The Mark (Chi Warriors Book 1) Read online

  “I could have.”

  They walked over to him sitting in a tree.

  Wong pointed. “Over there.”

  In the distance they saw the dim lights of Yaje Piau.

  “What a relief,” Han said. “I thought at the very least you were going to point out an army unan demons.”

  Wong jumped down from a high branch. “No. It’s clear. Pretty quiet actually.”

  “Not that an army of unan demons would have scared me.”

  “Naturally.”

  They made their way through the rugged terrain, looking forward to civilization. Leaving the cover of the woods, they crossed onto a narrow dirt road toward the village.

  20

  YAJE PIAU WAS an odd village. It was not a place for community or families as there were no real schools or farmlands in the area to support them. Instead, it was a commercial establishment and vacation area, or paradise, as many would call it—a town of exquisite beauty high in the mountains.

  The town flourished around the air transport, the primary attraction and marvel of the area. A tram suspended on Yaje silk cables carried passengers back and forth over the Yangtzhu River, connecting the mountain villages of Yaje Piau and its sister city, Yaje Zhi. Both settlements consisted only of a handful of buildings. There were, of course, the transport stations, several luxurious inns, designer shops for clothing and specialty goods, and a broad spectrum of fine dining establishments. Yaje Piau also housed a temple where Shaolin monks often came to meditate—it was here that Kai’s stealth force was ultimately headed.

  They approached the entrance to the village and were met by a pair of guards. One approached with a torch and sword in hand. His eyes lit up with recognition as they pulled into the light.

  “Master Li,” he greeted with a bowed head.

  Li bowed back. “Good to see you. Has anything happened since I left?”

  “No sir. Everything’s been quiet.”

  “Very well then. We’re going to the temple.”

  The guard let them pass through the town’s massive, ornate gates, which were designed for show rather than protection, and ushered them in. A well-kept stone path dotted with torches welcomed them into the city.

  Within minutes, their fear and exhaustion were washed away by the lavishness of their surroundings. Tae glanced at several closed storefronts and wondered what they sold during the day. Han was drawn to a bistro that was still open. He drew in a deep breath and declared it was a Szechuan-style restaurant.

  Although several pedestrians crossed in front of them, the roads were mostly empty. The recent increase in Koon Gee activity coupled with Li’s order to shut down the transport apparently curtailed the flow of visitors to the sister mountain retreats.

  As they walked, they drew odd looks from the few that remained. They were an intimidating group to behold, full of well-armed and seasoned fighters, which seemed to unnerve the peace-loving locals around them. Li suggested that they conceal their weapons as best they could, which resulted in less nervous looks, though the level of interest remained the same. Han tended to attract attention wherever he went due to his massive frame, and as Wong noted, most of the men looked at Tae. A few women may have shot glances in his direction too, though he was oblivious to it.

  An inn appeared to the right of them. The building looked like the manor of a wealthy lord, with grand architecture and carefully sculpted gardens. It reminded Han of a larger version his own home.

  Tae admired it enviously. “I wonder if our perks include staying there tonight.”

  “Most likely not,” Han said. “I know the owner. He is cheap.”

  “Zhozang can’t get in anyway. He got kicked out,” Genji happily disclosed.

  Zhozang grumbled. “Minor incident with the innkeeper’s daughter. It was not my fault.”

  Group laughter ensued.

  “There are plenty of rooms at the temple,” Li said. “And no innkeepers’ daughters.”

  They continued down the path to a narrow fork in the road. Veering right, they proceeded to the temple, which was secluded from the rest of the community on top of a hill. Two sources of light illuminated its bright white walls, making it easily visible from their vantage point on the path below.

  “It’s like a miniature version of the Great Temple,” Han said to Kai, who had never been to either place.

  They gazed up at it.

  Kai found it a little intimidating as it stood out sharply against the darkness. He felt he had seen it somewhere before, perhaps in a dream.

  As they drew close, more details came into focus: symmetrical columns lined the entrance, stone masonry covered the exterior, and the two sources of light that illuminated the walls were actually large metal cauldrons of fire.

  A temple steward greeted them at the steps of the building. He was dressed much like Li, though simpler and with less grandeur.

  “Greetings, master. It is good to see you again,” he said with his head bowed. “Wong. Han.” He turned and bowed accordingly. He even bowed to the rest of the party.

  “Greetings,” Li said. “Tell me, have you any news since I last left?”

  “Little. We shut down the transport as you instructed and haven’t been in contact with Yaje Zhi since. There’s been no sign of trouble yet, but—” The steward paused for a brief moment and glanced toward the temple. “Elder Woo will be glad to see you. He’s been troubled of late and has been in constant meditation.”

  “Then I shall see him straightaway.”

  “Very well.”

  With a gesture of his hand, the steward led them inside. They walked into a great hall with space large enough for the temple monks and visitors to practice their chi exercises indoors. Large columns dotted the expansive room, with smooth and unblemished masonry covering the walls.

  They angled right, into another corridor and up a flight of stairs. Finally, they reached a chamber where the temple master meditated.

  He sat alone in an unlit and barren room, facing a window where a beam of moonlight shone through. He was an old man, with gray that dropped to his shoulders.

  “Master,” interrupted the steward. “Sorry to disturb you, but we have visitors. The Shoukui has returned.”

  The old man rushed to the door.

  “Ah, Li. Welcome. Welcome,” he said warmly, grasping his guest’s hand. “Ah Wong too I see! It has been too many moons since you last came to visit, young man.”

  “Forgive me—I’ve been busy,” Wong said.

  He greeted everyone else in turn, and then stared at length at Kai. The old man’s eyes flashed back and forth between the individuals, carefully reading their faces and taking in the situation.

  “Perhaps some water and rest for you all,” he said, finally taking his eyes off Kai. “It has been a long trip no doubt. Come. Zu-Jhi will show you the way.”

  The elder ushered the party out of the chamber, except for Li, who remained behind. The room grew quiet as the sound of footsteps drew away. Woo walked away from Li and toward a window.

  “How are you, elder? What troubles you?” Li finally said.

  The elder stared out quietly for another brief moment without breaking his concentration. With his back still toward him, he spoke in a frail but serious tone.

  “Just this morning I sat in this very chamber meditating and sensed a growing threat. The Koon Gee have begun invading the provinces with forces thought depleted and now they draw near the mountain retreats. I can feel it. An ill wind blows this night from the north.” He turned to face Li. “So your return this night comes as no surprise. I see you have brought the marked one to Yaje Piau. Tell me—does the Shoukui believe he is the chosen one?”

  “He does bear a mark.”

  “Do you believe it’s him?”

  “Wong does.”

  Elder Woo took the news with under
standing. Being fully aware of the prophecy, he asked for no further explanation. “It is a most perilous time then.”

  Turning back toward the window again, he pondered the news for a few more moments.

  He sighed. “What can the brothers of Yaje Piau do for you?”

  “Nothing is asked of the brothers. However, perhaps there is something you can do.”

  Elder Woo raised an inquisitive eye.

  “Kai’s mark. It can only be dispelled at Shaolin, but perhaps here, it can be tempered?”

  “Perhaps. I will try what I can. A human mark is a thing rarely seen. And the lo-shur demons—they are a formidable power.”

  Li smiled. “As is an elder monk.”

  Elder Woo grinned back and drew a deep breath. “I shall attempt it then.”

  “I have faith in your abilities.”

  “Most of the brothers have left in aid of the besieged territories, but I can offer you the few monks that remain.”

  Li contemplated his offer. “Is there a Shaolin-worthy warrior monk amongst you?”

  “No, just temple stewards. Good men. This is but a simple place. For show more than function.”

  “I am afraid a handful of apprentice monks will not help us now. Send them out in aid of the weak . . . that will do more good. Use them to watch the roads into the city. For now I am in good company.”

  “I worry about the path ahead of you, Li. If Yaje Piau had more to ofter, I would give it.”

  “I know, elder.”

  “Fine then. I will post more guards and watches throughout the night . . . first to the more easily traveled roads surrounding the city. As the mark draws evil here, that is the immediate threat.”

  The elder shook his head while looking out the window. He then turned and began walking toward the door.

  “Come, come, no time to waste. Let’s see what can be done about this mark.”

  Elder Woo, Li, Wong, Tae, and Han sat in a darkened room gathered around Kai. Genji and Zhozang were not present, as they were tasked with organizing Yaje Piau’s defenses with the monks and guards outside the temple.

  The elder stooped next to Kai with a glint in his eyes.

  “Ah yes. I can see the mark. Three red streaks across his shoulder, and the energy that emanates from it.”

  No one else could see what the elder was talking about. To them, Kai appeared the same as usual.

  Tae’s curiosity grew. “You can see it? Can you sense it too, like Wong?”

  “No, I can only see it with some effort. Here, let me make this easier.”

  A metal goblet of burning tinder was prepped. Into it, he placed a number of objects, including blue powder and a scroll of revealing. Up flared a familiar blue light, though more intense than the one created by Chi-Yun back in Dailan. Kai looked hesitant, for fear of what he knew would appear.

  “Hmm,” the elder groaned as three red marks materialized on Kai’s arm.

  His vessel did more than Chi-Yun’s, however, by exposing an additional level of detail: a red glow radiated from the mark like lines of energy that spread across the room and into the walls.

  “This is what you saw?” Tae asked.

  “Yes, but with less clarity.” He waved his hands through the visible red energy. “I cannot feel it as Wong does but I can repel it with my own chi.”

  He raised both hands and cupped them as though he were holding a large ball. As he did, the red light stopped around Kai as if an invisible force field had been cast around him.

  “The Koon Gee will not be able to detect him now. Unfortunately I cannot keep this up for long.”

  He let his hands fall and red energy filled the room once again.

  “Let me try,” Li said.

  His eyes grew bright with chi and he did the same.

  “It is much easier to contain when you can see it,” he admitted.

  Han spoke. “I wonder if you could take turns containing the energy while we walk undetected all the way to the temple?”

  Li shook his head. “I think ten minutes would be the limit of my ability. And once my concentration is broken, the energy escapes.”

  He let his hands down and the field dissipated.

  “Can the other monks here help?” Tae asked.

  “Few monks have the ability to contain lo-shur energy, even if we were in Shaolin. Unless—Wong?”

  “I don’t think so. I still have trouble with the light orb.”

  He reached his arms out and concentrated, but instead of containing the energy, the red light just buckled and shifted according to the shape of his fingers.

  Elder Woo huffed. “You are supposed to cast your chi to block the light, Wong, not manipulate the demon energy itself! Most unnatural are your abilities.”

  He spoke as a confused and frustrated teacher, tempered by years of familiarity. Wong shrugged.

  Woo continued. “I have never treated a human mark before, but there are some basic principles I can apply.”

  He motioned to Zu-Jhi, the temple steward, who handed him a mortar full of a green paste-like substance. This, he smeared on the red marks. Kai noted its strong herbal scent. Woo then traded the mortar for a crystal vial full of liquid.

  “Water from the deepest part of Shaolin’s pool,” Woo whispered.

  He poured the vial slowly over the paste. As soon as the liquid touched Kai’s shoulder, it forcefully burst into a fine mist that clouded the entire room.

  Kai thought it unnatural how such a small amount of liquid could produce so much fog. A cooling sensation shot out from the mark through his body.

  A deep and powerful incantation could now be heard. A voice came from all around them and echoed through the walls. Tae thought the old man, once frail and gentle, suddenly menacing. A white aura enveloped him as he drew his power about him.

  The mist whirled eerily around in the blue and red light, pushed by mysterious currents of air. The incantation grew increasingly intense, to the point that it seemed as if the sound was coming from inside them.

  The voice soon subsided and the mist disappeared. The room was as it had been before—quiet, and dimly lit by the light of the goblet.

  “It is done.”

  The elder’s face was now calm and serene. His voice returned to a friendly and gentle tone.

  He looked down in disappointment. Three red marks could still be seen on Kai’s arm, though fainter than before.

  “How does it feel?” he asked.

  Kai shrugged. “Same.”

  “It is diminished some,” Wong said. “I can feel it.”

  The elder’s expression picked up. “Is it enough?”

  “Hard to say. They will still come, but the draw is not as strong and focused. He’ll be harder to pinpoint.”

  “Could you still track him?”

  “Yes. And lo-shur for sure. But I’m not so sure about the rest of the Koon Gee. They’ll have a harder time.”

  “Than you?” Han asked.

  Elder Woo explained. “Wong was one with its energy. He understands it. You saw him manipulate it, which, by the way, is most unnatural—”

  He looked at Wong, who shrugged again.

  “—And lo-shur of course know their own mark. But a dagwai? Dark ninja? Maybe not as much. They’ll have a harder time to follow.”

  “Any little helps. You have done well, elder,” Li said.

  Elder Woo grimaced, still unsatisfied with the results. “Sorry I could do no more.”

  “There is one more thing you could do for us.”

  “What is it?”

  “Make contact with Shaolin.”

  Elder Woo smiled. “That I assumed.”

  21

  BEHIND THE MAIN entrance hall, a room faced the back of the temple. It was similar in appearance to the one in front, with tall ceilings,
ornate marble, and unblemished masonry, but different with the addition of one important feature: a bright, clear pool in its far end. The pool was situated atop a raised platform that was lit by metal cauldrons of fire and covered with vegetation. Columns wrapped in ivy extended to the ceiling at each of the platform’s four corners.

  Climbing up the platform’s steps, Woo, Li, Wong, and Kai approached Zu-Jhi.

  Zu-Jhi addressed Woo. “I have made contact with Shaolin. Grandmaster Tienkow awaits.”

  They knelt beside the pool and looked into its pristine waters. Zhu-Jhi stepped off to the side where Han and Tae also waited.

  The elder spread both hands over the water, and summoned it to life with a flash. The water remained perfectly still when the image of an old man with long white hair and a beard appeared. The man in the water narrowed his eyes and looked around as if he were peering at them from the other side of a mirror.

  “Grandmaster,” Woo greeted. “I am here with Li, Wong, and the young boy, Kai.”

  Tienkow smiled whole-heartedly and spoke. “It is of—”

  Unexpectedly, ripples in the water formed and broke up the image of the grandmaster. The sound of his voice became garbled, as if he were trying to speak underwater.

  “Kai, don’t touch the water,” Wong said.

  Kai withdrew an inquisitive hand from the pool and Tienkow laughed. When the water was still again, they continued.

  “It is nice to meet you, curious one,” Tienkow said.

  Kai looked back at the grandmaster curiously, still astonished by the talking image.

  Li spoke. “Kai, this is the grandmaster of the temple. He will remove your mark at Shaolin.”

  “Oh hello. Why are you in the water?”

  “No, young one. I am here in Shaolin, looking into a pool just as you are, though one much larger. To me, it is you who appear in the water. It is a great honor to meet you.” He looked up at the others. “Li, Wong, it is good to see that you have found each other at this most critical time.”

  “We always do,” Wong said.

  Li spoke again. “Master, can you tell me what news there is on the war front?”