The Eleventh Scroll (Chronicles of a Magi) Page 9

  LeOmi added, “I got the same feeling when she challenged me.”

  Mr. Fontaine said, “It is no mystery why she did this. She wants everyone to believe she is an inept martial arts student. That is what she did in China. She lost badly every contest she had in public. When no one could see, it was a different story. That is how she killed my wife and got away.”

  The major said, “Then you’d be foolish to go alone to meet her.”

  “Of this I am sure,” said Mr. Fontaine. He nodded toward his associates. “These two trained under Ms. Vanmie. With them, I will be safe.”

  Mark said, “One of my swords was stolen and we believe either she or her apprentice have it. If you face that sword, you’d better have more backup. That sword can slice right through any sword you might have, and I’d prefer the ruler’s granddaughter not be harmed.”

  “I have heard of this sword. So, you are the one that has it.”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “How do you suggest I proceed?”

  “Go alone. We’ll watch in Spirit Sight and be there if we’re needed.”

  “That was my plan with my associates.”

  “Sounds like a plan. We’d better get some sleep.”

  * * *

  The night sky was cloudless, stars shining in all their wonder above. Venus, just a finger width above the southern peaks, was the brightest object in the heavens. The air was still and filled with the odors of village life depending where he stood on the roof.

  LeOmi appeared by his side. “You’re up earlier than you need to be.”

  “Thought I’d look around to see what I could.” He pointed to the mountains. “Fontaine’s camp is there. Nothing is moving anywhere else.”

  “I take it you’ve already checked the meet location.”

  He nodded and pointed, “Narrow cave up and to the left. It connects with a hand dug tunnel that connects with another cave.”

  A very large meteor streaked overhead trailing a rainbow colored tail and continued without fully entering the atmosphere.

  “You’ve got your staff, right.”

  “I do now. I picked it up when I got the hamburgers. I didn’t want to be making rainbows when I showed the sword so I left it in my room.”

  “You should keep it with you from here on out.”

  “I will.”

  His guards appeared. The major said, “You really should wake us when you go out.”

  Mark nodded, “I just expected to take a quick look. I’ll wake one of you in the future.” He thought it better to make the promise now than have one of them guarding him around the clock.

  LeOmi pointed, “They’re building a fire.”

  Ray said, “Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey.”

  Mark sat and said, “Let’s get to work.”

  Fontaine and his associates were brewing coffee while they munched on dried fruit and nuts. Evidently, they weren’t concerned about Pei-Pei waylaying them.

  The major motioned for the guard’s spirits to fan out. They came back a few minutes later.

  Rudy said, “All clear, nothing moving.”

  Samantha said, “Same here.”

  Ray said, “Saw a field mouse, that’s it.”

  The major pointed up, “Spread out and get where you can see anything coming. Since Naomi can fly, I expect this one can too. Keep your eyes open.”

  A few minutes later, Fontaine stood and started moving toward the clearing. His associates lay down and entered Spirit Sight. Anyone seeing them would assume they were asleep. Their spirits followed him.

  Mark’s group followed overhead and behind. The associates never looked up all the way to the flat area below the third tallest peak.

  Fontaine stopped and called, “I’m here as you instructed.”

  Ray pointed up and behind them. “Could be a bird, but something is flying up there.”

  A moment later Pei-Pei came into view and descended to the ground below them. As soon as she touched down, she ran up behind Fontaine. She had several things strapped across her back looking like several weapons. She stopped twenty feet behind him, drew a sword with a springy blade and held it ready.

  “Stand still! Do not turn!”

  Fontaine stopped and held his hands out a little by his side. “You should surrender.”

  “You are a fool! Stop chasing me or die!”

  “I cannot let you go. You killed my wife.”

  “Your wife was foolish to challenge me. She deserved my blade. Will you challenge me?”

  “I will bring you to justice, maybe not today, but some day.”

  “Your wife is dead; that cannot be changed. My crime was to steal back a manuscript that had been in my family for a thousand years.”

  “That manuscript was stolen from us more than a thousand years ago. You had no right to it. It is rightfully ours.”

  “You may have it back if you stop chasing me.”

  “I am not chasing you for the manuscript. You murdered my wife.”

  “You will chase me no more!” She began running toward Fontaine with her sword poised to run him through.

  Mark shouted, “Now!”

  Fontaine’s associates remanifested into her path with their swords drawn.

  Mark’s team remanifested closer to Fontaine.

  The associates swung and she ducked. Their swords swung down to block her blow toward their legs as her momentum carried her past them. She turned and struck the taller associate, with her hand, five times on his torso in different places. Her strikes were so fast it was almost as if she were using Maode Maharaw. That associate didn’t move; it looked like he might be paralyzed.

  LeOmi swung her sword and everyone else dropped theirs. She stepped forward to engage Pei-Pei. “Surrender!”

  Pei-Pei’s left hand was out in a flash and a red powder puffed into the air in front of LeOmi. She crumpled to the ground.

  Mark popped an oxy-cap and put an oxy-mask on while Pei-Pei was striking the other associate the same way she’d struck the first one. He stood unmoving.

  He picked up his sword and a hand on his shoulder pulled him back. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Ray wearing an oxy-mask. His other guards were too.

  An automatic rifle appeared in Rudy’s hands. Just as he was about to shoot, a figure dropped out of the air above him and a sword sliced through the rifle.

  This new person was dressed in bright golden silk with a bright red silk scarf wrapped to hide the features of her face. The eyes looked like Naomi’s. She backed toward Pei-Pei, her sword, Mark’s stolen sword, poised, threatening his guards.

  The guards stepped in front of him and moved as a unit to engage Naomi.

  Pei-Pei pulled a blowgun from her back, loaded it and fired a dart at Samantha. Samantha’s sword knocked the projectile to the side.

  Pei-Pei leapt into the air in an arc over their heads. At the same instant, Naomi lunged forward striking the major’s sword, slicing it in two. Ray swung and she parried, slicing his sword in half too.

  Pei-Pei landed behind them wielding a pair of trident looking weapons with a foot long center tong. The outer tongs were much shorter.

  Mark turned to face her, his katana poised for defense.

  Her attack was fast and ferocious. It was all he could do to block her blows until everything started moving in slow motion. When that happened, he let go of his sword, removed her weapons from her hands and tried to pin her feet to the ground with them, but the ground was solid stone. Instead, he used her sash to tie her hands together right where they were. He went back to his sword and when things were back to moving at normal speed. He pulled his sword back and swung at her neck, stopping short.

  It took a moment for her to realize her situation. When she did, her eyes widened in fear.

  “Surrender!”

  He thought for a moment that she might. Then, Samantha stumbling into him knocked him to the side. She was engaged one-on-one with Naomi. Naomi’s sword was no longer able to slice through st
eel.

  Pei-Pei leapt into the air.

  He turned and saw his other three guards standing perfectly still. Naomi’s sword swung toward him and he blocked it.

  “I beat Pei-Pei. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  She started circling him and he turned to keep her in front of him. Behind her, Pei-Pei and Fontaine were engaged. She’d gotten her hands free and was using a bow staff against Fontaine’s sword. She was beating him back, landing blows almost as if he wasn’t defending himself at all.

  Samantha regained her legs and started toward Naomi.

  “Help Fontaine, I’ve got this.” To Naomi, “You might want to reconsider. Samantha beat Pei-Pei last night. Pei-Pei might have let her win, but I don’t think so. Now she’ll have to face Fontaine and her at the same time. I don’t think she’ll win. I beat Pei-Pei easily. That sword no longer has power in your hand. Are you that much better than she is without the power of that sword?” He raised his sword to strike hoping she’d bought his bluff. Without Maode Maharaw, he knew he couldn’t beat her and he couldn’t count on that ability.

  Naomi’s eyes showed fear. She stepped back and leapt into the air. When she was about fifty feet up, she called, “Flee!”

  Immediately, Pei-Pei stepped back and leapt into the air.

  Samantha reached Fontaine as he was falling back, a large, round bloody hole in his forehead.

  Mark rushed forward while digging out his healing oil. He touched a drop to the man’s forehead and took out his lantern. His eyes were dilated, he wasn’t breathing and no blood was flowing from the wound.

  “I hope I got to him in time. He needs to get to a healing ward ASAP. You take him and I’ll see to the others.”

  “Why don’t we both take him; the others will keep.”

  He placed his arm around Fontaine’s shoulders and sat him up. Samantha helped him stand him up. Mark stooped and let the limp body fall over his shoulder. “Seventh Mountain, healing ward balcony.”

  Samantha said, “Let’s go,” and closed her eyes.

  Mark and Samantha returned a few minutes later. Everyone that had been paralyzed was still standing and unmoving. They were breathing okay and their eyes were working.

  LeOmi was still lying on the ground. It looked like she’d banged her head when she fell; a large knot was forming, but she wasn’t bleeding. Unsure of the effects of the powder used against her, he touched a drop of healing oil to her head.

  He said, “I’ve never heard of a series of punches that could paralyze anyone.”

  “I’ve heard of it, but only in Wushu myths. You can paralyze an arm or leg with strikes to different nerve centers, but not an entire body.”

  “Evidently you can. In the myths, was it permanent or temporary?”

  “Temporary, as I recall.”

  “Well, let’s lay these guys over and wait. I’ll use healing oil if I have to.”

  About fifteen minutes later the first associate paralyzed began moving. He said in French, “I feel like I was hit by a truck.” He touched the places he’d been hit on his torso and winced each time he did. He looked around. In English he asked, “Is Inspector Fontaine dead?”

  “I don’t know. We took him to the healing ward at The Seventh Mountain.” Mark went to him and offered a hand to help him stand. “You might want to go there and get checked over yourself.”

  The second associate stirred and the first asked in French, “You heard, no?”

  “Oui, we will go see.” He held his hand out to Mark, “S'il vous plaît.”

  He helped him up and the two associates disappeared.

  A few minutes later, his guards began to move.

  The major said, “She sure packs a wallop for such a little thing.”

  Ray said, “Who would have thunk?”

  Mark said, “You guys go back to the citadel and let Mary check you over. We’re going to wait for LeOmi to wake up.”

  The three guards were back before LeOmi awoke. The major said, “Just a few bruises, nothing to worry about.”

  It was ten minutes before she regained consciousness. She looked around and asked, “Are there any hamburgers left?”

  Mark shook his head, “Sorry, they are all gone.”

  Chapter 4

  Mark, LeOmi and Samantha had just sat down on a rug in the dining hall with their breakfasts in hand when his other guards walked in. Mark stood so they could spot him. When they started walking toward him, he noticed they were limping slightly.

  When they got close, he asked, “Are you sure it’s just bruises?”

  The major said, “Deep bruising and possibly some broken ribs, nothing serious. But it hurts like a golf cleat on your hand.”

  Mark handed his plate toward the major, “I haven’t touched it if you’d like it. I can get some more.”

  He produced a half-finished bottle of Cap’n Ben’s Drink. “Mary said the pain killers would make us nauseous and not to eat for a few hours.” He asked LeOmi, “How you doing?”

  “Good as new.”

  Rudy asked, “What are we going to do about this?”

  “We’re going to wait for an opportunity to capture her.”

  LeOmi said, “Henry used to say the Cherokee have a saying, ‘The best bait for a coyote is her cubs.’”

  Mark said, “Pei-Pei is Naomi’s mother figure. Do you think we should turn Naomi in?”

  Ray said, “Absolutely!”

  LeOmi countered, “If she’s taken into custody then Pei-Pei will have to be more cautious. If we threaten Naomi indirectly then Pei-Pei will be more likely to act.”

  Mark said, “Sounds like a plan.”

  He stood and walked to the entrance of the ruler’s room. The guards in the anteroom were playing chess.

  “Hi guys, I need to speak with Elimelech. It is important.”

  One guard stood, pushed the drape back and said, “Mark Young wishes to speak with you.”

  He heard Elimelech’s voice say, “Send him in.”

  When he entered, Elimelech asked, “You are wishing to know what we found in the caves?”

  “I thought you’d tell me when you were ready. I’m patient. I wanted to tell you the sorcerer is one of your people in this village and this sorcerer is a female.”

  “Pei-Pei, we have long suspected, but proof was lacking.”

  “I am your proof. We fought her early this morning. She is a wanted criminal and one of our investigators came here to arrest her. She fought and escaped. My apologies for not informing you about the pending arrest last night. We discussed telling you this morning. I did not wish to wake you for such a minor thing.”

  “Is your investigator giving chase?”

  “He was injured badly in the fight; he may even be dead.”

  “I am sorry to hear this. He was one of your soldiers?”

  “No, but he was a Magi.”

  “It is no small feat to defeat a Magi.”

  “There were nine of us.”

  “Indeed! She is a formidable adversary. Do you think she is still among us?”

  “She fled, but she may return for vengeance.”

  “Then you should not stay here.”

  “Naomi may have known Pei-Pei’s secret.”

  “She will be taken into hiding.”

  “Thank you, sir. We will be leaving tonight. We can take Naomi with us if you wish.”

  “I can think of no safer place.”

  * * *

  The four of the house servants were brought into the kitchen. They all claimed they hadn’t seen Naomi all morning and had no idea where she might be.

  Shimishon said to them, “She needs to go with these people. One thousand birr (about fifty dollars) to the one that finds her.”

  The servants left somewhat enthusiastic about earning a little extra coin.

  Mark said, “Guess we need to look for her. Let’s head to the rooftop.”

  On the roof, Mark and LeOmi entered Spirit Sight while the guards stood watch. It didn’t take lo
ng for them to spot her heading for the dining hall. She had something wrapped in cloth under her arm. Mark remanifested in front of her, LeOmi behind.

  Naomi tried to walk around him, but LeOmi’s hand on her shoulder spun her around, forcing her to stop. Her eyes became wide and she began to shake.

  LeOmi said, “We know you were just trying to protect Pei-Pei. We didn’t tell anyone you were involved and we’re not going to arrest you, but you do need to tell us where Pei-Pei is.”

  Mark said, “And we want the sword back.”

  She handed the bundle to LeOmi. “I do not know where Pei-Pei is.”

  Mark said, “Think long and hard about this. Pei-Pei is a wanted murderer. She knows that what you know about her is a threat to her. She will come for you. Your grandfather wants you to come with us tonight when we leave, for your own safety. We’ll wait until sunset for your answer.”

  LeOmi released her and she walked away.

  * * *

  Mark sat with his back to the wall in Naomi’s home using Spirit Sight while his guards sat in a circle playing pinochle nearby. He’d found the small tunnel that led from underneath the martial arts gym under Naomi’s house to the large kitchen built beside the dining hall. Crisscrossing through the stone, he was searching for a larger excavation, something a person could stand up in, so his passes were about ten feet apart and he’d found nothing. He was surprised to find this tunnel on his way back since it was barely large enough for a person to belly-crawl in.

  Now he was searching for another secret passage connecting the big kitchen to some other location and not having any luck. It dawned on him that the cooking fires would need some type of chimney. He looked and found it carved through the rock of the mountain. There were no passages leading from the inside of it so he decided to search outside. That’s when he saw Naomi emerging from a small outcrop fifty feet higher.

  He followed her as she climbed down the side of the mountain and made her way back to her home. She didn’t go to the door. Instead, she went to the back of the house, looked around then leapt up to the eve, grabbed hold of something, pulled herself up and disappeared into the top of the wall.