As Torhan stared in bewilderment, trying to understand what was going on, two cloaked figures, clad in gray, emerged from the same tunnel. The closer they walked toward the queen, the further the sphere stretched into the chamber, until most of the ants were engulfed and instantly frozen. Of the ones that weren’t, they attacked and joined their queen trapped in time.
Torhan began running for the exit, but was too slow and overtaken by the grayish color. To his surprise he kept moving, so he stopped and turned around. In front, one of the men was searching through the hoard of treasure, as if they were looking for something in particular, while the other kept watch.
While Torhan was studying them, the one keeping guard noticed him and said something to him in an unknown language. Torhan ducked behind a rock and heard them exchanging words. He wasn’t sure if they were coming after him, so he peered out from behind the rock and was relieved to see that they hadn’t moved.
Minutes later, the grayness rapidly receded back toward their direction, and the ants started moving again. The man keeping watch barked something at the other and frantically waved his arms with inhuman speed.
The grayish orb continued to collapse. When it past the queen and her nearby brood, they were given back their freedom of movement. The queen whaled a deafening screech, summoning her warrior ants to her side and the scouts after the intruders.
The man searching through the treasure stood up and began waving his arms in unison with the other. Before the ants could reach them, the force field expanded to a circumference of ten feet, freezing them in time. More scouts closed in with urgency on the infiltrators, trying repeatedly to enter the sphere, but as soon as they did, they were halted. The collective effort of the men managed to expand the sphere until it reached the queen and her subjects, and they were frozen once more. One of the men said something to the other, and he bent down and began searching again.
Minutes later, words were exchanged between them, and an argument ensued. While they were bickering, the gray sphere began to shrink. By the time they noticed, the circumference of the circle was less than five feet and left one man’s leg outside of it. An ant clamped down hard on the limb and dragged him away kicking and screaming, while his companion continued to wave his arms desperately, trying to restore the force field. Just when he was about to be overtaken by the ants, he managed to complete the necessary hand motions and expanded the sphere to a twelve-foot diameter, trapping anything within and many more as they entered. The cloaked stranger took a few steps toward his companion, realized it was too late to save him, then looked directly at Torhan. He was about to move in his direction when the sphere began to dissipate. He was forced to run down the passageway from where he and the many ants had come.
Time was running out for Torhan if he remained here much longer. Since there weren’t many ants left, he began moving toward the queen with a bottle of White Light firmly in his hand. The ants noticed him right away and attacked. Torhan closed his eyes and slammed the glass container on the ground, blinding and stunning every ant and sacrifice within the chamber.
As soon as the flash ended, he navigated his way down toward the queen and reached her in a matter of minutes. Quickly, he located the lifeless body of Brother Leas and discovered Brother Sao a few feet away, unconscious. When the ants began to stir awake, he scooped up Sao, flung him over his shoulders, and ran toward the exit.
Along the way, Torhan’s gauntlets gave him additional strength needed to run faster and make his load very light. When he reached the plateau, he grabbed the still burning torch and made his way back through the twisting and turning tunnels until he reached the room housing Khron’s and Danter’s remains. He owed them his life and briefly thought about fulfilling their final wishes, but changed his mind when the scabbard started glowing again.
On his way out of the cave, he picked up their gear and didn’t stop moving until he found a suitable resting place inside a grove of trees. Brother Sao was still unconscious, so he placed bedding on the ground, the monk carefully on top of it, and proceeded to check his wounds. He could tell the monk wasn’t seriously injured, so he cleaned and wrapped his wounds and lay down exhausted.
Before falling asleep, he thought about the two cloaked men, their strange powers, and why he wasn’t affected by them.
It was midday when Brother Sao regained consciousness. Despite being weak and disorientated, he called out for Brother Leas, which woke Torhan. Torhan calmed him, but he had the painstaking task of explaining what had befallen his friend. After accepting his fate, they spent an ample amount of time resting before continuing on toward Mirkin.
Chapter 7: The Search Begins
Over the next couple of days, winter took hold across the region. Temperatures dropped below freezing, winds gusted violently, and heavy snow fell often. Despite being cold, Jacko was grateful for the change of weather. The snow would cover his tracks in a few hours, and his changing of directions would confuse anyone following. Eventually, he turned south and arrived at the snow-covered town of Snowdrift by morning of the third day.
The settlement was alive with people bustling about doing their daily business. He passed children playing in the snow, the elderly walking gingerly as they tried to keep their footing, and residents lining the street waiting for their turn to buy wares at the local market.
The only thing Jacko could focus on was going to the inn and having a bowl of hot stew while warming his tired bones by the fire.
****
A few streets later, he arrived at his favorite watering hole, the Inn of the Slaughtered Fawn. Pausing, he glanced up at the wooden sign, which depicted a snow lion tearing a young deer apart while a stag watched a few yards away. The scene was gruesome, to say the least, but for some reason, anyone traveling through town always stopped by. He turned his attention to the door and entered the establishment.
The inn was quiet for this time of the day. Upon entering, Jacko saw the object of his desire and the cause of many sleepless nights, while dreaming about making love to her. It was Aurora, and she was simply breathtaking. She stood a few inches shorter than he, with a slender build, curly black hair down the length of her back that swayed back and forth ever so slightly, whenever she walked. Her crystal blue eyes were like the ocean Thangmore and were accompanied by full lips and the perfect little nose. Aurora stole his heart many summers ago even though she never knew it.
After he was seated in the back corner of the inn, Aurora came over a few minutes later.
“Well hello, stranger,” she said, smiling. “I haven’t seen you in a while, where have you been?”
The sound of her voice gave him that queasy feeling you get when you’re in love. “I was granted a promotion by my Order.”
“And how did you do?” she asked excitedly.
“I passed.”
Aurora could tell there was some disappointment by the sound of his voice. “You sound disappointed. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Jacko tried his best to hide his concerns for Teacher Ma.
“I can tell when you’re lying. Look, we’ve been friends for a long time. You know that you can tell me anything.”
“There were some complications that I can’t speak about right now.” Jacko wanted to tell her but decided not to.
“Well if you need to talk you know where to find me. Now what can I get you, the usual?”
“Not today, I’ll have stew and some hot cider.”
Aurora smiled. “Alright, sweetie, I’ll be right back.” She trotted off to the kitchen, leaving Jacko to his own thoughts.
While waiting, he reflected on what had happened to Teacher Ma and knew that he shouldn’t have left him.
Aurora returned a short time later with his food. After placing it in front of him, she asked, “Where’s your friend?”
“Who, Torhan? I was supposed to meet him in Redden almost a week ago but got tied up.”
“Tell him I said hi when you see him again. We should…”
>
“Aurora?” her boss said from across the room.
She looked back at him and held up her hand, indicating she’d be over. “I have to go. Stop by anytime if you want to talk or maybe have a drink. I’d like to catch up.” She walked away while Jacko watched her cute butt.
After he was finished, he bid her farewell and rented a room from the clerk. On his way up to his room, his weary body finally told him he needed rest. After entering his room, he got undressed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow.
****
He slept for almost two days, and, if it wasn’t for a persistent knock on his door, he would’ve kept sleeping. Jacko stretched, threw on some clothes, and opened the door.
Aurora greeted him, smiling. “I have some food for you,” she said and walked past him, placing the tray on the table. “You must have been really tired. I tried to wake you several other times. I was starting to think you were dead.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“Two days.”
“Two days?” Jacko was surprised. “Listen, I apologize for the other day. Can we talk?”
Aurora sat down on the bed. “Sure.”
“The other day I wanted to tell you what was on my mind, but I felt that it wasn’t the right time or place. I might be in trouble.”
“What happened?”
“The teacher who trained me had a run-in with some old enemies, and I have a feeling they killed him. I don’t know what their intentions were, but they might be hunting for me as well, just for being there.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I just do. I should have fought by his side, but he insisted that I leave. I feel so guilty.”
“He must have had a good reason. Maybe he didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“But I wanted to help, because I felt a certain bond toward him.” Jacko lowered his head in shame.
“Jacko,” Aurora put her hand under his chin and raised his head. “It wasn’t your affair, so don’t feel guilty about the outcome.” Jacko knew she was right, but he was sad that the world might have lost a good man. “I’m off tonight. Come back later and we’ll eat together. I have to go.” Aurora kissed him on the cheek and left the room.
****
Jacko left the inn a few minutes later. His first order of business was to visit his master. He arrived at the Order within the hour. The building was tucked so far back off of the main road that if you didn’t know it was there you’d never find it.
Exotic trees escorted him along the way, and he only paused when he encountered a couple of students dressed in white robes. They greeted their senior classmate with a bow, and Jacko returned the honor with a nod and kept walking. The low-ranking students brought back memories of when he started and the many chores he had to do.
He reached the front entrance, walked up to the two senior students dressed in gray robes, and bowed to each individually. They, in turn, acknowledged him with a simple nod. Jacko presented them a series of hand signals that represented his secret code, and they stepped aside and allowed him to enter.
As he passed the men, he couldn’t help but wish he was an Elite Student too, because to be a guard for the Order was one of the most sought-after honors you could ever achieve, however, the requirements weren’t easy to attain. You could only apply after you reached the rank of Gray Hawk, which required at least fifteen years of training and testing. You also needed to know, and master, seven different techniques and demonstrate your skills by defeating ten students at once. If that wasn’t hard enough to do, you had to show you could hold your own against the master or be demoted three ranks. Jacko thought the rewards were definitely worth it, because you were entitled to learn a technique from the ancient manual and go on special missions of the highest importance. Plus, it was a job that commanded the utmost respect, because all, but the master, bowed to them first. The only drawback, he surmised, was that they weren’t allowed to advance any further in rank, and never marry; something he wasn’t sure he could do.
Upon entering the building, the double doors quietly closed behind him. He now stood in a large entryway with columns spanning from the floor to the ceiling, and an open door straight in front of him. He proceeded into the room with doors on his left and right. Directly ahead was a fireplace where two men, engaged in conversation, were seated, and beside the hearth, the school’s infamous rules and chart of ascension hung on the wall. He’d looked at it on more than one occasion and, since he passed his test, he felt the need to read it again and see if he was adhering to their rules.
After taking two steps, the high-ranking students stopped speaking, turned, and asked him how he fared in his advancement. Jacko happily told them he passed, and they congratulated him and went back to their conversation. When he realized they weren’t going to say anything further, he stepped up to the chart and gazed upon its writings behind the glass.
Written at the very top of the chart was the word Enlightenment, which was followed by the school’s creed that everyone had to obey. It spoke of beliefs such as: honesty, humbling, caring, spiritual, balance, peaceful lives, and doing the right thing in life no matter the costs. The next section titled Advancement was dedicated to the fifteen rankings that a student could achieve and the colored robes they wore to signify their position. It began with the lowest ranking and worked its way toward being a master. Fledging (white robes) was first, followed by Sparrow (yellow with white trim robes), next was Hawk (yellow and green robes), followed by: Falcon (green robes), Griffin (blue robes), Roc (blue and red robes), White Fledging (red robes), Yellow Sparrow (red and gray robes), Gray Hawk (gray robes), Red Falcon (gray and black robes), Black Eagle (gray and red robes), Brown Griffin (gray and blue robes), Gold Roc (gray and green), and finally, Master of the Feathers (black and yellow robes). The last section, Techniques, was dedicated to the school’s fighting styles: Three Finger, Blocking, Iron Feet, Iron Fist, Iron Palm, Dragon, Eagle, Praying Mantis, Iron Body, Tiger, Snake, Cobra, Steel Palm, Steel Fist, and Steel Feet.
When Jacko was finished, he walked through the door on the right, which was designated for the lower-ranking students. He was proud because he didn’t know who the students were, but they knew him.
The hallway led to the deserted eating area with four doors and a large table that could easily accommodate the majority of the students. The door to the west led to the library. The two in the back led to the kitchen area and sleeping quarters, and the one to the east led to the training area. Given the time of day, Jacko knew the students would be training and walked out of the room.
The marbled hallway led to a courtyard designated for training. The area was filled with disciples practicing various techniques. Nearest to him were the students of the Hawk rank. They were practicing the Iron Feet technique; some of them were kicking thick slabs of stone, while others practiced on trees and clay jugs that were suspended from a rope. Further to the left, other trainees of the same technique were seated in wooden racks that spread their legs apart to elongate their muscles. It looked grueling and painful, but necessary to master the kicks, Jacko thought.
To the far left of the courtyard, students of the Eagle rank were using several training methods to toughen their hands for the Iron Palm technique. He took notice of a student, named Choo Mee, as he walked up to a thick piece of wood, struck the surface with his palms, and left his handprints after he removed them. It was amazing to have such power and control. Jacko loved to train, because it gave him such confidence in his ability to defend himself. He was so grateful his father signed him up at this school when he was a child. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realize when one of his closest friends approached him.
“Well, how did you do?”
When Jacko didn’t answer, Sun Chin raised his voice and asked again. This time, Jacko heard him and turned.
“Sun Chin,” he said surprisingly.
Sun was the same height as his friend but a little skinnier and much more muscular.
/>
“Well?” Sun asked again.
“I passed.”
Sun Chin was pleased for his friend. “Who did you fight?”
“A student named Chow Yen.”
“Never heard of him. Was he any good?”
“He was of the Hawk rank and used the Iron Fist. He was very skilled but really arrogant. I got lucky to have passed.”
“You always say that. How was the training?”
“The training was great. I improved my Three Finger technique and learned the Blocking technique as well. My teacher was a man named Ma. He was a great teacher.”
“I’ve met him once; he seemed like a good guy.” Sun Chin paused. “What do you mean was?”
Jacko kept his sadness hidden. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”
“Tonight, then. You should go see Master now. He’s waiting for you in the promotion room.”
Jacko said goodbye.
He left through the eastern entranceway, closed the door behind him, and walked down the dimly lit hallway until he arrived at another door and knocked softly.
A few seconds later, a high-ranking student, named Tee Fon, opened the door. The man wore his black and gray beard several inches below his chin and his long, braided hair behind his back. The robes he wore were gray and red, indicating his rank of the Black Eagle.
“Jacko, it’s good to see you,” he said, recognizing the student.
Jacko bowed, and Tee Fon stepped aside while motioning with an open hand across his body, inviting him into the room.
“Make yourself comfortable, Master will be with you shortly.” He walked to the back of the room and stood guard by the only other door.
The room was much larger than he’d remembered, with dark wooden floorboards, pillars in each of the four corners, a large fireplace with a roaring fire in the back, and intimate tables and chairs throughout. The master also had it decorated with some of his favorite things. Proudly displayed on the wall to his left was a pair of crossed long swords, two silver axes, a bamboo shield, and a steel staff. To the far right of the room sat a five-foot high table with miniature terracotta warriors of different colors, shapes, and sizes. To the right of the table, and stacked neatly into three rows of four, were the master’s prized possessions, red marble figurines. The back row, from left to right, consisted of a rooster, dog, pig, and sheep. The second row was a monkey, rat, horse, and rabbit; in the front was an ox, dragon, tiger, and snake. Each of the three-foot high figurines represented the month of the calendar year.
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