War (Chi Warriors Book 3)

by Ino Lee

  He pulled off the mask.

  This tonkaija was human.

  22

  THE BIYAN DISTRICT of Hanai was a small and private community, extending several blocks in either direction from a security station, which was centrally located and easily identifiable by a tall watchtower. The buildings there were clean and uniform in appearance, with stone walls and inclined roofs with gray tiles that were punctuated by dark accents, giving Biyan a conservative, yet sophisticated look worthy of its snooty reputation. Many of the neighboring buildings adopted a similar design, wanting to cash in on Biyan’s affluence.

  “This is so dumb,” Kai said.

  He leaned back and remained perfectly still, covered from head to toe in a suit made of roofing tiles.

  “What are you talking about?” Hojin said. “This is my best idea yet. They’ll never know we’re here.”

  “I can hardly move without making noise.”

  “We’re not supposed to move. We’re here to watch.”

  Hojin came up with the idea of roof tile camouflage shortly after sitting down for lunch. While they had originally wanted to wear ninja outfits as disguises, Hojin thought it would be better not to be seen at all. Panyin knew of a junkyard filled with construction debris, so after rummaging for gray tiles and applying a little creativity, their suits were born. The tiles were only made to camouflage from the front and could be easily stripped off if the need arose. Beneath, they wore ninja outfits as backup.

  Hojin heard Kai’s tiles rattle, followed by a continual, muffled crunch.

  “Are you seriously eating?”

  “We’ve been here hours.”

  “You do know this is a stealth mission?”

  “You’re talking louder than I’m eating. Plus, nothing’s happening.”

  “Just keep watching.”

  More time passed. Biyan security walked up and down the streets below, but little else happened. The night was still and Biyan seemed like any other part of town.

  Kai’s mind wandered. Covert surveillance was much less exciting than he imagined. He pictured jumping from rooftop to rooftop dressed like ninjas, sneaking in and out of buildings, and even fighting off a couple of dark warriors. Instead, he lay his head against the wall, spread out, unmoving, and covered in tiles. He examined the city landscape, then stared at length at the central watchtower. What kind of inhabitants dwelled within and could perhaps be watching them now? Were they Blood Ninjas or even Koon Gee? Or maybe they were just ordinary people, like office workers and security guards.

  His eyes floated from the tower’s dark silhouette to the infinite sparkle of stars dotting the sky. A figure floated through them, temporarily blocking out the starlight before passing through and landing in a tower window.

  What was it? It was some kind of bird, likely a crow. Kai sat up. A crow was a bad omen.

  “Something’s up. I think I saw a crow fly through a window.”

  “What window?”

  “On the tower.”

  “How do you know it was a crow?”

  “I just know.”

  Hojin stared at the tower. Kai was especially good at identifying birds. If it was any other bird, he would have thought nothing of it.

  “Was it like the ones from the Koon Kagi?”

  “Could be.”

  They waited patiently when numerous ninjas popped from the tower and slid down a line connected to the roof of another building. They counted twenty-seven ninjas in all, at least eight with concealed faces, along with three unan. They trekked east across the buildings.

  Hojin darted up and thought to follow.

  “Whoa,” Kai said, grabbing his arm. “What are you doing?”

  “I saw an unan with a trident. Did you see it? It might be Raikahn. I can’t let it get away.”

  “What are you going to do when you catch up? Did you see how many?”

  “But we can’t let them get away.”

  “You’re not thinking straight. We don’t need to know where they’re going because we already know that they’re coming back here.”

  He let go of his arm.

  Hojin relaxed. “You’re right. We have them exactly where we want them. We need a plan.”

  “We can’t fight them all by ourselves. You know that, right? No matter how good of a plan we have.”

  Hojin took a moment to let reality settle in, then slumped back down. His anger was deeper than he realized. Justice, not revenge. He had trained hard over the past year to turn his emotions into focus, and letting it slip away now when he needed it most would be disastrous. Sloppiness would get them killed. He took a breath.

  “We can find Shian and Riyon in the morning, but I won’t let them send me back to Shaolin. I won’t back down.”

  “I know.”

  “We still don’t know where the Blood Ninja are, or how they’re involved. Our work here isn’t done yet. Let’s stay a little longer.”

  Kai nodded. “I think they’ll show up. That building is Biyan security headquarters, though I wonder why they’d be helping the Koon Gee.”

  “Maybe they’re being forced.”

  “The watchtower is key. The crows must be relaying messages to send the troops out.”

  “If we could get in there . . . just to look.”

  “We are dressed as ninjas underneath.”

  Hojin was surprised he suggested it. “Are you serious?”

  “Let’s move closer for a better look.”

  Kai got up. Sitting and watching for hours was making him antsy. They climbed down to ground level, sneaked across the street, and then scaled another building. The new set of rooftops brought them directly across the street from Biyan headquarters, and if it looked safe enough, they’d move even closer. Fortunately, there were few patrols around.

  Two ninjas could be seen across the street, on a rooftop neighboring the tower. Kai and Hojin pressed up against a wall and disappeared.

  “Are they Blood Ninjas?” Hojin said.

  “I can’t tell. I don’t think they’re Koon Gee.”

  They watched the ninjas move leisurely away, then tried to maneuver for a better angle, when something closer caught their attention. Three ninjas popped over the ledge of their building. They wanted to hide again, but it was too late. The ninjas looked at them awkwardly, not quite sure what to make of their outfits.

  “Um,” Hojin said, noticing the red splotches on their shoulders.

  Kai lifted a hand and waved. “Hi!”

  “Get them!” a ninja yelled.

  The ninjas charged and Kai and Hojin bolted the other way. They turned a corner to escape, but the camouflage gear was slowing them down.

  The Blood Ninjas followed, skipping across a roof to catch up. The lead ninja scanned the area and then suddenly stopped, turning frantically to look around, both hands up in confusion. The intruders were gone. The others fanned out and peered over the ledges to examine the streets and alleyways.

  The lead ninja carefully studied the roof lines, squinting at nooks and shadows for signs of movement. Two pairs of eyes unexpectedly blinked back from the tiles.

  “There!” the Blood Ninja yelled.

  Hojin and Kai were up again, shedding their heavy outerwear as they ran. They felt like shackles had been loosed and flew across the buildings. Unfortunately for them, the rooftops were not like the open fields, and real estate began to run out when they encountered a wide street ahead.

  Hojin took the lead.

  “We’re not going to make it,” Kai said, anticipating a jump.

  “Window,” Hojin blurted.

  He leapt across the gap and landed in the second floor of a building across the street, curling into a ball and tumbling after passing through the window. Kai followed shortly after and was helped back up to his feet. Hojin started to dart off ag
ain, but Kai turned back, running to the window and peering in the ninjas’ direction just as they might burst through. Hojin wanted to scream out a frustrated warning, confused by his seeming lunacy, but Kai promptly pulled the shutters shut, which was followed by a loud thud. The shutters rattled long after the ninja that crashed into them fell to the ground.

  “Oh, yeah!” Hojin said.

  They ran again and took stock of their surroundings. Kai flared a light orb to reveal a large room full of crates and barrels. Judging by the myriad of smells that perfumed the air, they were in a warehouse full of spices.

  Ninjas noisily came through a different window and Kai snuffed out his light. They ducked behind a row of crates and looked for escape, seeing a back window and a ladder to the roof. Hojin pointed at a hiding place between barrels. Perhaps the ninjas would pass by and they could double-back instead of running away.

  The sound of swords against scabbards rung as weapons were unsheathed, followed by the soft plod of careful footsteps. Hojin readied his butterfly knives while Kai held onto a short staff; his bow and monk staff were too cumbersome on bring on their stealth mission, but fortunately, Wong’s home was stocked with enough weapons to supply an army.

  A door crashed open and a Blood Ninja stumbled in, yelling. “Where are they?”

  It was the ninja that had smashed into the window shutters. Kai had hoped that the ninja would have been too hurt to continue, but he must have landed safely.

  “Shhh. Inside,” a voice replied.

  The ninjas crept closer.

  “I can’t see,” another said.

  The ninja that had just broken through the door was closest to them. He walked with a hitch and limped by their barrels, making Kai sinfully happy that his action had at least had an effect.

  “I’ll kill those brats,” the ninja said. “Where are you?”

  He slammed his sword on a crate.

  “Shut up, you fool,” another voice said gruffly. “Some kids took out a squad yesterday. Keep up your guard.”

  “They were ambushed. The kids got lucky. I am not afraid of children.”

  “You’re the one limping.”

  Hojin pointed at crates stacked above. Kai understood his intentions. They zipped up a few levels and leaned into two columns, causing the stacks to topple over and crash down on the ninjas, spices and powder exploding in the air. To Hojin’s delight, one of the crates contained chili powder, and he could feel it stinging his eyes even from above.

  They ran for the ladder to the roof, scrambled up, and pushed open a hatchway, quickly climbing out and closing the doors while the ninjas coughed and choked. Hojin lashed the handles together with a piece of rope left over from his tiled camouflage.

  They laughed giddily and turned to move on, but others were already on the rooftop. Hojin and Kai were startled and threatened with their weapons.

  “Well what do we have here?” a voice said.

  She tilted her sword as if to measure them up.

  “Not Blood,” another said.

  Kai noticed the crescent moon insignias on their outfits and held his arms up. “We’re not your enemies. We’re not Poisoned Blood.”

  “You’re not Eternal Moon either.”

  “Who are you?” the woman said. “What clan?”

  “Flying Drag—”

  “—Monsoon,” Hojin said.

  Kai clarified. “We’re from the Flying Dragon Monsoon clan.”

  Hojin cringed.

  The woman laughed. “Okay, Flying Dragon Monsoon boys, you should at least wear insignias, otherwise we might mistakenly kill you. What are you doing here?”

  The hatchway thumped.

  “Um,” Hojin said. “There are like three Blood Ninjas trying to kill us.”

  The Eternal Moon stiffened up. Another thump pounded. The ninjas moved them away and readied for ambush.

  “Wait,” Hojin said. “I have a better idea.”

  The door broke open and the Poisoned Blood poured through. Kai and Hojin stood in a defensive position at the edge of the roof and the ninjas pounced. Just as they were about to clash, the boys lowered their guard, which hinted that something was wrong, but not in time to prevent them from getting cut down from behind.

  The action was quick and the Eternal Moon were merciless. Kai and Hojin watched silently.

  “It’s war with the Blood,” one said, his voice tinged with anger. “No mercy. If you dare wear the guise of ninjas, you will learn quickly.”

  “We’re not afraid,” Kai said. “It’s just that violence should never be taken lightly.”

  “Then you are not familiar with this clan and their methods. If knew them, you would not say so.”

  “This is a dangerous game for children,” another said.

  “We took out a few Blood Ninjas yesterday,” Hojin said. “I think we can handle it.”

  “Who are you?”

  Hojin smiled. “Flying Dragon Monsoon brothers.”

  “Stop joking. Why were the Poisoned Blood chasing you? I don’t think you understand the trouble you are in.”

  The ninja pointed his sword.

  “Relax,” the female ninja said, nudging his sword away with hers.

  Hojin guessed she was their leader.

  She refocused on them. “You said you fought them yesterday. Is this true? Why are you here?”

  “We think the Poisoned Blood are working with the Koon Gee. We saw dark ninjas and unan come out of the tower in Biyan.”

  “How many?”

  “Twenty-seven ninjas and three unan. There are probably much more inside.”

  The Eternal Moon ninjas looked surprised and exchanged glances.

  “Do you believe us?” Hojin said.

  “It would explain a lot. The Poisoned Blood have made advances lately and an alliance with the Koon Gee would do it.”

  “Those vile cutthroats,” another remarked. “Just when I thought they couldn’t get worse.”

  The Moon Ninjas quickly gathered and discussed strategy. Taking down the tower was possible if they rallied the clan, but they were only prepared to fight the Poisoned Blood, not start a war with the Koon Gee. Did they have a choice now that the two were aligned?

  “Leave them to us,” Kai said. “Tomorrow we’re going to the Shaolin warriors. They can handle it along with the city guards.”

  “That’s good to know,” the lead ninja said. “We usually like to avoid the authorities.” She winked, then turned to the others. “We need to report back and make sense of this.”

  “What about them?” Hojin said, referring to the dead ninjas. “The Poisoned Blood might get suspicious if they find them here.”

  “We’ll deal with it.”

  “Thanks,” Hojin said.

  “If you hear anything new, we can usually be reached around the rooftops of Chi Sing. We can make it worth your while. Mention the Half-Moon.”

  “I know the place.”

  “I still don’t understand what you’re doing here and why you’re involved. How can we find you?”

  “You can’t,” Kai said. “We’re the Flying Dragon Monsoon brothers.”

  Hojin threw down smoke bombs as a distraction and the two ran off. When the smoke cleared, the ninja leaned over the side of the building and smiled, watching them trail away.

  23

  SHIAN BRUSHED A wrinkle from her war robe and tightened her belt. She held her monk staff, a solid gray piece of petrified Zhigao, and stood tall. Though weary from another long night of battle, she refused to show it. A commander of Shaolin’s forces must be firm and unwavering. Such was the burden of leading.

  She walked out of her quarters, stationed in the central command post of the city guards, with her mind still on the events of the previous night. The Koon Gee had crept from their hiding places within the city an
d targeted the eastern gate from the north, when a covert strike force emerged from the south and lit the barracks on fire with a hail of flaming arrows. The combined attack almost toppled their defenses, but the Shaolin warriors and city guards were able to fend off the enemy with superior numbers. After the battle was over, it was determined that the southern Koon Gee force was aided by a nearby building readied with supplies, leaving little doubt—rogue humans were involved. The traitors were organized and resourceful, and uncovering their motive would be crucial. To make matters worse, word had been received from Shandong relaying the Koon Gee’s plan to send fifty unan through Tanjin to Hanai. The thought of so many demons unleashed upon the city, coupled with the mounting instability and treachery of the human conspirators, made Shian and Riyon truly afraid for the future of Hanai. They relayed back to the Great Wall information about the human tonkaija and the need for more reinforcements.

  She stepped onto a terrace overlooking the city, which looked peaceful in the morning. The endless sea of stone, wood, and masonry, carefully sculpted over the decades with human sweat and effort, affirmed her desire to save the great metropolis from destruction.

  Riyon and Guotin, captain of the city guards, sat at a table. She joined them.

  “Good morning,” Shian said.

  “Good morning,” Riyon replied. “You should not be up so early. You push yourself too hard.”

  “Are you not active?”

  “I did not spend the entire night defending East Gate.”

  “This is my command. I am needed.” She addressed Guotin. “Have the reports come in?”

  “Not much to report,” the captain said. “It seems the eastern gate was the main target for the night.”

  “They are systematically weakening Hanai’s defenses,” Riyon reasoned. “The southern gate is destroyed. Now they focus on the east. It is logical. The eastern gate is the bridge to the Great Wall.”

  “We must weed the city of these human conspirators; otherwise this will be a lengthy and painful engagement.”

  “What was their presence last night? Were there many?”

  Shian nodded. “There were tonkaija, particularly in the southern strike force, but it is speculative to guess how many were actually human. The one with the visor was there to lead them again, but I believe that one is of demonic origin.”