The Mark (Chi Warriors Book 1) Page 27

  She took out her bow.

  Li moved a throwing knife in each hand. “I’ll move in close, you aim for the leftmost ninja. I’ll take out the trailing ninja first, and then we take out the remaining two at the same time.”

  “Okay.”

  Li skimmed the forest for other signs of movement, and when he found none, he darted ahead and closed in. He moved within earshot of his prey. When it looked like he was ready to strike, Tae planted herself besides a crevice in the rock wall and took aim.

  Li whipped his knife into the back of the trailing ninja’s neck and darted forward.

  Tae squinted and hoped that she had enough moonlight to see her target. She could not miss—a simple screech or cry of warning would send the entire army down on their position.

  She let go. The arrow whizzed through the air and into the back of the ninja’s skull. When the ninja next to it turned to react, Li’s knife entered its lung, preventing it from making a sound.

  They quickly pulled the bodies behind the rock walls and out of plain sight. Li fumbled about and removed the garb from an appropriately sized ninja. He pulled it over his own and became one of them. When Tae handed him the only mask that had not been bloodied (Li’s final kill through the back), he balked at the thought. Instead, he took part of another’s outerwear and sliced through it with a knife to form a long black strip that he wrapped around his head.

  “Better than nothing, I guess,” Tae said.

  They pushed the bodies against the wall and concealed them as best they could.

  “You should take lead,” Li said.

  Tae looked at him inquisitively.

  “Ninja skills are better suited for the task than Shoukui,” he admitted.

  She nodded and pulled her mask over her face. Quickly and quietly, they advanced, keeping low to the ground. They made for a spot directly in between two campfires, where confrontation was least likely.

  Tae stopped and surveyed the area.

  “We’ll travel further in, then make for the highest concentration of campfires. I don’t think they would have set up camp too far from a tunnel entrance.”

  They zigzagged across the terrain, ducking behind whatever cover they could find. Deeper in the camp, they could hear the rowdy play of dagwais, and, at one critical juncture, the soft patter of walking ninjas. They proceeded more cautiously than before and took turns slipping across the enemy’s sightlines. Tae cut a path across the terrain, and then, when it was safe, she signaled Li to follow in the same manner. They continued like this for a while before stopping again.

  Ahead of them burned two campfires, and between them, a tunnel entrance.

  “I think we’ve found one,” Tae whispered.

  Her eyes examined the tunnel entrance and then trailed to the surrounding campfires.

  The campsite closest to the entrance was on the left. There, a fire burned brightly and was surrounded by five or six dagwais. Further to the right burned the second campfire. She found it harder to count the number of dagwais there, but estimated a similar number. She was glad to see no dark ninjas.

  The light worried her. “I don’t know if we can get past them. The campfire is too bright.”

  “Let’s get closer,” Li said. “I have a plan.”

  They crawled closer on their hands and knees, stopping behind a rocky outcrop.

  “Get ready to move,” he said.

  He held out his hand with his fingers spread toward the fire. After a few seconds, he acquired a sense of the energy flowing within it. Slowly he bent his fingers, and as his hand closed, the fire within the campsite began to die until it was completely snuffed out. The path to the tunnel entrance was canvassed in darkness.

  “Go,” he urged.

  They sprang from their positions toward the entrance. Dagwais could be heard clamoring as they snuck past them, but only in response to their dead campfire. By the time they reignited it, Tae and Li had already made it past.

  30

  KAI AWOKE IN relative darkness, save the purplish glow of a radiance pool. Its waters were clouded and murky. It bubbled, gurgled, and churned, moved by some mysterious force within. Kai couldn’t remember where he was or how he got there. All he knew was that he was cold and more tired than usual. The air was stifling, and he found it hard to think coherently.

  Out of the darkness, a voice called out, shocking him out of his dreamlike trance and bringing him back to his senses.

  “Little one, what makes you so special?” the deep voice asked.

  The voice was familiar. Kai recognized it as Han’s, though skewed. He did not respond, but sat quietly in concentration.

  Han continued. “For decades we have searched for you. So much time and effort expended. At first there was Wong and we thought the search was over. And so we waited. With fear, yes. With apprehension. But also with hope that our destiny would one day be ours. And now there is you. And you are now ours.”

  A chill ran up Kai’s spine. He sensed movement around him but saw nothing. Lo-shur demons were probably nearby, haunting him in spirit form. From his past encounters with the apparitions, he had become familiar with their presence and it was unmistakable. They were watching him.

  Han emerged from the shadows. His face was lit by the radiant energy of the pool and revealed eyes that were pitch black. Although Kai had suspected it, he crawled back in horror. Seeing Han consumed by the lo-shur was too much for him to bear.

  He eyed his needle gauntlet, which had been removed and tossed in the corner. It was too far for him to reach.

  “Han,” Kai said. “Where’s Han?”

  “Han is gone.”

  Kai’s heart pounded. “What do you want?”

  The gruff voice chuckled. “You already know.”

  “You can’t possess me.”

  More chuckles followed. “No, not yet, but soon. We have been trying but your spirit resists, even when unconscious. It is an odd thing which makes us even more certain that we must have your power.”

  “You won’t.”

  “But it has already begun. Here. In this room. Now. The radiance pool is affecting you. Lo-shur are circling overhead. Your spirit will weaken and we will turn you.”

  Fear swept across Kai’s face.

  “You will become one of us,” Han added.

  Kai backed away in anguish until his back pressed up against the wall. He leaned against it for support, then rested his head between his knees, tears in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around his ears to drown out the sound of Han’s voice. His body weakened and his mind began to drift away. Whatever Han, or what was left of Han, said would happen was true. He could feel it. His mind was fading.

  He had to fight it. He closed his eyes and tried to shut the world away, with a small prayer that Wong would come for him.

  “Never,” he whispered.

  “You better hope we succeed, because otherwise we will have no use for you. And if we have no use for you, then we will surely kill you.”

  Again, laughter echoed across the chamber.

  Wong leaned against a tree trunk to rest and catch his breath. He had been running nonstop ever since his battle with the lo-shur and needed a break to reassess matters. While he sensed Kai moving at first, he noticed that the mark was now stationary. Its draw had also diminished somewhat, as if he had gone back into the quor mine.

  He drew a deep breath and wasn’t sure what to make of it. Perhaps his friends were merely resting, though they knew better than to stop for long—the woods were too dangerous for it. Maybe they had encountered more enemies and were now engaged in battle. Perhaps they were all dead and Kai was captured.

  There was only one way to find out. He started back up again.

  31

  TAE PEERED AROUND the corner and listened for signs of movement. All was quiet, except for an occasional voice or h
iss in the distance. She motioned Li forward, and the two moved down the narrow corridor together.

  Oil lanterns hung from the walls, making it possible to travel without use of the light orb. Though neither knew where they were going, they kept on moving, believing that Han and Kai were somewhere inside.

  They emerged from the corridor into a large space. Cool, damp air circulated in the expanse. Several lanterns lit the circular enclosure, but the room was tall enough that the light did not reach the ceilings.

  Three more tunnels could be seen other than the one they had just stepped through.

  Tae whispered, “Which way now?”

  “One tunnel is as good as the other, I suppose.”

  They moved in inquisitively.

  Tae noticed an inscription next to the tunnel in the middle. “Look here. It says, To Central Chamber.”

  Li moved over to another entrance. “This one says, Defensive Wall South.”

  Tae read the final inscription. “Defensive Wall North.”

  She walked back to Li.

  “Central Chamber sounds promising.”

  “Agreed.”

  They started toward the center tunnel, but a light from inside it emerged and grew stronger. Something moved toward them.

  “Quick—hide,” Tae blurted.

  They ran to the corner of the room and tried to take cover behind several supply barrels, but a lantern hanging overhead cast too much light on them. Just as the travelers from inside the tunnel reached the room, Li reached up and clenched his fist. Instantly the overhead light went dead, like the campfire outside the tunnel entrance.

  Several creatures entered, the foremost carrying a lantern that was the source of the tunnel light. The lantern bearer was a lone dagwai followed by two dark ninjas and a zhuk kwai. All were clad in elaborate garb or carried special insignias that indicated some degree of importance. They moved silently through the room and exited from the same tunnel that Tae and Li had just entered through. After a few moments, they came out from hiding.

  “Did you notice their clothing?” Li said. “They are commanders.”

  Tae could tell by the tone of his voice that this was of special significance. She looked at him inquisitively.

  “They are probably relaying messages to their troops from the lo-shur.”

  Tae understood. Where the lo-shur were, Kai would be, and the tunnel the officers had just passed through would probably take them there.

  “I think that’s the right tunnel, then,” she said. “I wonder what the message is.”

  “I suspect they are planning to mobilize soon. Go back to the Koon Kagi.”

  “We have to find Kai fast.”

  “Agreed.”

  Li grabbed an oil lantern off the wall before heading into the tunnel, as it was completely unlit. Better to use the light of the lantern, he figured, than to drain his chi and create his own light. The color and intensity of the orb would give them away from a distance as well, but with a lantern, they’d look more like all the other soldiers walking through the passageways.

  They traveled at a brisk pace but were hesitant to move too quickly. The warm glow of the lantern peeled back layers of darkness to reveal well-traveled floors and gaps in the walls. Some of the gaps led to dead ends, while others to different parts of the cavern. They kept to the main path they were on, believing that it would take them to the lo-shur.

  Sounds of the enemy echoed from afar. A draft overhead could be felt.

  “The air stirs,” Tae whispered. “Is there an opening nearby?”

  “No, but there are shafts dug in above us.”

  He held up the lantern to cast light on the ceiling.

  “There,” he pointed. “A shaft that leads to the surface. There are many. They are meant to provide circulation in the tunnels, and even light at certain times of the day.”

  Tae was surprised at the enormity and intricacy of the complex. What she had originally thought to be a simple cavern was in reality a well-built fortress. One filled with Koon Gee, she thought, as another threatening sound came from within.

  Her pulse quickened. Another disturbance could be heard somewhat closer. She listened. Voices. And the unmistakable clank of metal.

  Quickly Li put out the lantern, and the two backtracked to a spot where they had last seen a gap in the wall. Any confrontation was too great a risk, no matter how few the enemy. If they were spotted and an alert was given, the entire Koon Gee army would flood into the tunnels after them.

  Li looked back and saw a dimly lit lantern turn the corner. He urged Tae toward the gap. Even though they were beyond the reach of the lantern light, he feared they might still be seen by the dark ninjas.

  They reached the gap and pulled out of sight, hidden behind a crevice in the wall.

  Quietly and patiently they waited as the Koon Gee soldiers traversed down the hall. Though they dare not look, they could tell by the sound of their footsteps they were dark ninjas. Nervous moments passed. Tae held her breath, afraid even the sound of it would alert them of her presence.

  The soldiers came and left. Sounds of their footsteps grew increasingly faint until they could no longer be heard. After waiting a few more seconds, just to be safe, Li poked his head around the corner and stepped out from the crevice. Tae followed and the two skirted down the passageway once again.

  “That was close,” Tae said.

  “The first of many, I fear.”

  Soon the passageway opened up and it was no longer apparent which direction they should go. Several different paths now appeared before them. They chose one at random, wasting no time to decide.

  “Something tells me this is going to be harder than we thought,” Tae said.

  Li agreed. Without Wong, they had no means of tracking Kai and were left haphazardly searching for him in the middle of an endless maze. It seemed like an impossible task that made him wonder if the time would eventually come to abandon their search altogether. He wasn’t even sure if Kai was there or still alive.

  Ahead, another lantern appeared. Li turned and put out his own, but it was too late. A voice called out to them—an unintelligible cry of a dagwai. The intonation of its voice was calm, indicating that it had not made them out yet. It probably just saw their light and hailed them.

  Tae and Li moved back to the cover of a wall crevice. They waited silently, hoping the dagwai would turn back, but it kept on walking.

  More footsteps could be heard now. Tae counted three distinct walking patterns.

  “What do we do now?” she whispered.

  “It is too late to run. They will see us.”

  “Then we’ll have to take them out before they can warn anybody.” She reached for a throwing star.

  “Wait. I have one more trick. If it fails, then we pounce.”

  He poked his head out from behind the crevice and knelt so they wouldn’t see him. Tae waited patiently, unsure of his plans, but ready with her ninja star.

  When the dagwais drew within proximity, he reached out his hand and started the light orb. It sprang to life not in a flash so that it would startle them, but slowly, beginning with a dull and tiny speck that drew their curiosity. It floated and danced through the air like a firefly, captivating the dagwais as it drifted toward them. It slowly grew in size and pulsated rhythmically, lulling them into a dreamlike trance. Li chanted an incantation and snuffed out the light from their lantern with his other hand, so that only the illumination of the orb remained to mesmerize them.

  “Sleep,” he lulled. “Sleeeeeeep.”

  Slowly, the dagwais’ eyelids began to droop, until they did not open again. The creatures crumpled to the ground motionless. Li turned to Tae and nodded.

  “Let’s go.”

  They rounded the corner.

  Tae examined the bodies. “They’re asleep? You put them to s
leep?”

  “Yes. It was first taught to me by the monks for use on animals. It doesn’t always work.”

  “It’s a good thing dagwais aren’t very bright, then,” she said, tiptoeing past the sleeping lizards. “Amazing.”

  She looked nervously down the hallway, watching for more soldiers. “What now?”

  “We keep looking.”

  They continued on through several corridors without direction.

  Li sighed. “I wish my brother were here. We are running aimlessly.”

  “We have to keep to the plan. They are here. We’ll find them.”

  “I have not given up hope yet, but the hour may come when we must seek a different path. Live to fight another day. The Shaolin warriors are mobilized. The Tibi Plains are just beyond this ridge. They should not be far.”

  “Storming this fortress with an army may not end well for Kai. And if they get away and move Kai to the Koon Kagi, he’s lost.”

  “You are right. I don’t disagree. Our best chance is to take him away from this place here and now.”

  “We’ll find them,” she said, but when she looked ahead, she froze.

  An apparition floated in the corridor. It turned, looked at them, and shot down the tunnel away from them. It blended in with the shadows and moved with such silence that it made them second-guess what they saw.

  They glanced at each other for a brief moment and then bolted after it.

  “Is this a good idea?” Tae shouted.

  “We have no other. Perhaps it will lead us to Kai.”

  They ran as fast as they could, but could not catch up to the lo-shur.

  The air stirred and an unnatural breeze swept past their faces. Li dropped his lantern and lifted his free hand. Instantly, the light orb burst into existence ahead of them and revealed a charging and mutated lo-shur ninja. It howled at its discovery and closed the distance between them rapidly.

  Li moved to the forefront and waited for the lo-shur ninja’s first strike. It came ferociously.

  Tae was about to jump in when she heard more noises in the distance—dark ninjas. A squadron had probably been patrolling nearby when the lo-shur came and possessed one of their members. The lo-shur they were supposed to be chasing.