The Mark (Chi Warriors Book 1) Read online

“Zhuk kwais roam the forest,” Wong interrupted.

  Bo Hong looked at him quizzically.

  “Eight foot tall demonic mountain beasts from the Koon Kagi. You’re spread too thin to handle them.” He surveyed the forest. “I wouldn’t comb the Stone Forest anymore. You should concentrate your forces and regroup.”

  Bo Hong shot him a cold look, wondering what gave a stranger the right to bark orders. “Who’s this?”

  Wong looked at him indifferently.

  “It’s okay. He’s a friend. He’s the Weapons Master,” Tae said calmly, putting a hand on Bo Hung’s arm.

  He looked at her, confused, a shade of worry crossing his face.

  “Why are you going to Guilin?”

  “Don’t worry. Report back to Chen and give him an update. He’ll explain everything.”

  “If you say so,” he said hesitantly. “I’m not sure what you’re doing, but be careful out there.”

  He walked away.

  Wong called out behind him. “Tell Master Chen that zhuk kwais roam the forest. Arm yourselves with spears and arrows.”

  Bo Hong turned again, stared at the stranger briefly, and then nodded. He whistled once, whirled his finger in the air, and signaled the other ninja to follow.

  “We have to move quickly now,” Wong said. “No time to waste.”

  Tae nodded. “Follow me.”

  As the afternoon wore on, the small party made their way to Guilin unimpeded, coming across less rock and more vegetation as they traveled.

  Now that Tae was with them, Wong was able to leave Kai’s side and scout ahead or behind them. He would often disappear for long periods of time, which made Tae afraid he wouldn’t be able to find his way back to them, but she would eventually catch glimpses of him hunching atop a rock pillar or tree, watching over them like a guardian angel. As long as Kai was marked, the Weapons Master would be able to sense his way back.

  Tae found the experience surreal and unsettling. Only having Kai to talk to compounded the situation. She did not like the feeling of being hunted while Wong hovered overhead in the treetops, free to dart away toward the first signs of danger; back in the Stone Forest it was the opposite—she was the one running freely around on the hunt. Nevertheless, she realized that things were infinitely worse for Kai, so she tried her best to take his mind off matters. The task turned out to be easier than expected, because despite all that had happened, Kai appeared relatively carefree.

  She stopped for a moment to make sure they were going in the right direction.

  “Time for a break, Kai.”

  Judging by the position of the sun, they were still heading north, and up ahead, she recognized a familiar rock formation. They were right on course, which was critical given the danger around them.

  “So far so good. You okay?”

  “Mm hmm.”

  She glanced toward the treetops. “I wonder where he’s run off to.”

  Kai pointed. “He’s that way.”

  “Really?” she said brightly, humoring him. “What’s he doing?”

  “He’s sneaking.”

  The dagwais crept quietly across the forest floor. They felt the mark draw near. Any minute now, they thought. It was finally within their grasp . . . just ahead of them and through the thicket of trees. They hissed at each other in anticipation and conversed in an unknown tongue. As they felt their target grow within reach, they slowed their pace and readied their weapons.

  A dagwai slid in between two trees and poked its head through the brush to catch a glimpse of the approaching target. A cutting blade hummed through the air and stopped when it buried itself in the creature’s forehead. The dagwai fell back into an astonished pack of lizards.

  The Weapons Master skittered through the trees. With the Dragon Arm’s claws reared, he cut through the lizards with ease. They shrieked in horror and ran for their lives, but could not escape the vicious onslaught.

  Moments later Wong was gone.

  Tae raised her sword, noticing something moving her way, but it was just Wong, who appeared after a long bout away.

  “Welcome back,” she said, relieved.

  “Thanks. Everything all right?”

  Tae could tell he was masking worry. She wondered how many demons he had killed.

  “Yeah. Pretty quiet so far,” she replied.

  “It’s getting late. When do you think we’ll reach Guilin?”

  “Not for a while. Middle of the night.”

  Wong sighed. “That’s a long time to be out there. I wonder if we could pick up the pace a little?”

  She guessed he killed a lot. “Trouble?”

  “Some.”

  “We can probably shave off a little time then. I didn’t want to push Kai too hard.”

  “It’s okay. He’s resilient.”

  Tae thought about it more. “You know, we were going to walk around it, but we can actually save time by going directly over Lake Zhudong. Once we get to the other side, it’s only several more hours by foot.”

  “How much time will it save?”

  “About three hours.”

  “That’s good. Let’s do that.”

  “Where are we going to get a boat?” Kai asked.

  They were surprised at his question, forgetting he could have a voice in such matters. But his question was valid and presented a simple problem.

  Tae answered. “I wanted to avoid it, but there’s a village near the lake that might have one. It was recently sacked by the Koon Gee and burnt down, but there might be a boat around that can be salvaged. It could be risky going there though.”

  “I think it’s worth the risk,” Wong said. “Unless you can think of another place to get a boat?”

  “Not close by.”

  “Let’s do it then.”

  “Okay.”

  “Also, I was thinking . . . Lake Zhudong’s pretty big, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Very big.”

  “I wonder if we should wait it out on the lake tonight, paddle to shore in the morning. We won’t make it to Guilin before nightfall no matter what we do. I’d rather be out on the water than in the forest tonight.”

  “Is it that bad out there?”

  “Not yet, but my sense is we won’t make it through the night without fighting. It’s a risk either way. If we sit on the water tonight there may be more Koon Gee in the morning. But if we keep going, we fight in darkness.”

  “I like your idea, then. And it will confuse them if we paddle around a bit. We’ll be harder to track and they’ll always think we’re on the other side of the lake rather than on it.”

  Wong nodded. His mood lifted a little. “That’s what we’ll do then.”

  “What happens if we can’t find a boat?”

  “It’ll be a long night.”

  They reached the village shortly after sunset. The pungent stench of smoke still clung to the air, setting the stage for the devastation that lay ahead. Most of the buildings in the area had been reduced to ashes, although a few structures still stood. The town was silent and deserted; neither villager nor Koon Gee soldier remained.

  “There were many Koon Gee here not long ago,” Tae said. “Be careful.”

  Kai looked at the ruin with guilt. He felt responsible since he was the reason the Koon Gee were there in the first place. It was his first real taste of the destruction that the Koon Gee could bring and he hoped it would be the last.

  They walked through the town solemnly. Wong kept the Dragon Arm in hand, cautious of creatures that may have straggled behind. A careful eye was cast toward the remains of each building in the hopes that an intact canoe could be found.

  Kai spotted something. “What’s that?”

  A wooden object appeared next to a building. When they got closer, they saw it was just the burnt out carcass of a solitary v
essel.

  “I don’t think it’ll float,” Wong said.

  He looked around.

  “There’s still good timber on some of these buildings. We could probably piece together something that floats.”

  “Maybe,” Tae said. “But let’s keep going. We may have more luck closer to the water.”

  They headed toward the lake and did not go out of their way to search the rest of the area. If nothing panned out, they could always double-back.

  Before long, they saw the faint glimmer of water. The sight of it was a welcome distraction from the gloom of the village. More importantly, on a mound closer to the shore stood a large rack full of canoes.

  “There!” Wong shouted.

  “Finally something goes our way,” Tae said.

  They made their way to the canoes and were fortunate enough to find three undamaged vessels, each big enough to hold them all. Immediately, they set one in the water to make sure it was sound. It floated superbly.

  “There are more than we need,” Wong said. “If we leave them behind, the Koon Gee can use them to follow.” He walked over to the remaining canoes and pulled out a knife. “We can’t have that.”

  He pierced the bottom of the crafts as they lay in their racks with a well-placed gash. He made sure the cuts were hard to notice, particularly in the dark. His intention was to have the Koon Gee board the vessels, yet sink once out in the water. To make matters worse for them, he threw the extra paddles into the lake.

  They boarded the canoe and prepared to set off, wanting to get out of the village as soon as possible. Not only was the sight and smell of it depressing, it was inherently dangerous too. Somewhere out there roamed the party that destroyed it and it was only a matter of time before they came back to find them.

  Wong and Tae took places near the center and rear of the boat and started paddling. Kai rushed to the front and leaned over to look into the water.

  “Off we go,” Wong said.

  As they paddled, the presence of the village pulled away, and soon, the small boat was surrounded by deep water. It was now well past dusk.

  Near the center of the lake, they decided to take a break and share a small meal. Their conversation was pleasant, with the safety of water letting them talk at ease. They spoke about their past, where they came from, and other minor details of their lives they had not been able to share earlier.

  Kai offered to catch fish, unsatisfied with the dried goods they had stocked up on in Shunnan, but Wong reminded him there was no way to cook it unless he wanted sushi. He caught one anyway, hoping to impress Tae, but she screamed when the big fish slipped out of his hands and squirmed onto the floor. Wong asked how someone who fought dark ninjas could be afraid of fish.

  After ridding the canoe of its squirmy occupant, Wong explained how he was marked long ago, and how it enabled him to track Kai now. He related to her the prophecy of the Shaolin Temple and how it predicted he would deliver the one who would destroy the Koon Gee.

  Tae noticed that as he spoke, an expression of sadness and reflection grew in his voice. She had seen that expression on him before and it confused her. At first she thought it was worry about the danger they were in, but whenever they were faced with danger before, he was always sharp and confident. This look was different. Maybe it was her imagination; after all, how could she expect to understand him after having only just met him?

  Kai soon fell asleep on a blanket placed across the wooden floor, allowing them to discuss matters at hand.

  “They’ll be waiting for us on the other side,” Wong said. “They’ll want to cut us off before we reach Guilin.”

  “I know. But we’ll be ready for them too.”

  They looked out at the water around them, which was perfectly empty; it provided an ideal surface on which to reflect the moonlight. One thing was certain out in the open water—they were completely alone. No one was sneaking up on them in the middle of the lake.

  “It’s strange,” Tae said, “but even though I know it’s safer out here, I think I’d feel more comfortable back on land. I feel vulnerable just sitting here . . . waiting for something to happen. On land I’m moving, doing something. Here, I’m sitting.”

  “Yeah. The moonlight doesn’t help either, but we’re pretty far from the shore. At least we’ll be able to see them coming easily.”

  Tae looked out at the water and frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever fought on a canoe before.”

  “I hope we don’t have to. The thought of jumping in the water—”

  “Do you think it would come to that?”

  “Well . . . if they were coming at us by canoe, I’d try to intercept them before they got to us. You could stay dry on the canoe with Kai.”

  “Never thought I’d have to worry about Koon Gee on a canoe.”

  “Can you swim well?”

  “I can hold my own.”

  “Dark ninjas rarely take to the water so we probably don’t have to worry about them much. Dagwais are good swimmers, though.”

  “Do you think they’d be able to sneak up on us by swimming? Should I be watching for that?”

  “No. They’d paddle out to us by canoe first and maybe jump in last minute. The water is too cold for them to be in it long.”

  “Let’s just hope they don’t find us then.”

  “I think that’s something we can both agree on.”

  Tae took a deep breath to settle her nerves. Her thoughts wandered until her eyes finally settled on Kai.

  “He looks so adorable and harmless. Do you really think he’s the one, you know, to bring down the Koon Gee?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Why?”

  “His chi is already manifesting itself. He can sense things. He can connect with the energy of fish passing by. I think he can even see my chi aura.”

  Tae looked back down at Kai sadly. “So this is all for real then. He’s just a little boy. I can’t believe this is happening to him.”

  “Yeah. Me neither.”

  “What will happen to him? I mean, when he’s safe . . . after all this.”

  “He’ll train at the temple.”

  “Will he become a monk?”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  Tae smiled. “Why not?”

  “No reason. I’m kidding. I know many a nice monk.”

  “Will you stay with him at the temple?”

  “Me? Um. I don’t know what’s going to happen . . . It’s complicated.”

  “It always seems to be.”

  Tae could sense Wong was heavy with reflection once again. He was a complete mystery to her, and for some reason she found herself wanting to decipher him. Out on the field, he was focused and intense; when he was fighting, he was downright frightening; but with Kai, he was different—light-hearted and humorous, almost childlike. It made her wonder what he was really like away from all the chaos. And then there were moments like this, when his vacant stare masked something deeper inside.

  “You all right?” she whispered.

  “Hmm? Oh . . . yeah.”

  “You seem reflective.”

  “Just being vigilant. Listening for the enemy.”

  “Hear anything?”

  “Three canoes approaching from the west, and four over there.”

  He said it in such a matter-of-fact manner that she guessed he was kidding, but wasn’t sure until he smiled.

  “That’s not funny. It’s not easy to tell when you’re kidding.”

  Wong motioned his eyes toward the completely open and barren waters.

  “Well how was I supposed to know you weren’t using some crazy chi power? You know, since you’re the Weapons Master and all.”

  “Sorry,” he said, without really meaning it.

  “Does everyone really call you that?”

&nbs
p; “Weapons Master or crazy?”

  Tae rolled her eyes. “What do you think?”

  “They all think I’m crazy.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “No really—”

  “Yeah. Most people refer to me by that . . . Weapons Master.” He tried to hold back a smile.

  “That must not get to your head.”

  He detected sarcasm. His face brightened and he spoke more excitedly.

  “In the west, some call me the Iron Man-Dragon.”

  “Hahaha! No way!”

  “Yeah they do. I like that one.”

  “That’s kind of ridiculous. And a little tacky.”

  His face turned serious. “It’s menacing. It’s what the people want.” He made a fist. “Iron Man-Dragon.”

  “I didn’t know you were such a goofball.”

  “Goofball? Few would ever dare call the Iron Man-Dragon goofball for fear of their lives.”

  Tae continued to laugh. “So not a goofball, then?”

  “No, that’s pretty accurate.”

  “Why do they call you that?”

  “Iron Man-Dragon or goofball?”

  “Stop it!”

  Wong smirked. “That one isn’t too popular, actually. A lot of people call me Iron Dragon, others Man-Dragon, and somehow the two morphed into Iron Man-Dragon. It probably has to do with the Dragon Arm.” He nodded toward the staff. “It’s not made of iron, though.”

  “I noticed that in the forest the other night. It grew blades when your chi infused it. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “It can change shapes to a certain degree.”

  “Do you think I could do it?”

  “Probably not. It’s temperamental. It only responds to my chi.”

  “Oh. Too bad.”

  Kai stirred in his makeshift bed and kicked out a leg. Tae eyed him as he squirmed around before finally settling on a comfortable position.

  “So what do you think they’ll call him?” she said.

  Wong looked at Kai. “He shall be called Fierce Monkey.”

  Tae laughed. “And me? What would they call me?”

  Wong thought about it for a moment. “You will be called . . . Rock Lily.”