for miles in every direction. Their mood instantly lifted.
“We made it,” Wong said. “No Koon Gee. No complications.”
“Welcome to the Great Wall,” Jaguan added.
“How does it feel?” Aiying said.
Renshu felt the fading sun on his face. Never in his life did he imagine he’d be standing on the great stone barrier between worlds.
“Safe.”
20
TING ROLLED OVER, the delightfully unusual feeling of soft matting undernea
th her, despite the old and dusty sheets. Next to her, a familiar-looking lantern sat on a table, which she faintly recalled glowing the night before. She had fallen asleep so fast that she couldn’t remember where she was. Looking past the foot of her bed, she saw railing and a great open space. It felt like she was sleeping in an alley or a library with weapons instead of books on the shelves.
Hojin and Kai’s voice could be heard echoing directly beneath her. She remembered running from the Blood Ninjas the night before and escaping to their current safe house. Shadow and Panyin had come with them, too, worried that they were still being followed by ninjas and fearful of leading them back to the orphan house. She spent the rest of the night crying and telling Hojin about their parents and what had happened on the farm. Hojin didn’t take it well. It was an awful night. Perhaps that’s why she was still tired after having slept so long.
She got out of bed and walked to the open railing.
“I think Ting’s awake,” she could hear Kai saying.
A stairwell could be seen on the adjacent walkway, which she used to get down even though she didn’t remember using it the night before.
“Morning,” her brother said. He was in the kitchen below her bedroom platform.
She looked around. “Where’s Shadow and Panyin?”
“They left in the morning to check on the others.”
Ting looked sad. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry; I said we wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”
Ting nodded. “Are we leaving somewhere?”
Hojin walked over to the table and placed down a tea kettle. “I don’t know,” he said blankly, pausing. “Have some tea.”
He was oddly calm and focused, a stark contrast from the previous night, which she actually found more unsettling than if he were hysterical.
“I don’t want tea. I want to know what we’re going to do. Let’s go back to the farm and look for Dad.”
“The gates are closed.”
“Do you think he’s there?”
Hojin spoke softly. “It’s been five days. Dad wouldn’t have stayed on the farm all this time if you weren’t there. He’d have come here. He’d have talked to Chong, at least.”
Ting stared at the kettle and tried not to cry again. “So then what? Can we go to Shaolin?”
“Maybe. But not yet. We’re probably in trouble for coming to find you, anyway.”
“Why?”
“We snuck away. Don’t worry. It’s not your fault. I just want to stay here a little longer.”
“Why?”
He calmly poured three cups of tea and shared them with everyone.
Kai could tell something was off. “What’s the plan, Hojin? Why do you want to stay here longer?”
“Because we have unfinished business.”
“What do you mean? My echo was true. We found Ting.”
“But there’s still chaos out there.” He pointed out the door. “The unan are still running around.”
“That’s why we should go back to the Shaolin warriors.”
“They won’t let us help. They’ll send us back to Shaolin. You said that yourself.”
“So we’re going to fight them ourselves?”
“Exactly.”
Kai looked skeptical. “What made you come up with this idea?”
Hojin took a seat. “They have to pay for what they’ve done,” he said, his tone somber. “We have to bring them to justice. I want to stay in Hanai because I am going to destroy the unan.”
“Me too!” Ting said. “I am going to stab them in the face.”
“Ting, this is serious.”
“I am serious.”
Kai shook his head. “I’m sorry, Hojin, but vengeance won’t bring back your parents. Vengeance will only lead to more pain.”
“That’s such a monk thing to say. I’m not looking for vengeance; I’m looking for justice.”
“Me, too,” Ting said. “And vengeance.”
Hojin frowned. “Stop it. I’m not kidding around. You’re too young to understand. This is dangerous.”
“I’m not a baby. I hit one of those things in the face with a plum.”
“What are you talking about?”
They stared at each other uneasily, but Ting wouldn’t back down.
“See what’s happening?” Kai said. “You’re my best friend, but I can’t support you if you’re not in your right mind. It’s for your own good.”
“I’m fine. It’s not about vengeance. It’s about making a difference like we talked about. How can I prove it to you?”
Kai shrugged uncertainly.
Hojin thought for a second before walking away and returning with a handful of objects, which he dropped in front of them. A collection of wooden figurines bounced across the table.
Kai’s face contorted. “You want us to play with dolls?”
“Oh, I’ll play,” Ting said.
“Come on. They’re not dolls,” Hojin said. “They’re action figures.”
“Aren’t you a little old for that?” Kai said.
“They’re not mine, they’re Wong’s, and he’s way older than us.” Hojin paused. “Which is kind of weird. I told you there’s something wrong with that guy.”
“Who’s Wong?” Ting said.
Hojin motioned at the walls. “We’re in his house. He was a Shaolin warrior, but then he went nuts and now he’s a demon.”
“He’s not nuts,” Kai said. “He’s a great warrior and a hero. I’d be dead without him. What’s your point anyway?”
Hojin picked up a figurine. “This is a member of the Morning Storm. You can tell by the swirl on the shoulder.” He picked up another. “This is the Blade Ninja—the insignia, the twin blades, it’s all there. This one is super rare. He has all of them.” He picked up another. “Gray Fox.”
“You sure know a lot about them.”
“I used to collect them when I was a kid. They were my heroes. It’s why I joined Shaolin.”
“What does this have to do with us now?”
“I looked at them this morning and thought, Why can’t we be like them? Why can’t we fight the bad guys in Hanai just like they did? Remember what you said in the wagon about fighting the Koon Gee our own way and the Shaolin warriors not letting us do anything risky? Does it feel like we’ve done anything yet? We can be like the ninjas. We can be heroes.”
Kai thought about it. “I see your point.”
“So you’re convinced? Are we going to do this?”
Kai took a much longer moment before finally nodding. The truth was, he wasn’t ready to go back to Shaolin either.
“Yes!” Hojin said.
“Yes,” Ting echoed, clenching a fist.
“But we can’t just run into trouble all emotional,” Kai said. “We have to have a plan.”
“Do I look emotional?”
Kai wondered if Hojin was really calm or if it was just focused rage.
“Even if we could take out the unan, how are we going to find them? Wander around randomly?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to figure it out.”
“That doesn’t sound like much of a plan.”
They sat in silence for a while. Finding each other and coming together with a new goal had been so momentous, sitting still in the aftermath felt like a letdown.
Ting examined the room. Her eyes settled on a Kendo mask. She pointed. “I saw a Blood Ninja wearing something like that yesterday.”
Hojin peeked over. “Blood Ninjas don’t wear face masks like that. They’re always cloth and open around the eyes.”
“Not the one I saw.”
Hojin and Kai exchanged a look.
“Are you sure you saw a ninja wearing that?” Hojin said.
“I’m sure. I was hiding and looking rig
ht at it. It had a visor.”
“In the Biyan District?”
“Yeah. Before I was chased.”
“The only ninjas that wear those kind of masks are Tonkai,” Kai said.
“Why do you guys keep talking about people I don’t know?”
“The Tonkai are elite dark ninjas from the Koon Kagi. They must have come for the invasion.”
“I didn’t see any when we were fighting the Poisoned Blood yesterday,” Hojin commented. “Did you?”
“No. Only Blood Ninjas.”
“Maybe it was just coincidence one was in the same place?”
Kai’s face scrunched. “Strange coincidence.”
“It doesn’t matter. You know what this means, don’t you?”
“We have a place to start looking? If the Tonkai are there, the unan will be there, too.”
“We’ll investigate. No fighting. No emotions. Just planning. You have to admit something weird is going on there.”
“Yeah, they’re all Blood Ninjas,” Ting said.
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone in Biyan acts weird. One of the ninjas that tried to kill me was a guard. I recognized him because he had almost no eyebrows.”
“You mean one of the Blood Ninjas was actually a Biyan security guard?”
“Yeah.”
Hojin tried to understand what it meant. The thought of exposing the Poisoned Blood clan was fascinating in its own right, even if it wasn’t connected to the Koon Gee. It was certainly something his heroes on the table would have pursued.
“What does that mean for us?” Kai said.
“The Blood Ninjas are a super-secret clan. Except now we know that one is a Biyan security guard. We have to investigate.”
“This is getting complicated.”
“Just another reason to check out Biyan. Ting will have to stay behind.”
Ting looked hurt. “I want to come. I found out everything and I’m not staying here alone.”