Demon Hunters (Chi Warriors Book 2) Read online

  “Why did you move out here? Why aren’t you at the temple?”

  “So many questions.”

  He returned and laid down a pile of wood, flickering flame to life with a metal striker, a flint tool he designed to create sparks. A few seconds more and a healthy fire crackled, bathing the camp in a warm glow.

  “That’s better, don’t you think?”

  Tae smiled and remembered how Wong could light fires faster than anyone she knew.

  “Thank you.”

  He sat down beside her again, not forgetting her earlier question.

  “I left the temple because I didn’t feel right in it. I needed to come out here to gain clarity. Have peace of mind.”

  “Peace of mind? That’s what the temple is for. You belong there. You should be going through this there, not embracing it alone.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  “What else is happening with you?”

  “I’m growing horns like a zhuk.”

  “Stop.”

  “I wish I was growing horns like a zhuk.”

  “How about your strength? Has it returned?”

  “At a base level, I feel sharper, stronger. My fighting is enhanced but it comes at a steep price. I can’t spike to the same levels as before. My chi fire is completely gone. The Dragon Arm no longer responds.”

  Wong’s voice sounded sad.

  “What do the elders think?” Tae asked.

  “They have no idea. They think there may still be a remnant of the lo-shur that possessed me inside.”

  “They couldn’t purge it?”

  “No. Chi water from the Infinity Pool helped at first but then it made me sick. They are not sure what it means. They don’t sense a demonic presence, but some are afraid it’s dormant. They’re afraid I’ll turn and kill them all. At least that’s the feeling I get.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think if they don’t stop bothering me and talking about me behind my back, I will kill them all.”

  “You are so hard to talk to.”

  “I was just thinking this was going well.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I am just going through a period of adjustment, that’s all. My chi is adaptive. When I was young, I was able to adapt to and manipulate fire energy. I adapted to weapons of all kinds: shurikens, swords, bows, arrows. It all came naturally to me. And when I was marked, I adapted the lo-shur’s nature as well. I could use it to see in the dark. It enhanced my strength and agility. I could sense other marks. Being possessed just took it to a whole new level. I essentially absorbed the lo-shur’s being.”

  “But Kai’s fire devoured it.”

  “Or perhaps just weakened it.”

  “What does it mean?”

  Wong shrugged. “It means my chi is turning dark.”

  “And what does that make you?” Tae asked, her voice shaky.

  “Different.”

  Yinshi growled and rolled over, as if she could sense Tae’s discomfort.

  “So that’s why you’ve moved out here?” Tae said. “You’ve accepted it? Given up?”

  “No, I haven’t given up. I’m embracing it.”

  “I don’t like this path you’re going down, Wong. I think you need to go back to the temple.”

  “I can’t rely on anybody to fix this. I have to figure it out for myself. Everyone thinks I’m broken, and maybe that’s part of the problem.”

  “Maybe they think you’re broken because you’re embracing your demonic chi.”

  Wong shook his head. “They can’t help me. I tried it their way. Now I’m doing it my way.”

  “Why are you even here then?”

  “I’m here for Kai.”

  Tae paused and took a deep breath. “I would have helped you.”

  “You couldn’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you were afraid of me.”

  Silence followed. A sharp crackle of fire popped from a log as it turned to ashes.

  “So,” Wong said, playing with the striker and sparking it. “How are you doing? How’s Shunnan?”

  “Shunnan’s the same.”

  “Anything interesting happening?”

  Tae didn’t want to answer and was reluctant to change the subject, but figured polite conversation was better than antagonizing him. She could always refocus the conversation later.

  “Koon Gee keep trying to move in. Not long ago we pushed out a clumsy ninja clan. Pretty stale compared to what happens here.”

  “I see your training is progressing nicely.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Wong waved his fingers. “Fingertip light.”

  “It is. I’m happy with it, but I feel like I haven’t gotten anywhere in recent months. I was hoping a visit to the temple would change that.”

  “Anything specific planned?”

  “I just sat through Jaguan’s spiritual awakening class. We spent the entire day sitting by the Emerald Pool, harnessing our collective chi energies. Kai was there.”

  Wong smiled genuinely and nodded. “Good. I don’t think I have the patience for that anymore. When did you get here?”

  “Several days ago. I wanted to stop by earlier but they told me you were away and often slept during the day.”

  “Ah. My sleep is a bit erratic. I was away training. Also field testing a new weapon.”

  “Tienkow said you were on a mission with Li. To quell a disturbance in Tanjin with the Shaolin warriors.”

  “Yes, where I trained and field tested.”

  Tae smiled. “How’d it go?”

  “Bad. That place is always a mess but we should have it under control now by now. We build it up; they tear it down. We need to figure something out long term. Li’s still there but I left early. I don’t like being away for long.”

  “Because of Kai?”

  Wong nodded. “So what’s next for you? Training-wise?”

  “Tienkow and Jaguan agreed to sit with me for a while, see what I should do next. It’s nice to get tailored training from the heads of Shaolin.”

  “You deserve it. If you want, I can help you train too. It’ll be just like fighting a demon.”

  “You’re an idiot.”

  Wong’s chuckle was interrupted by a loud horn blast in the distance. He jumped from his seat while the foo dog stood at attention.

  “What is it?” Tae said.

  “Zhuk’s horn. An alarm.”

  More horns sounded.

  He looked at the guardian lion sternly and pointed at Tae. “Yinshi. Protect.”

  In a flash he was gone, disappearing through the night on his way to the temple.

  Tae stood in shock, barely comprehending what had just happened. She summoned light with her fingertips and followed.

  3

  “ARE YOU READY?” Hojin yelled.

  He held onto a lantern tied to a high lamppost, ready to release it so it could swing like a pendulum.

  “Stop asking if I’m ready,” Kai said. “I’m not supposed to know! Just let go.”

  Hojin squinted. “I’ll stop asking when you finally hit one.”

  He let go.

  The lantern swung back and forth methodically. Kai pulled back on his bowstring, blindfolded, and followed the rhythm of the unusual target. When he felt things were right, he fired, but missed by a good three feet.

  “Miss,” Hojin said unenthusiastically.

  Kai reloaded, shifted his aim quickly, and let go.

  “Miss,” Hojin called out again.

  He fired a third, much to the same effect, and took off his blindfold.

  “Was I even close?”

  “Sorta. Why are we doing this again?”

  “It’s training.”

&n
bsp; “I thought you were training to be a monk, not a fighter like me.”

  “I’m training to be both.”

  “Can you even hit it without the blindfold?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Then what is?”

  “The purpose is to sense the flame and hit it not by aiming, but by following the movement of energy.”

  Hojin squinted. “That sounds like cow dung.”

  “Shut up! Wong says I’ll be better than the best archers once I master it.”

  “Really? I don’t see how.”

  “That’s why you’re not the Weapons Master.”

  “You know, maybe you should stop listening to him so much. He hangs out by himself all the time and the other kids think he’s creepy.”

  “Take that back!” Kai yelled.

  He picked up another practice arrow and aimed it in Hojin’s direction.

  “Woah! Relax. I’m just saying.”

  Kai fired.

  “Woah! Are you nuts!” Hojin yelped as he dove out of the way.

  Kai laughed. “I wasn’t really aiming for you. Don’t worry—it was just a practice arrow without a real tip. I thought you were training to be a fighter, anyway. Dodging arrows is good practice.”

  Hojin laughed too. “Okay, let’s see how you like it then.” He strung a real arrow to his own bow.

  “No, no, stop,” Kai said, ducking.

  “You started it.”

  “I was kidding. I’m just frustrated because I can’t hit the lantern.”

  Hojin let up on the bow and approached Kai. “Why don’t we try it my way for a while? It’s easier with your eyes open.”

  Kai nodded.

  They looked at the lantern, which had almost stopped swinging.

  Hojin smiled. “Go for it.”

  Kai reached for a real arrow from his quiver and took aim. He breathed deeply.

  “Good,” Hojin said. “Keep a stiff upper arm.”

  Kai let go. His arrow sailed across the courtyard and cracked the upper portion of the lantern. Glass shattered and the lantern shook.

  “Nice!” Hojin said.

  Kai relaxed his bow arm, satisfied.

  Hojin strung an arrow to follow, aimed, and fired. His shot struck the base of the lantern solidly, snuffing out the light.

  Kai looked at him.

  “I’m not trying to brag or anything,” Hojin said. “But if I couldn’t get off a better shot than a monk, the guys would kill me.”

  They laughed.

  “Okay, let’s find another target,” Kai said.

  They stood in a small courtyard sandwiched between several buildings, an archway, and a staircase platform that overlooked a peak of Mount Shaolin. They were playing in the warriors’ quarters, which was empty now since most of its occupants had been called off to duty. Hojin’s quarters actually resided in a different sector while Kai lived in the temple, but they had sneaked away to practice since it was well past curfew.

  Hojin spotted a target. “How about that? In the window—that creepy theater mask.”

  “Aahh!” Kai jumped. “That’s scary. What’s that doing there?” He looked closer. “What’s it hanging from?”

  The stark white mask hovered in the window. It had a huge grin, red cheeks, and two barren holes for eyes. A chill ran up their spines. Suddenly, the mask moved.

  “Aaaahh!” Hojin yelled. “Did you see it move? Did you see?”

  Kai was silent.

  The mask moved again. Was someone playing a trick on them? The mysterious object started to move out the window. A long black arm and torso followed, then a long, thin black leg. The mask pulled itself out of the opening and stood: a black stick-like figure attached to a mask, seven-feet tall, holding a needle-like rapier.

  Aghast, the boys moved back a couple steps. Around the corner stepped a bright red devil mask carrying a pitch fork. Out popped a third from the window of the opposite building—this one a blue ogre with large fangs and crazed eyes. Another appeared to the left, similar, but green. Their movements were odd and exaggerated.

  Hojin quickly strung an arrow. “I think they’re unan—demonic spirits bound to masks.”

  “This is bad,” Kai said.

  They backtracked.

  The foremost demon took a giant stride toward them with theatrical flare in its movement, as if it were performing the first step of a ritual dance. An unnaturally high-pitched giggle emanated from behind its mask.

  “Well hello Shaolin boys! I am the demon Lafay. Can I play too?”

  More giggles ensued.

  Hojin threatened with his bow. “Stay back!”

  “Aim for the masks,” Kai whispered. “They’re also vulnerable to fire.”

  Lafay’s body tilted ninety degrees so that its face was almost level with their eyes.

  “Why YES Kai! You’re so right!” Its body snapped in the opposite direction almost instantaneously. “But how will you hit our masks when you have trouble with a lantern?” Its voice cracked. “And how will you burn us when there is no fire?”

  The other demons converged. Movement could be sensed along the rooftops, hinting at three or four more stalking creatures.

  Hojin looked for an escape. He eyed the staircase and saw thin shadows moving up it, cast by a lantern on a lower level.

  A demon with a gruff voice appeared. “Stop fooling around! Capture them!”

  Suddenly a loud blast from a zhuk’s horn pierced the night, coming from the direction of the Shaolin Temple. More horns sounded. The warriors were on high alert.

  Hojin looked behind and saw an escape.

  “This way!”

  He fired a shot at Lafay, but the white mask shifted. He pulled Kai’s arm, turned, and ran toward a building, making for an open window. They leapt inside and arched their bows in preparation for any demons hiding within. There were none—but instead of running away, Hojin pulled harder on his bow and turned.

  The blue ogre was the first to reach the window. Mere children would be easy prey, it thought—the lapse in judgment almost fatal—as its head snapped back to avoid Hojin’s arrow. The projectile scraped and ricocheted off its face, sending the unan reeling to the floor. A puff of black vapor wisped from its head at the damage. Lafay giggled at the demon’s foolishness.

  “Clever children!”

  The red devil kicked down the door. Its mask was hidden above the doorframe, so Kai buried an arrow in its stomach as they ran up a flight of stairs. The unan calmly pulled out the arrow and dropped it on the ground.

  When Kai and Hojin reached the second floor, they stopped and aimed down the staircase, looking for any sign of a mask in the narrowed pathway. Nothing moved. The building made for a favorable fighting area, with low ceilings and corridors that restricted the unan’s movements, but the terrifying demons were wise to the danger and stayed out of sight. The silence was unnerving.

  “I got the stairs. You check the windows,” Hojin said.

  Kai frantically looked around.

  “I don’t see anything.”

  “Where did they go? This is weird. We have to get out of here.”

  The white mask popped up in a second floor window, standing atop the shoulders of a lanky comrade.

  “Oh, boys!”

  Kai fired but the demon dodged, shifting its head out of view then back again. It laughed. Another mask peered in from a different window, hanging upside down from the rooftop. A dagger whipped inside but flew astray because of the unan’s awkward balance. Hojin returned fire.

  Kai nudged him. “Let’s go.”

  The boys looked for an escape. If they became trapped inside, they were dead. A demon shifted behind a wall, already inside, causing them to run for their lives. They took a hall toward the back of the building.

  An
unan stepped into corridor, blocking their exit.

  “There is no escape!” it yelled.

  Hojin and Kai released arrows, but the demon was able to shift its mask away safely, despite the crowded quarters. It took a giant step forward and reached out with both arms to protect its face. Kai fired another arrow that landed in its neck. He started to back away, but Hojin held firm with narrowed eyes. Hojin aimed at the mask and then pulled up, firing at the fastenings of a paper lantern attached to the ceiling. The fixture broke free and dropped around the demon’s head, blinding it and causing it to thrash about.

  “Come on!” Hojin yelled.

  He ran past the fluttering demon and swept its legs with his bow. Kai moved in and bashed the unan’s head repeatedly, even though it was difficult to see because it was still tangled by the lantern. The demon flailed its arms in an attempt to block, but then Hojin joined in, overwhelming it with screams and the hardwood ends of bows. Soon its arms stopped moving and the unan’s body lost form, decaying into a puddle of tar-like flesh.

  “Ew!” Hojin said.

  Kai stepped back. “Gross. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Naughty, murderous children!” Lafay said.

  It whipped an arm out, causing Hojin to jump into the side of the wall, barely dodging a flying knife.

  “Run!” Hojin said.

  They bolted to the rear and jumped out a window, bouncing off a tree before tumbling to the ground.

  Kai got back to his feet. “Run to the temple!”

  Unan rounded the corner. Several jumped off the rooftop and out from the building windows in pursuit.

  Kai and Hojin ran along a short path and up a flight of stairs to an adjoining platform. A golden mask of a fat Buddha’s head appeared ahead of them, carrying two flayed short swords. Two more demons appeared through a veranda on the right and another climbed up from the left, hemming them in.

  Hojin looked around frantically, but there was no place to run.

  A well sat in the center of the platform.

  “The well!” he yelled.

  They ran as fast as they could, black shadows converging all around them. When they were almost within reach, Hojin jumped straight into the mouth of the well, Kai right behind him. The demons lunged but were too late as the boys fell away. They crowded around the opening and looked down, incredulous.