Hercules, Jason, and Iolaus sat a Kora's waiting for Lilith. The wind whistled outside and warned of the coming storm that was expected to hit at nightfall. Iolaus look out of the window and shook his head.
"I hope she gets here before this weather sets in." he said just then the door opened and the following gust of wind nearly blew the cadets out of there seats. They immediately jumped up and ran to help Lilith who was struggling against the wind to get the door closed. Hercules single handedly pushed the doors closed and latched them.
"Show off." Muttered Iolaus Hercules smirked
"Hey, he said, "Even you have to admit that the strength of a hundred men does come in handy some times."
No sooner had the cadets returned to their seats than the doors were opened again and a cloak and hooded figure about Hercules' size stood in the doorway his cloak billowed in the wind underneath the cloak he was wearing black leather trousers and boots topped by a red shirt on his wrists and forearms were black leather manacles each with oriental dragons woven into the leather. Over the back of his right shoulder was a beautifully crafted sword handle.
The stranger turned and shut the door. Then he pulled his hood back revealing himself to be a young man no older than any of the cadets. He had handsome rugged features and thick brown hair that was cut short, but his most noticeable feature was his eyes. They were brown like his hair and they were deep and soulful which gave him an air of mystery. He walked up to the counter were Kora was standing. She handed a menu and as he studied it she studied him just like the other girls in the room were doing.
"I'll have the stew and bread," he said quietly. Revealing his warm, smooth bass -baritone voice. Kora scampered into the kitchen to fill the mysterious strangers order.
"Who is that guy?" asked Lilith watching his every move. The stranger had removed his cloak and laid it on the edge of the counter. He sat down on the barstool with his back to the four cadets. He was athletic in appearance and graceful in movement. Just then Kora returned with the food the man had ordered. He picked up his spoon and began to eat quietly. Just then a scruffy looking young man wearing dressed from head to toe in black leather plopped down on his elbow in front of Lilith.
"Hey cutie," he said, "how's about you ditch these losers and hang out with a real man for a change?" before Lilith or anyone else could react the stranger flipped his butter knife over his shoulder where it stuck in the table pinning the man's sleeve to the table."
"Leave her alone." Said the stranger his voice becoming threatening.
"Or what," snapped the other boy jerking his sleeve free. He and the stranger stood face to face, their noses nearly touching. "I show you the real meaning of pain." Growled the stranger.
"Oh, I'm real scared," snapped the other boy.
"Yeah," said the stranger glaring, you're scared all right I can see it in your eyes.
The other boy reached for his sword.
"Go ahead," said the stranger his glare becoming even more deadly, "Skin that toad sticker and see what happens."
Suddenly the stranger slapped the other boy across the mouth.
"I'm getting real tired of you." Said the other boy working hard at looking unafraid. The stranger slapped him again splitting his lip and drawing blood.
"So what," said the stranger, "are you going to jerk out that sword and go to work or are you just going to stand there and bleed?!" several second passed and the other boy did nothing.
"Yeah that's what I thought," said the stranger he grabbed the other boy's earlobe, dragged him to the door and threw him out. Closing the door he turned around and walked back to the table where Lilith was sitting gazing at him with shining eyes. His features became soft and peaceful again.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, thanks." She said, she held out her hand, "I'm Lilith by the way," the stranger flashed a million-dinar smile and gripped her arm, "I'm Lee son of Cranstis."
Later at Chieron's Academy

The four cadets sat in the dormitory of the academy with their new- found friend. And listened as the storm came to an end.
"It was very nice of you to invite me to stay the night here at the academy."
"You're welcome," said Iolaus, he looked around at the walls, "it's not a bad place to stay as long as you don't eat the food."
When Lee didn't respond the cadets looked over at him he was staring at the wall not moving a muscle.
"Lee," said Hercules stepping toward him, " are you all right?" he leaned up to study Lee's face for a response and suddenly stopped short and looked again he could have sworn that Lee's eyes were glowing red, but when he looked again they were normal in appearance. Intelligence flowed back into Lee's features, then he turned and darted toward the door.
"Lee where are you going?!" asked Hercules. Lee turned to face him.
"This may sound crazy," said Lee, "But there is a tribe of amazons very near here that is under attack right now!!"
Herc's eyes widened.
"Cyane!!"

TBC

The Shadow warrior part 2

Lee raced down the path toward Amazon territory with Hercules and the other cadets at his heels as they approached the Amazon's camp they could hear the sounds of a battle raging. Bursting through the trees surrounding the Amazon camp they found Cyane and handful of Amazon warriors surrounded by black clad warriors. Cyane raised her sword to give the last battle cry for her tribe when suddenly she hear a familiar voice yell,
"Spread out! Let's take them!" She looked up to see Hercules, Iolaus, Jason and Lilith, Charging headlong into the fight Iolaus took the five on the right, Jason and Lilith took the five on the left and Hercules took the twenty in the middle. Cyane and the Amazons took up the fight with renewed hope. Just as the mysterious bandits were being routed a hood figure appeared flying overhead. He raised his arms and Hercules and his friends were all knocked backwards twenty feet. Just as the hooded figure turned and readied himself for another attack. The cadets suddenly saw Lee fly overhead and deliver a bone crushing kick to the hooded figure's stomach. The figure reeled backwards and slammed into the ground as Lee floated to the ground between him and the four cadets.
The figure stood slowly and pulled his cloak about him.
"Another time my young friend," he said spinning on his heel and disappearing into the night.
Just as quickly the dark clad attackers followed him.
"Who or what was that?" asked Hercules
"I think that maybe explanations are best kept for later." Replied Lee pointing to the wounded Amazons lying on the ground. Hercules rushed to Cyane's side and found that she had been stabbed in the chest. She smiled weakly as Hercules cradled her in his arms.
"If I must die," she said, "I couldn't think of a better place to be than in your arms."
"You're not going to die," said Lee walking forward. Before any one knew what he was going to do he placed his fingertips on her temples and the look on his face became on of pure concentration. Suddenly Lilith let out a gasp.
"Look, she said, "Cyane's wound is healing!" Hercules looked from the closing wound to Lee. There it was again that red glow Hercules could have sworn he saw before. Finally Cyane's wound was completely healed and Hercules helped her to her feet. Without a word Lee move on to another wounded Amazon and another. Until all the wounded had been completely healed.
"Thank you," said Cyane when he had finished
"It was the lease I could do," said Lee, bowing respectfully, "since this attack was my fault, please forgive me." Then he turned and walked off down the path that headed out of the camp and out of the province.
For a few seconds the five friends were to stunned to say or do anything.
"What did he mean by that?" said Cyane wrinkling her brow in confusion
"Yeah," said Lilith, "how could this be his fault? He wasn't even here when the attack started!"
The for cadets took off down the path after Lee who by now was already out of sight. After walking about half a mile down the trail found Lee face down on the ground. Hercules rushed to his side.
"Is he dead," asked Iolaus almost afraid of what the answer might be.
"No said Hercules he's not dead he's just unconscious."

Lee stirred and opened his eyes as his vision cleared he saw four worried faces looking down at him.
"Where am I," he said groggily
"You're back at the academy," said Hercules, "we found you face down on the path in the woods between the Amazon camp and the main road. You've been unconscious for nearly nine hours."
"I though I could hide my fatigue better than that." Said Lee
"You mean that you collapsed from exhaustion." Said Lilith
"Yeah," said Lee, "Healing wounds like that takes a level of physical and mental concentration that is really draining."
"Speaking of which," said Hercules, "how did you do that anyway?"
"I telepathically sped up her own natural healing properties." Replied Lee
"Where did you get this power?" asked Jason.
"That's kind of a long story." Replied Lee
"Well fortunately," said Hercules as he and the cadets made themselves comfortable "we happen to like long stories." Lee pulled himself to a sitting position and was about to began when they heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Then the door burst open. The cadets jumped up and spun around obscuring Lee from view. Their visitors were Cheiron and the Felonious the magistrate.
"Boys,- and Girl," said the magistrate in his booming voice, "I'm here to search the school. Because I got a tip that the man who led the unprovoked attack on the Amazons was hiding here. A man wearing a red shirt and black leather trousers and manacles." Before any of the cadets could reacted Felonious pushed them aside to look at the bed behind them.
"Okay he," He said, "Nothing there" he moved on to another bed. The cadets who had been expecting the worst turned to look at the bed were Lee had been laying and found that Lee was nowhere to be seen and the bed didn't even look like it had been slept in!!

TBC

The hooded figure from the attack walked down a corridor that was lit by torch light. He passed through a door into a large room and stopped in front of an even more sinister looking figure who sat enshrouded in the shadows that surrounded the elevated throne like chair that he was sitting in.
"Report. Kudu" He said in a deep menacing voice.
"Everything is going according to plan, my lord," replied other man dropping to one knee, "Your mortal enemy the Shadow Warrior will soon be at your mercy."
"He had better be, Kudu," said the other man leaning up so his piercing eyes could be seen through the shadows, "I have waited a long time to have that insolent whelp put right where I want him." The cadets looked at the bed then they looked at each other. When they looked back at the bed they were doubly shock to see Lee sitting there smiling at them with the bed right back to the way it looked before they turned to face Felonious.
"Alright," said Hercules walking over to the bed. "Who are you? How did you know about the attack? How did you heal those Amazons? How did you disappear and reappear just know? How-?"
"Whoa, Whoa," said Lee, "Slow down, if you'll let me get a word or two in edge wise I'll tell you." The cadets sat down, made themselves comfortable, and listened as Lee began his tale,
Nearly one thousand years ago my ancestor Lathias (La-thigh-us) discovered that he had the ability to enter other people's minds and to make them say, do hear or think anything that he wanted them to. He found that he was also capable of telekinesis that is mind over matter. At the time my family thought it was just a one -time fluke but three generations later this gift appeared again. That is when my family realized that this gift of a super-charged mind was hereditary. Lathias was traveling in the far east when he came upon an older man who had been wounded he cared for he man and restored him to health in payment for what he had done the man trained Lathias in the ways of the martial arts and promised to that his descendants would train all of Lathias' descendants.
"That doesn't explain what you did earlier this evening at the Amazon camp or how you even knew about the attack." Said Jason
"I'm getting to that," Replied Lee, "I'm the first one in my family in over a century to have this gift. My supercharged mind gives me many abilities. For instance I have a special sixth sense called second sight it works like a danger signal. That is how I knew the Amazons had been attacked."
"You mean you had a vision?" asked Lilith
"Sort of," replied Lee, "sometimes it is a vision and some times it is just a mental picture,"
"But how did you heal the amazons?" asked Iolaus.
"Remember how I said that I could enter peoples minds and control them?" asked at a nod from the cadets he continued, "Well I can also take control of their bodily functions."
"Really," said Iolaus looking hopeful, "can you make the Amazons kiss me?" Lee rolled his eyes.
"Don't push your luck Iolaus," he said then turning to the other cadets he continued.
"As I was saying, I took over Cyane's bodily functions and accelerated her body's own natural healing process."
As for the little disappearing act that I just pulled well the truth is I didn't go anywhere I have the ability to telepathically cloud people's minds so they can't see me."
"So we were seeing what you wanted us to see." Said Hercules
"That's right," said Lee, "with that little trick I can render myself quite invisible to your eyes."
"What about the flying you did at the attack," asked Lilith
"That was just an internal telekinesis." Answered Lee.
"Well," said, Hercules, "you've told us about your powers now tell us about yourself." Just as Lee was about to start Kora came bustling into the room she was carrying a tray.
"I heard about what happened," she said, she smiled sweetly as she sat the tray down next to Lee, "Lee I brought you some food." On the tray was a pan-fried catfish with all the trimmings with a small basket of dinner rolls and a drink. Hercules glanced over his left shoulder. Iolaus sat there at Hercules immediate left and was quite obviously ogling Kora with his eyes Lilith, on the other hand, was watching Kora as she played nurse to Lee and staring daggers at her behind her back.
"Uh, Oh," thought Hercules, "nothing causes more trouble than when two girls have eyes for the same guy,"
A dark and sinister figure sat back in his throne and retreated even more into the darkness that seemed to pervade his presences. He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. Making the only noise that broke the eerie silence in the room.
"When the final phase of my master plan is complete, we will have our final showdown, Shadow warrior," said the man. An evil smile crossed his face and a vase across the room exploded into a thousand fragments, "And when it comes you will fall!!"

TBC

SHADOW WARRIOR PART 4

The four cadets burst through the doors the next morning to find that lee was not in the bed, a note left on the bed said, "OUT IN THE COURT YARD," the cadets hurried out side and stood there spellbound. Lee had removed his shirt and was doing Tai chi. He seemed oblivious to there presence. His movements were smooth and graceful and were backed by controlled breathing. The movements were almost hypnotic in there affect on the cadets. Finally he finished with a deep breath. Immediately he became aware of the presence of his friends.
"Morning," he said with a smile as he pick up his shirt Lilith made a mental note of his sinewy, well defined chest and muscular arms.
"That was beautiful," said Hercules, "what is it?"
"It's called Tai chi which means 'the origin of motion." Replied Lee, "It is an art that uses special breathing and fluid motion to relax the body and focus the mind."
"Lee," Said Hercules changing the subject, "you still haven't told us why you think that that attack on the Amazons was your fault." Lee took a deep breath and set down on the edge of the well.
"It would make the most sense if I started at the beginning," said Lee, "when I was nine years old my family discovered that their long kept secret had returned and that I had the power of the mind. They sent me to the orient to study the martial arts under Master Yang. He taught me to control the telekinetic powers that had already emerged, and then he taught me to expand my powers. The summer that I turned 15 a new teacher arrived his name was Shang Khan. He and his son Kudu were also gifted with powerful minds. Although not as powerful as mine they were and are still formidable foes. The trouble between Kudu and my self started almost immediately. He seemed determined to best me at everything. It was at this point that Master Yang showed me the Shadow warrior prophecy that was written by an oracle and given to him when he was a boy because the Oracle Knew that he would be the one to train the next shadow warrior it said.

THEY COME

THE BRAVEST OF WARRIORS

THE NOBELIST OF HEARTS

HIDDEN FROM THE EYES OF MEN

WEILDING THE POWER FROM WITHIN,

THE POWER OF THE MIND

WARRIORS FROM WITHIN THE SHADOWS

NOW AND FOR ALL TIME

Hercules, Jason, Iolaus and Lilith sat there in silence for several seconds after Lee had finished reciting the prophecy.
"You and your family are the warriors that the oracle was speaking of, aren't you?" said Lilith
"That's right," said Lee, "and this made Khan Jealous he wanted his family to be the shadow warriors and instead this upstart from the west and his family were named the shadow warriors. They have both hated me for that and have sworn that if their family can't be the shadow warriors than there will be no shadow warriors at all and he has been trying to kill me and my family ever since."
"So," said Iolaus, "that flying warrior that attacked the amazons and us was Khan."
"No," said Lee, "That was Kudu, "Khan always lets his son Kudu do the initial dirty work."
"You said they also have psychic powers," said Hercules looking worried, "can you handle both of them?" Lee nodded
"I can actually handle them easily, "he said, "remember I already said that neither one of them are as powerful as I am. That is why they attacked the Amazons. Because they knew that I would help them and thereby by drain my mental energy, Khan may be twisted but he's not stupid enough to attack me when I'm at my full power he'd get killed."
"I get it," said Jason, "the attack was just a plot to help Khan weaken and kill you!"
"That's right," said Lee he stood up and walked to the crest of the hill nearby and looked down the cliff into the valley below. The cadets followed and found him standing there with his fists tightly clenched.
"You'll pay Kudu, you'll pay," Lee muttered under his breath. Hercules walked up and laid a hand on Lee's shoulder
"Lee," he said "is there something that you're not telling us?" Lee shoulders slumped and his expressions softened into one of sadness.
"You're very perceptive, Hercules," he said, "and you're right. Do you remember I said that Kudu was very competitive towards me?" at their nod he continued, "that all came to a head when Master Chang's youngest granddaughter Kyoko came to study at the school a year later. She was one of the most beautiful girls you've ever laid eyes on. All the guys jumped to show off for her." Blushing at little Lee confessed, "Even I did to. Out of all the guys that she could have had she chose me. We were just a couple of crazy sixteen year-olds who made plans to go away together get married and raise a family, a whole new generation of shadow warriors. But one night I came back to the dojo about midnight from a trip to a tournament and I found Kyoko on the floor of the dojo with a dagger through her heart, Kudu's dagger. He was in love with her too and I guess he decided that if he couldn't have her no one could. I made an oath on her grave that I would find Kudu and make him pay for what he did."
"You really loved her didn't you?' said Lilith Lee nodded and held up his arms
"She is the one who made the manacles that I wear," he said, and then lowering his voice he added, "These manacles have a secret that can be quite deadly Kyoko said that the little secret was her way of looking out for me even when she couldn't be around me."
Hercules put his arm around Lee and together he and the rest of the cadets started back towards the academy.
"Lee," he said as they walked, "Killing Kudu isn't going to bring Kyoko back."
"You don't understand," said Lee, "In the Asian world for the soul of a murder victim to be at peace it must be avenged." Before Hercules could respond they were suddenly surrounded by the magistrates troops. The magistrate appeared with Cheiron next to him.
"Lee son of Cranstis," he said, "you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Cyane, queen of the Telequire Amazons." He stepped forward to put the shackles on Lee but before anyone could react Lee grabbed his wrist twisted his arm around and delivered a stiff roundhouse kick to his back that sent him sprawling.
"I'm sorry Magistrate," he said, "But I can't allow you to arrest me right now! There is more going on here than a random attack."
With that Lee turned and jumped over the edge of the cliff. When Hercules the cadets Cheiron and the Magistrate reached the edge of the cliff and looked over Lee was nowhere to seen he had completely vanished.
"That's impossible," said Cheiron
"Except for one thing," said Hercules, "He did it."

TBC
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW