Cole awoke because something was poking him in his left side. He opened his eyes and looked around, confused. He had fallen asleep sitting up, and now he found himself leaning against the rock at the pond of heavenly peace.
The thing that pricked him was a branch. He shook his head slightly, trying to become fully awake. Then he remembered that he had shimmered here in the middle of the night because he hadn't been able to sleep.
After some minutes at the pond he had fallen asleep immediately. It was such a deep sleep that not even the full burning down sun had awoken him.
"You're getting old Turner", he said to himself, "You never used to sleep that deep." He would be dead by now if he had.
He stood up, stretched his legs and arms, and did some exercises to get his circulation going. His right shoulder still felt numb. He touched his face with his hand. He urgently needed a shave.
If the women saw him like this they would think he was a vagabond. Just as he was about to shimmer to his room, he heard some noises.
He stopped the shimmer and listened closely. It sounded like two men arguing. Again, he didn't understand a word because they were speaking Chinese. Probably Zin's husband had come home, and very likely, Ming's father was also here again.
He was glad that he had sat on the side of the rock that was turned away from them, so Wu Wei hadn't seen him. He was sure the man would have attacked him.
While Cole listened, he started wandering down the path of dreams towards the source of the quarrel. He was curious about Zin's husband, and also a little worried about Wu Wei.
His gut feeling told him that this man was dangerous. His demonic senses were never wrong in this department. Now there was also a female voice in the dispute. He recognized Zin's voice; she was as calm as the day before.
When he had almost reached the end of the forest he heard a cry of pain. Then the shouting stopped, and a deadly silence fell upon the place. He started running towards the clearing where the house stood as fast as he could. He had a very bad feeling.
When Cole reached the end of the forest, he scanned the surroundings, as he always did. Wu Wei was there, as he had expected. He held a knife in his fist and stared at his family angrily.
Zin was crouching on the ground, cradling a man's head – probably her husband's - in her lap. She was pressing her hand down on his abdomen fiercely, a tense expression on her face. A pool of blood was forming next to the man as Cole surveyed the scene.
The man was lying very still. Cole couldn't tell from a distance if he was still alive or not. Ming was standing some metres behind her grand aunt. Petrified and with an ashed-faced, she stared at her father.
She had her hands clasped over her mouth, and her eyes were almost popping out of her head. She didn't even try to run away when her father advanced upon her and seized her arm violently.
"Let her go", Cole roared towards Wu Wei, stepping out of the forest and approaching them cautiously. He avoided any quick or threatening moves, not wanting to provoke Wu Wei to hurt his daughter, too.
Their head of the family turned at his voice.
Zin looked very troubled but no tears were coming from her eyes.
"Mr. Turner, please, just keep out of it. It's not your fight", she called to him.
She tried to keep her voice firm but a slight tremble betrayed the intensity of her feelings..
Ming's glance flickered helplessly around the people around her, looking from her wounded great uncle, to her sorrowful aunt, then to her seething father and finally coming to rest on Mr. Turner, who had just shown up miraculously. Her arm hurt, excruciatingly from the force with which her father held on to her.
Wu Wei measured the stranger with an angry glance. The stranger had disturbed his business yesterday already. It looked like he had to get rid of him.
The stranger was tall and looked trained. But Wu Wei refused to be intimidated by this man, who ever he was. The stranger didn't know who he was up against. So Wu Wei didn't stop walking. He marched on determinedly, pulling his stumbling daughter along behind him.
Ming didn't fight her father. She was too shocked that her father had attacked her grand uncle. It was unthinkable for her that he could have raised his hand against his family. Stunned, she let herself be pulled after him.
"Wu Wei", Zin called out in English, so that Mr. Turner could understand her too, "Nephew, please let him be, he is a guest in my house. I can't bear the disgrace if he were to get hurt while under my protection".
Zin desperately tried to reason with her nephew. It was a very bad thing if a host couldn't protect guests. It would result in a loss of face for her family. That was worse than death to her.
Cole heard her plea but he wasn't about to stop either. He blocked Wu Wei's path.
"I said, let her go", Cole repeated calmly, but every fibre in his body was tense.
Wu Wei stopped and looked at his aunt.
"Zin, I didn't plan to disgrace my own family. Your husband was just too stubborn for his own good", he snorted. "Tell your guest to back off and I won't harm him."
Family honour was still something Wu Wei esteemed highly.
"Mr. Turner please, let him pass please", Zin begged with Cole, "I can't have your life on my conscience."
"Don't worry, I can look after myself", Cole answered.
He wouldn't back off. Wu Wei wasn't going to leave with Ming; he would not allow it. The two men measured each other with hard glances.
Zin remained silent. It was obvious that Mr. Turner wouldn't listen to her. His manner had changed considerably. No trace was left of the charming man she had invited to her house.
He looked at Wu Wei with hard eyes and a dangerous calm. It looked as if he wasn't afraid of Wu Wei, who stood with his knife just a few steps away.
Suddenly, Wu Wei let go of Ming's wrist. He jumped forward, trying to stab Cole. But Cole had foreseen an attack like this. Smoothly he sidestepped the deadly dagger, caught Wu Wei's hand, dagger and all, and twisted it. At the same time he used Wu Wei's own momentum to send him flying to the ground.
Wu Wei cried out in pain as his wrist twisted and he involuntarily let go of the dagger. He rolled over and was on his feet in seconds again. He was a trained martial arts fighter, but he had underestimated his opponent. He growled deeply in his throat and attacked again, this time without the knife.
Wu Wei managed to get in some kicks and blows at Cole, but Cole wasn't bad at martial arts either. Wu Wei got his fair share of hits too. After some back and forth both men were panting heavily but still looking at each other with unrestrained hostility.
Wu Wei was bleeding from his lip while Cole was still unharmed. Wu Wei was inwardly furious. This stranger abashed him.
Wu Wei was known to be one of the best martial arts masters around Hong Kong and he couldn't even manage to draw blood from this stranger, who wasn't even Chinese.
"If you go now, I won't harm you", Cole offered condescendingly.
He had kept his demonic power in check, but he was getting tired of fighting Wu Wei off.
This statement infuriated Wu Wei. He felt the urge to crush the stranger's arrogance. He reached inside his trousers and took out another dagger and showed it threateningly to Cole.
"I offer you the same", he snarled at Cole.
He didn't really mean it; he just wanted to goad his opponent into letting down his guard.
"I don't think so", Cole informed Wu Wei, but he risked a side glance at Zin and her husband. He had better hurry, the man was losing too much blood.
This was the distraction Wu Wei had waited for. With a quick move he threw the dagger towards Cole, aiming for his heart. Cole saw the movement just in time to jump out of the way, hitting the ground hard.
Wu Wei was spurred on and leaped for the dagger he had lost before, but by the time he reached the dagger, Cole was on his feet again.
Wu Wei threw the newly recovered dagger with a victorious smile on his face and called out some words. Cole didn't understand them but their meaning got to him in a blink.
While coming towards him, the dagger split itself in three. Instead of one dagger, three were coming his way. Wu Wei had used magic.
Cole decided he didn't have to hold back any longer. He leaped out of the way and simultaneously conjured an energy ball, which he threw at Wu Wei.
He wasn't able avoid all of the daggers, one hit his left upper arm and cut through his jacket and into his flesh.
Wu Wei was totally unprepared for the energy ball that hit him. It knocked him off his feet and threw him back several feet.
Cole rolled over and was on his feet immediately, another energy ball ready in his hand. But Wu Wei didn't move. Cautiously, Cole stepped nearer.
"Lift your hands so I can see them", Cole ordered as Wu Wei started moving again and struggled to sit up.
He looked, at Cole, bewildered by the shining ball in his hand, but obediently he stretched his arms out before him.
"What are you?" Wu Wei hissed at Cole.
Wu Wei's chest hurt badly. His clothes were scorched and smouldering slightly. A big hole marked the place the energy ball had hit, and the skin underneath was red and burnt.
Wu Wei felt like he had tapped into an electrical circuit. This stranger had magical abilities too, no doubt about that.
"Someone you better not piss off", Cole answered menacingly, "The first was just a warning". Cole tossed the energy ball playfully in his hand, "The next will be stronger."
Cole had used only a low voltage energy ball. He hadn't any intention to kill Wu Wei. He was Ming's father, after all.
"If I see you here again, I won't have mercy", Cole informed Wu Wei with a cold stare.
"No one orders me around", Wu Wei spit out defiantly and scrambled to his feet. He swore to himself to get back at this creature for his humiliation.
"It's your choice", Cole answered unconcernedly, "I informed you of the consequences."
With his free hand he grabbed Wu Wei by the collar and shimmered out with him.
Zin and Ming stared at the place Mr. Turner and Wu Wei had been only a second before. It was empty. The two men had vanished into thin air. Then they looked at each other.
"What..", Ming started but was interrupted by Zin.
"Later. Now, hurry, Ming, call a doctor!".
She looked down at her husband. His face was haggard and cold sweat had formed on his forehead. His breath came in fits and starts. He wouldn't make it much longer.
"Of course", Ming scrambled to her feet and run towards the house as fast as she could. Doing something was better than thinking about what just happened.
"You have to hold on, darling", Zin soothed her husband, cradling him softly.
Not 10 seconds later, Ming sprinted back from the house, a desperate expression on her face, "Aunt Zin, the line is disconnected, the phone is dead".
She let herself fall next to her aunt. "What do we do? If we just had a Mobile phone", she half-sobbed.
Zin bit her lip. She had always objected to Mobile phones on her property. It disturbed the free flow of the chi, the life energy.
"Then we have to get him to a doctor by ourselves", Zin decided. She stood up, determined. She wouldn't let her husband die.
"But how?" Ming objected, still crouching next to her uncle, "the car is outside the property. I don't think we can carry him all the way. Besides he would lose too much blood. Maybe I can help him." Ming suggested.
Zin looked at her for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, Ming, it is worth a try."
Ming took her uncle's hand and started chanting the same words over and over again. Zin looked at her great niece hopefully. Ming was a strong witch, maybe she could help him.
At this moment Cole shimmered in again. Zin noticed him immediately.
"You are back", she stated, "but who is this?" She looked at the blond man standing next to Mr. Turner.
"Leo is my brother in law", Cole told her, "He is a healer."
Leo had already seen the reason Cole had brought him here and was crouching down next to the man.
Leo threw a surprised glance at Cole. The man wasn't Chinese -- he looked Caucasian. Cole shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't had time to take a close look at the man before.
Ming looked at Leo suspiciously but didn't stop chanting. Leo looked at her inquiringly.
"What are you doing", he asked, gently.
"I'm trying to give him some of my strength", Ming answered.
Leo took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'll take care of him now, Miss. Please step back a bit."
Ming hesitated but the men's gentle eyes and quietly confident voice convinced her. She let go of her uncle's hand, stepped back and took her aunt's hand instead.
The two women watched, unbelieving as Leo placed his hands over the wound and a bright white light appeared. After a few seconds there was no trace of the wound left. Leo stood up.
"He is fine now. But he will be a little faint for the next hours."
The women nodded both but neither moved or said anything. They just stared at the now-peacefully breathing man and at Leo alternately. Leo was a little confused when he turned to Cole.
"You told me they know about magic" he asked.
"They do. We just hadn't time to discuss it in detail, Leo", Cole answered.
He was convinced that Zin and Ming both knew about magic. They had behaved too calmly when he and Wu Wei had shown their magic to not know.
The answer seemed enough for Leo. "Anyway", he said, "we should bring him inside".
tbc
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A/N: If you read unitl here, please leave me a short review on the way out :-)