Chapter Eight- Battle at the Castle, Take Two
Shifu's mouth dropped open, and he quickly closed it.
"The Tri-Dragon of Death?" he said. "Us?"
Junjie nodded. "Think about it. When we first read this book, was this back there?"
Shifu shook his head. "But, even so, do you have any other proof? A picture doesn't necessarily cover it."
"Not even if it magically appeared?" Junjie pointed out. Shifu shrugged. "Well, if you need any more proof, hold your right arm out." Shifu obeyed, confused. Junjie grabbed his hand with his right paw and Fenghuang grabbed both their hands in her right foot. Suddenly, a symbol appeared on their arms/foot, showing a glowing Chinese dragon circling their forearm/leg. Shifu pulled his hand back, and the mark disappeared.
"What was that?" he demanded.
"The mark of a Dragon of Death." Fenghuang said. "Every member has one. It usually only shows when they touch."
Shifu rubbed his head as a headache came on. "This is way too much to absorb at once."
"I knew it would be." Junjie nodded.
Shifu suddenly glared at him. "How long did you know about this?"
"About the Tri-Dragon of Death?" Junjie said. "Only a few months, when I found the picture of us in the book. The mark only confirms it."
Shifu shook his head and sighed. "So what now?"
"We attack this afternoon." Junjie said. "A soothsayer gave me a prophecy that the Tri-Dragon of Death would fight a great evil and prevent China's destruction. I believe this is Jiao-long. If the prophecy is truly happening, then we are China's only hope."
Shifu stared at the picture of him, Junjie, and Fenghuang in the book. He looked down at his arm, where the Dragon of Death mark hid. "What about the Siren's Gem?"
"We still intend to retrieve it." Fenghuang assured. "There's no way we're letting Jiao-long keep it for very long."
Shifu nodded in understanding. He looked down at the book one last time. "I'm in. If you're truly out to stop Jiao-long, then I'm with you. But if anything goes wrong-"
"Nothing will." Junjie assured. "We'll move out in a few hours."
STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR
"This is never going to work." Shifu whispered. "They'll see us coming before we get there."
"Not every plan requires stealth." Junjie protested.
"What about the archers?" Shifu asked.
"Why do you think we're hiding behind Taotie's machine?" Fenghuang pointed out. "Besides, Jiao-long will never suspect us to be crazy enough to charge right through the front door." Shifu groaned, but he didn't say anything else.
"On my signal." Junjie told the Rebel Army. "Ready?" He waited for a moment. "Now!" Taotie revved his machine and shot forward with the group right behind him.
In the watch tower above the door, Jiao-long was inspecting the security. He could easily hear Taotie's machine and ran to the window. "Archers! Fire at will!" The archers fired arrow after arrow at the machine. The rebels were protected from behind the wood. Taotie and Bian Zao managed to duck to avoid the projectiles. Taotie shot arrows right back at the archers. A few gorillas fell off the wall. Taotie drove the machine right through the front gate. Jiao-long barely had time to jump to safety before the watchtower collapsed. He ran to the edge of the wall and watched with amazement as the rebels started their battle with his army.
"Get down there and help!" Jiao-long ordered. "Now!" The archers abandoned their posts and ran down. Jiao-long ran right in the middle of the battle, leaping over the rebels and diving under elephant and gorilla legs. Shifu noticed him. He growled and followed the lizard, Junjie and Fenghuang right behind him. Jiao-long slipped inside the doors of the castle and slammed them shut. Shifu slammed into the wood. He tried to pull it open, but kicked it in frustration when it didn't budge.
"He's locked the door." He informed Fenghuang and Junjie.
"Then we find another way in." Fenghuang urged. She looked up and saw a window high above them. "Hop on." She knelt down and Shifu and Junjie climbed onto her back. She flew up high and into the window. An elephant was there to greet them. Junjie flipped off Fenghuang's back and aimed a sharp kick to the large mammal's forehead. Shifu shot a chi attack at the elephant's stomach and the elephant flew down the hall and landed in a heap on the floor.
"Let's go!" Junjie ordered. The trio ran down the hall, jumping over the elephant.
"Where exactly are we going?" Fenghuang demanded.
"We're looking for the Siren's Gem." Junjie answered. "Where would that be?"
"I don't know." Fenghuang replied. "That's why I'm asking."
"Wait a minute!" Shifu skidded to a halt. Junjie and Fenghuang stopped as well. "Are you telling me you have no idea where we're going?" Junjie thought for a moment and then smiled sheepishly. Shifu slapped his forehead. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Sorry." Junjie shrugged. "Didn't go into the details."
"Why wouldn't you-" Fenghuang suddenly slapped a wing over Shifu's mouth.
"Someone's coming!" she hissed. The three of them scaled the wall quickly and hid up in the rafters as Jiao-long came walking down the hallway, flanked by two elephants.
"There aren't very many of them, sir." One elephant said. "But our men are being beaten. What should we do?"
Jiao-long stopped walking; right under Shifu's hiding spot. Junjie noticed and shook his head. Translation: don't attack. Shifu didn't look very happy, but went deeper into the shadows.
"Hold them off as long as possible." Jiao-long decided. "I'll be there momentarily with my machine. How is the old soothsayer?"
"Still in his cell, sir." The second elephant reported. "He won't move."
"Good." Jiao-long nodded. "I'm afraid his execution will have to be private. Such a shame; I had a spectacular show planned. Oh well. At dusk, move the old cat to the private execution chambers."
"Yes, sir." The second elephant nodded and ran off.
"You go help the men." Jiao-long told the first elephant. "I'll be there soon." The elephant saluted and ran off. Jiao-long chuckled to himself. "Oh, what a surprise they're in for." He laughed as he walked off. Once he had disappeared, the three warriors dropped to the ground.
"I officially hate him." Junjie muttered.
"He said an old soothsayer was in the dungeons." Shifu said. "Chao met a cat that was a soothsayer. His name was Jien. He gave Jiao-long the prophecy that told of the Siren's Gem."
"Then he might know where it is!" Junjie realized. "But where would the dungeons be?"
"Most likely below the castle." Fenghuang guessed. "We should hurry. If that cat's going to die at dusk, we want to beat Jiao-long to him." The trio ran off. They sprinted down hallways and leaped down stairs, knocking out any guards they encountered. But it took at least an hour before they found a door labeled "Dungeons".
"Be careful." Shifu warned as they quietly opened the doors. "We don't want to be found." They snuck in through the door and looked around. Two doors lay before them. "You two go in through the right. I'll go left. Jien is an old lynx. Find him and free him. We'll meet here." Junjie and Fenghuang nodded and disappeared through the right door. Shifu entered the left one. He looked in every single cell and noticed most of them were empty. I hope Jiao-long doesn't execute all his prisoners. He thought. He got the end of the first row and found a door at the end of the short hallway. He listened for any sounds and pushed it open when he heard nothing. However, he instantly regretted it after finding a variety of execution devices inside. Shifu shut the door and grimaced.
"That was not pleasant." He muttered, feeling a little sick. He started down the other side of the hallway and stopped halfway down. Inside one cell was an old cat, a lynx, with its back turned to Shifu. "Jien?"
The lynx's ears perked up and he wearily turned. "Chao?" he whispered.
"No, but I'm a friend of his." Shifu introduced. "My name is Shifu." Jien turned all the way around to look at Shifu. His eyes softened and he sighed.
"I know you." Jien said softly. "You're a Dragon of Death."
Shifu stared. "How do you-"
Creak
Shifu's ears turned to the door, and then his eyes did the same. He noticed the door had been opened. Shifu stood rooted in the spot, his ears swiveling around for the slightest noise and his eyes travelling around the hallway. Nothing could be heard but his low breathing. Suddenly, Shifu felt a force slam into him and a set of arms constricting his chest.
"You're alive!" a girl's voice squealed.
Shifu stopped struggling from the person's grip when he heard the voice. "Lily?" He felt the panther hug him tighter. "Lily, I can't breathe!"
Lily suddenly dropped him. But her smile was still on her face. "I can't believe it! We thought you were a goner!"
"Yeah!" Ling suddenly flipped down from the ceiling. "Don't scare us like that!" Chao appeared behind Ling.
"How did you escape?" Chao asked incredulously. "Last time I saw, you were surrounded."
Shifu rubbed the back of his head. This is going to be hard to explain. "That's not important right now. It's a long and complicated story and you wouldn't believe me anyhow."
Lily and Ling gave him identical looks of confusion. "What are you talking about?" they asked.
"Just help me!" Shifu urged. He walked up to Jien's cell door and gave the lock a hard punch. The door flew open. "We have to get Jien out of here." Ling walked in after him and pulled a hairpin from behind her ear. She picked the lock to the shackle on Jien's ankle and helped the old lynx to his feet.
"We'll take him back to our camp." Chao said.
"Did you see what's happening in the courtyard?" Lily said. "All of the Jade Palace's enemies, fighting Jiao-long's forces!"
"How are they doing?" Shifu asked.
"Pretty well, actually." Ling admitted. "Taotie's got a pretty sick machine out there."
"We should go." Lily urged. "Those guys are causing a big enough distraction for us to escape." Lily helped Ling support Jien as the three of them hurried off. Shifu was about to follow when Chao called him back.
"Shifu, why are our enemies here?" Chao demanded. Shifu saw a hard glare in the lizard master's eyes.
"Is now the best time to ask that?" Shifu questioned.
"You know why." Chao continued. "It seems like they've formed their own army. Can you explain that?"
Before Shifu could speak, the door flew open, revealing Junjie, Fenghuang, and Junjie's leopard students. "We couldn't find the soothsayer!" Junjie reported. "But we-" His eyes widened when he saw Chao. "Oh, Master Chao." He laughed awkwardly. "How nice to see you." Chao suddenly dashed towards the fox, but Shifu grabbed Chao's tail and held him back. The elder master whipped around to him.
"Shifu, you let me go or so help me-"
"If it weren't for Junjie, I wouldn't be alive!" Shifu blurted out. "I'm not that willing to admit it, but it's true. Like I said, it's a long and complicated story. But we can trust them. I know we can." Chao stared deep into Shifu's eyes, searching for any lies or fear from a threat. But there was none. Chao growled and yanked his tail from Shifu's grasp. He turned to Junjie.
"Don't try anything funny." He warned. Junjie nodded. Chao turned to Shifu again. "What's the plan?"
"Junjie, Fenghuang, and I are searching for the Siren's Gem." Shifu said. "We were going to ask Jien where it might be."
"Then we should catch up with the twins." Chao said. "Quickly!" He led the way as the others followed. They ran off but stopped short when Lily and Ling grabbed Chao and Shifu and pulled them aside.
"We have a problem!" Ling whispered frantically. She noticed the rest of the group and frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Long story!" Shifu waved it away. "What's wrong?"
"Jiao-long just wheeled out something big, metal, and very scary!" Lily said in a rush. Everyone gave her a look of utter confusion. She gave an exasperated sigh. "Just look!" She pointed out a nearby window. The group looked and their eyes widened.
"What the devil is that?" Shifu asked, shocked.
"Something big, metal, and scary." Fenghuang replied.
Jiao-long had another machine. But this one was made completely of metal and twice the size of Taotie's machine. A spiked helmet was on top. Three mechanical arms were one either side of the machine, each one with an axe, a hammer, or a giant crossbow. There were multiple slots and holes in the front of the machine, and Jiao-long was shooting flames and shurikens from them. Jiao-long's army was running and the Rebel Army was scattering. Jiao-long threw out everything his machine had to offer, and every hit caused shouts to ring out.
"We have to retreat!" Taotie yelled frantically. "We can't take much more of this!"
"What about Junjie, Shifu, and Fenghuang?" Bian Zao protested. Su was suddenly thrown into the machine.
"They said not to wait for them!" she reminded him. "We have to go!" Taotie swung his machine around and floored it. The wooden machine, badly damaged, sped towards the safety of the forest. The Rebel Army was right behind it.
"They're running?" Lily groaned.
"That was their orders." Junjie nodded. "The plan was supposed to work differently."
"So what do we do?" Chao asked.
"We can't fight and keep Jien safe at the same time." Ling said.
"Is any more of the army here?" Shifu asked.
"No." Chao shook his head. "Just the twins and me."
"We have to find the Siren's Gem." Fenghuang urged.
"No, there's no time." Lily intervened. She readjusted Jien, who was half-limp as he hung between Lily and Ling.
"But we-"
"Quiet!" Shifu snapped. "Look, let's worry about finding a way out first, and then got from there." Everyone exchanged looks and nodded. Shifu led the way this time, taking them back up the stairs and towards the throne room. But when they reached the double doors to said room, there were two elephants blocking the way. The first charged with a giant spear in hand. Chao jumped forward, grabbed the spear end, and slammed his elbow into the wood, breaking off the blade. Junjie used Chao's head for a springboard and drove his foot into the elephant's skull. The second elephant went on all fours and charged. Everyone jumped out of the way as he ran down the hallway.
"Guards!" he shouted. "To the throne room! Intruders!"
"Get inside!" Junjie ordered, pulling open the door. Everyone rushed in and Junjie pulled the door shut behind him. Chao shoved the broken spear between the door handles to barricade it shut.
"What do we do?" Fenghuang asked. "They'll be back soon." Everyone looked around. The throne room was empty except for a large golden throne covered in pillows and tapestries all around the walls, showing Jiao-long in all his magnificence. Shifu caught sight of a lone window and ran to it. All that could be seen outside was the forest.
"Over here!" he called. "Fenghuang, can you fly us down to the ground?"
"Of course." The owl nodded.
"How can we trust her?" Lily demanded.
"Now is not the time to argue!" Shifu intervened. "Take Jien and the twins first." Fenghuang nodded and knelt down. The twins were hesitant, but climbed onto the owl's back with Jien. The old lynx looked ready to pass out. "Get them down safely and then come back."
"As fast as I can." Fenghuang assured. She took off and started gliding down to the grass. She landed and the twins helped load Jien off. Fenghuang shot up to the window and took down Junjie's leopard students. Then she flew up for the last load. "Let's go! Quickly!" Junjie climbed on, Shifu right behind him. Chao stood back, still suspicious.
"Chao, come on!" Shifu persisted. "I won't leave you behind."
That hit Chao like a ton of bricks. Like how I left you behind… He thought. He looked up at Shifu, who had a hand outstretched. Chao took Shifu's paw and the red panda pulled him aboard.
"Hang on!" Fenghuang warned. She began her decent towards Jien, Lily, and Ling.
Then, out of nowhere, a shuriken impaled Fenghuang's wing. She jerked and cried out in pain. Chao slipped and Shifu grabbed his hand. But he too began falling. Junjie, thinking fast, grabbed a fistful of Fenghuang's shirt in one hand and took Shifu's hand in the other. Fenghuang desperately flapped her unhurt wing to soften their landing, but the four of them crashed landed on the ground. They stood quickly as Jiao-long's machine burst through the wall, shooting flames, arrows, and shurikens. A group of elephants surrounded the warriors, who stood ready to fight.
"Fools!" Jiao-long shouted. "You can't possibly win alone!" He aimed his two giant crossbows at the warriors. The twins, Shifu, Junjie and his students, Chao, and Fenghuang stood in a circle around Jien. Two thoughts ran through their minds: protect the soothsayer and try to make it out of there alive. Jien fired two large arrows…
…..which were deflected by about a dozen Ladies of the Shade. The rest of the dancing troupe, along with Song, Po, and the Mongolian Fist Demon, burst from the trees.
"They're not alone!" Po shouted.