Finished: 10th April 2005
Uploaded: 25th May 2005
Chapter 1: Wandering Souls
Kimiko's screams were an unremitting, dizzying sound, a high, tinny note filled with fear. Slowly her glowing red radiance faded, a light being dimmed – and doomed – to darkness. Her flame was gradually being extinguished, and she passed out …
At least she won't die in pain, Jack thought sadly. He looked at Clay, (Omi and Clay's crystals were nearer to each other than they were to Jack's) and saw that Clay was once again hammering against the walls, trying desperately to smash through, even though it was clear that brute force would not be enough to break the magic that contained them.
Wuya ruthlessly continued to drain life energy, Kimiko's essence being siphoned into her hand.
"Mmmmmm …"
She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, as she finally ended the draining spell. His body racked with guilt, Jack closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he leaned tiredly against his wall. Kimiko looked so pale, livid with bruises, while Wuya was rich in colour, emitting the red light that Kimiko once held. Wuya took another deep breath, turning off the red radiance like a light switch, and then held Kimiko's limp body closer, drawing something first on her forehead, and then onto the back of her right hand.
Clay was still banging with his fists, but Wuya made a "Humph," noise, and absently tossed Kimiko's lifeless body aside like a bag of rubbish.
"She's dead …" murmured Omi, a tear falling down the side of his face. How could he have let this happen? He should have been able to stop this … Never before had he felt so much sorrow, so much anger at himself for failing someone … Poor Kimiko … She hadn't deserved this … His first girl friend … he should have been able to protect her … Had all his training been in vain?
Jack was ready to break down with a tiny tear himself, and he was still in physical pain; but he steeled himself once more. He wouldn't give Wuya the satisfaction of knowing she'd got to him.
But Wuya turned around and looked at them directly, a dreamy, contented smile floating on her ravenous face. "That's not quite true," she said. "I've changed my mind. I thought I would spare her body, since her soul belongs to me …"
"Soul?" blurted Jack, now overcome with so much emotion that he wasn't thinking rationally. Wasn't it enough that she had her essence taken; she had to have her soul taken away too? "W-what are you harping on about now? Didn't you take her jing?"
She chuckled, incredulous as to how the Xiaolin Dragons ever expected to defeat her when they were armed with such little knowledge. "Heh. Don't you insects know anything? Use your head for once, Jack."
"How in the world could I possibly know what the hell you're on about?" Jack snapped, shaking with suppressed rage and sorrow. "You never told me anything!"
"Jing is the fixed essence that a living being possesses from birth," said Omi with understanding in his voice, his back facing everyone. He could not quite believe that they were in this situation, that they had lost, that Kimiko was ... gone. He spoke dejectedly, the first time Jack – or Clay – had ever heard him sound so … exhausted. It was as if he had given up. After all, it wouldn't be long until Wuya decided to do what she'd done to Kimiko on them.
"Yeah, I know," Jack said, aware that Wuya had her eyes pinned on him even if he wasn't looking at her. "It's used to make chi, right?"
"But … jing is not just a source of energy. It is a part of everything. Not only is it used to make chi, it constitutes everything that makes a person alive. A small part of this essence is also used to form a person's soul … and Wuya must have absorbed that too …"
"And now," Wuya said, making a ball of red fire appear in her right hand, "her element is mine. Fortunately for you, I have no need to take the essence of her physical body; I've already absorbed plenty of other hapless humans that were unlucky enough to cross my path last night … Still, without a soul, she is nothing but a lifeless doll." She snickered, seeming to find the notion incredibly amusing. "Ironically, it would have been kinder to just kill her …"
"You monster," growled Clay.
Wuya laughed derisively, her dark eyes glowing with intense hunger. The greedy, dreamy look was far more scarier than the heated ice one, a belittling gaze of triumph over her captives, over her prey. "I must admit, her essence was far more delectable than that of those worthless humans … But it's merely whetted my appetite. Feasting upon your spiritual essence will give me great pleasure.
"Hmm," she drawled after a deliberate pause, purposely taking her time, "whose element should I take next?" She used the Sun Chi Lantern to take away all four of the boys' chi energy, and Raimundo suggested: "Omi."
"Yes, why not?" she assented. Chosen of Metal were an unpredictable quarter - you could never really tell where their true powers lied - but Omi was still probably the biggest threat out of the three. The Water element was a powerful one, and Omi was definitely the most skilled fighter.
She licked her lips, and Jack blinked. This was crazy. She really did want to eat them … or at least their jing, anyway. Even Clay was starting to feel like they were dishes at an all-you-can-eat buffet. But then her voracious look vanished, replaced by one of controlled anger and alarm. She turned away sharply; with eyes narrowed deep in concentration, it looked as though she was sensing something. Omi gasped as Wuya, still with her back facing them, waved her hand to make his crystal disappear. He remained suspended in the air by a levitate spell.
"Wait!" yelled Jack.
"Let him go!" yelled Clay.
"Quiet, maggots, and wait your turn."
She wasted no time with her next Xiqu spell. She knocked Omi out and down to the soft grass with a black-purple energy ball, hurriedly bending down over his unconscious body and immediately draining essence.
Omi …! Clay thought, with a rush of anger. Omi's blue essence was fading fast, flowing into Wuya, and there was nothing he could do to stop it ... But it occurred to him: she was taking it a lot faster than she had taken Kimiko's …
Why's she doing it so fast? What does she know that we don't?
Something's got her spooked, thought Jack, a meagre glimmer of hope rising up inside him. But what could scare Wuya, in her own palace?
An explosion rocked the area, soon followed by another. Clay and Jack shook within their crystals; and Raimundo dropped the Star Hanabi. Most of the Huai-Ren scattered, flying off to investigate the source of the noise. But Wuya didn't move until she had finished with Omi; and as soon as she had done so, she drew chenmo in the air, to silence Clay and Jack. Of course, with the Sunbird Down still underneath his jacket, Jack could not be afflicted with a silence curse, but Wuya did not know he was wearing that Shen Gong Wu.
Jack bit his lip as Wuya, in one rapid, continuous motion, removed Clay's crystal, knocked him out with another black ball, and hurriedly moved to absorb his essence. She spent even less time drawing essence from Clay.
"Is … there something wrong, your Highness?" Raimundo asked hesitantly, as he bent down to put the Star Hanabi into his pocket.
At first she didn't speak, concentrating at the task at hand, but then she murmured in a low growl, "I can sense a … presence. Something familiar." Her growl was filled with raw hatred. She switched off the yellow aura she radiated, whirling her body round, fists clenched, to glower at Raimundo. "How could someone penetrate my magical seals? Aren't those idiotic Heylin creatures guarding the gates?"
Raimundo shied away from Wuya's glare, keeping his eyes to the ground. "I-I don't know, Highness."
With one quick stride, she swiftly went forward, wrenching Raimundo closer by pulling on the front of his white hooded top. "Worthless dog," she spat, firing lightning directly into his chest at the point of contact. He shook violently and bit back a cry as the electricity crackled through his body. "You were supposed to make sure the seals were air-tight! That's why I trained you, you fool!"
Raimundo's yelps soon turned into full blown screams as Wuya began to absorb his essence, but, scared though he was, he seemed to accept his fate.
How cruel … thought Jack.
Boom! The sounds of Huai-Ren being destroyed was not far off. Wuya took a good chunk of Raimundo's green essence, but it wasn't long before she dropped him to the ground and moved on to Jack.
"Now for the spoiled brat," she hissed, making his crystal disappear, and he floated in mid-air towards her. She held her shining purple hand over Jack's forehead.
"Wait - Wuya!"
"Xiqu jing!"
Jack shut his eyes and tensed, bracing himself for the inevitable.
But nothing happened. It was like trying to suck a large piece of ice through a straw. Wuya tried to draw from Jack's essence, but something was blocking the flow.
The ground shook. She growled again as she waved her hand to stop him floating, realising that the chenmo spell hadn't actually worked either. Her eyes flashed furiously, and Jack knew, in that moment, that she was going to kill him. She wouldn't spare his physical essence. But, still full of aches and pains from her torture, he had no energy left to walk, let alone run away when she drew closer to him.
"How is it you're not affected by magic?" she demanded, shaking him violently as she pulled on his black jacket.
"I-I-I-"
"I will have your essence!" she snarled, hitting him with a strong, solid strike to his left cheekbone. He rolled over onto his back as he hit the ground; his open jacket revealed the fluffy cardigan he was wearing underneath – and the Falcon's Eye fell to the ground.
"Sunbird Down," Wuya smirked down at him, "of course. And the Falcon's Eye! I'll be taking those." Claiming the Sunbird Down with another Removal spell, she cast the chenmo spell again, chuckling darkly as she did so. She turned away from him briefly, snapping her fingers, and three purple Huai-Ren appeared before her, out of the ground.
"Take these into the Chamber of Seals," she ordered, giving them the Sunbird Down, False Fleece, Falcon's Eye, Sun Chi Lantern, Jet Bootsu and Third-Arm Sash, and they disappeared into the ground with the Shen Gong Wu.
Wuya returned her attention to Jack. He felt her warm breath in his ears as she whispered the Xiqu spell. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. He felt a burning pain in his heart, his intestines, his muscles - everywhere - reasserting the previous aches and intensifying them to unbearable levels ...
Another explosion, much nearer now. She was forced to stop the spell prematurely to see to them, leaving him to stand on his own two feet; and he felt the world around him spin round and round in a dizzying circle … He collapsed from lack of energy, feeling faint and weak. Luckily the grass was long and soft, and broke his fall.
He was still alive. Barely, but … he was alive. She hadn't killed him after all. And he still had his thoughts … did that mean he still had his soul intact? Maybe she hadn't had time to take it.
Boom!
Jack wanted to watch what was happening – it sounded like Wuya was being attacked – but he didn't have any strength left to move. So he just lay there, waiting for something to happen, waiting for the unknown attacker to help him, or for Wuya to finish him off …
Unknown to Jack, a giant silvery-white heraldic dragon had taken on the masses of Wuya's Huai-Ren; and now there were none left. Flexing its great bat-like wings, and with a breath of raging fire, the dragon roared and hurled itself towards Wuya, but she easily dodged the flame, shooting a black beam at it from her hand as she did so, forcing a transformation that reverted it back to its true from. A creature with leaves for ears, stood where the dragon used to be, and long, pink petals came down in place of hair, framing a small rounded face. Dressed in red and black Xiaolin robes, with a dagger on its black belt, the creature had a slightly muddy complexion, a face that held a fierce expression of determination.
Wuya didn't even say anything to the newcomer; she instantly threw a bolt of lightning. But the creature firmly stood its ground, seeming to absorb the lightning rather than reel in pain from it.
"Thunderbird Down," the leaf-woman murmured simply, in a quiet voice that held the note of suppressed triumph.
Wuya chuckled. "I see … I knew it was you …"
"Let the Chosen Ones go," she replied firmly.
Wuya smiled, a warped, twisted smile that would have chills down even the most bravest of souls. "Certainly," she said carelessly, overturning her right palm and making a small flame. She deliberately revealed the Fire energy she had stolen from Kimiko, glowing a full, vibrant red. "You can have them."
The creature took a horrified step backwards. "The essence of Fire …"
"Is mine."
"No …" whispered the creature, finally noticing at the pile of bodies on the grass. "It's … just like … Mu Long … They're dead …"
"You're too late," Wuya sneered, "I've already taken what I needed from these wretched humans. I now have every element within me. You were a fool to come here, SilverClaw."
The leaf-creature raised her arm up, and Jack's sword flew into her hands. "I wonder if the elements would return to their rightful place if you died by a Chosen's sword?"
"A magical sword produced by a Chosen of Metal will not affect me. Or have you forgotten who created the Shen Gong Wu?"
"I haven't forgotten … but it'll still serve my purpose well."
They both stared each other down. Wuya held the palm of her right hand out, creating a globular bubble of energy that rose up vertically and changed into a sword. Jack could hear the two warriors fight as they clashed clanging swords, although, after a small while, it seemed that Wuya was moving in a torpid, slovenly manner, not blocking blows nearly as well as she should have. SilverClaw eventually knocked Wuya's weapon out of her hands, holding Jack's sword to her throat.
SilverClaw was frowning harshly. That had been far too easy … "Giving up, are we?"
Wuya's dreamy smile returned. "Not a chance … You know any weapon created by a Chosen of Metal cannot harm me."
The other growled, recognising the drunken-like effects of jing over-consumption. "How much jing have you taken?"
"More than enough to dispose of you …" came the sing-song reply.
SilverClaw gave her a look of pure revulsion, tossing aside Jack's sword, which disappeared into the thin air from which it came,and she pulled out the dagger hanging from her black belt. "You Moshu-Ren make me sick. But, by killing you, I'll rid the world of your destructive race; and I'll return the elements to the xing xing jing."
Wuya still had a lazy, almost dopey smile. "You won't kill me. Not if you want the souls of those children back in one piece."
Jack stirred, moving his arms and legs slightly. He groaned, but there was no sound: he was still under the chenmo curse.
"Wait," said SilverClaw slowly, staring at Jack's movement's on the floor.
They're still alive ... They still have their bodies intact ... Why didn't she kill them?
"... If you took their jing, why didn't you just kill them outright? Isn't that what you normally do?"
"I reveal my intentions to no one, least of all you."
SilverClaw growled, pulling the strangely compliant Wuya closer. "Enough of your mind games, witch. Dashi may not have been able to kill you, but now – now – I'll be the one who destroys the greatest threat known to the free world ..." She raised the dagger high with one of her brown root-like hands, ready to stab Wuya – who didn't fight back. "Die, foul Moshu-Ren!"
"No!" another voice cried out. Cloudstorm's, Jack knew. Maybe that's where Cloud had gone when he had left them outside the temple - to find help. He heard the gentle, swift pitter-patter of Cloud's paws and talons on the grass, running up to Wuya and SilverClaw where they stood.
Cloudstorm leaped up and closed his shiny beak hard on SilverClaw's wrist before she could stab Wuya, and she cried out, struggling with the little griffin. Wuya didn't move when SilverClaw let her go, standing with a peaceful, satisfied smile, and unfocused, distracted eyes.
"What? You! Get off me!" SilverClaw wrenched herself free, and Cloud agilely flipped round to land on all fours. Even though Jack couldn't see it, he could feel Cloud's anger; he was hissing like an angry cat, mouth open, silver fur on end, grey feathers bristling, standing protectively in front of Wuya.
"You fool!" SilverClaw snapped, rubbing her wrist. "You'll get us all killed! Why do you shield her? You must be under one of her enchantments!"
"Your hatred for Moshu-Ren obscures your better judgement! If you kill her, we'll lose the Chosens' souls to the cycle. They've lost too much jing!"
"He's right!" Befana agreed. Her voice had come from the same direction as Cloud's, somewhere not too far off. Jack didn't even know when she had arrived, but in this instance he was glad she had. "Wuya has their elements now. You were so quick to attack that you didn't even realise that. There's no telling what will happen to their souls if you kill her."
SilverClaw was fighting an inner struggle, shaking as she held the silver dagger. Wuya continued to look on into the distance with a light smile, seeming to find the whole thing entertaining.
Abruptly the Shoka snarled furiously. "What fool kind of Chosen are these, anyway? They charged right in without a single thought to what would happen if Wuya claimed all the elements. They're expendable. The elements will return to the xing xing jing once their souls permanently become shen or gui; and then Wuya will not be able to take them. Not until different humans are born with them, at least."
Jack knew Befana was frowning. He could hear her growling. Even though they'd done what they weren't supposed to have done, and attacked Wuya, Befana was sticking up for them. Her voice was cold and angry; but it was not only because of SilverClaw's harsh words. SilverClaw had always treated her with restrained suspicion and disdain; apparently, being descended from Moshu-Ren was all it took to earn a Shoka's mistrust.
"How can you say that? They're only children, for goodness' sake. What right have you to decide their fate? I can heal them; but you'll have to trust me to put things right. Then we'll decide what to do with Wuya."
"Trust you?" SilverClaw hissed in a strangulated voice. "You're one of – them."
There was an angry grunt from Dojo. And just when had he arrived? "Oh for goodness' sake, Silvy … look, ignore her, Befana, let's just get out of here."
"Yes-er … It would be prudent to leave-er …"
Wuya had taken the jing far too fast, and had been severely affected; she hadn't moved at all from where SilverClaw had released her, and she made no effort to save herself when she was levitated by Befana, and then encased inside a crystal prison of her own. She still had a stupid grin on her face. She didn't care; she had taken what she'd needed. She could feel Kimiko's soul within her; she wouldn't assimilate it just yet. They wouldn't dare kill her with the Dragons' souls in danger.
"Jack," said a warm voice, from somewhere much nearer to him, directly above him, "are you all right?"
"Think … so …" he mouthed feebly, and he looked up and around to see Cloudstorm.
"Befana'll make you better ... Good thing I stayed behind with a spare bottle of Movement potion, eh?"
Jack nodded weakly. He was so tired … And every part of him was aching …
"I found Coyote and Urubetsin in Thoth's temple," Cloudstorm went on, trying above all else to keep Jack conscious. Souls tended to wander during sleep if they were not properly secured to their bodies. And Jack couldn't wander, not just yet ... Not until they were back in Ping-jing.
"I found Dojo and Bai Hu, too. SilverClaw showed up after Coyote's summoning, and wanted to be the first to follow the Wind Dragon's Tiger portal … We needed a Warder to follow the portal, so we went back to Ping-jing …"
"Yeah, and I hope these whipper-snappers appreciate just how much of a risk I took coming 'ere!" said another grouchy voice, above Jack. "My leg ain't the same as what it used to be …"
A tiny smile appeared on Jack's face. That voice belonged to Do-dum, the grouchy old man they'd met in Befana's cottage. Standing next to him was Bai Hu and the unicorn from Ping-jing. Do-Dum banged the floor with his gnarled stick, "Give us some juice, tiger-boy!" and the stick shone brightly.
Bai Hu complied, forming a huge, powerful portal, and suddenly the whole group were on the edge of what must have been another forest, in the middle of a valley. Jack still lay on the ground, catching bits of conversation. He was tired … Befana levitated him and the other unconscious Dragons, placing them on nice, soft conjured beds. Sleep would have be nice …
"I must have been mad," sighed Befana, putting a hand through her hair, "entering the lion's den like that. Still, I did manage to 'borrow' the Serpent's Tail from that werewolf that attacked us."
"Not bad," Dojo said, speaking to Befana, while inspecting Wuya's crystal.
SilverClaw sniffed. "Hey," he shrugged, "we gotta fight fire with fire, right?"
Befana bent over Kimiko's body, drew the word anima in the air, and concentrated hard. She couldn't sense Kimiko's soul inside her body, but that wasn't what was worrying her. What was troubling her was the odd writing Wuya had written on her forehead …
"A human that can use moshu energy … and a Warder," said Wuya, looking first at Befana, and then at Do-Dum. "And Bai Hu … Hah, should've guessed. No wonder you bypassed my seals."
Bai Hu had the ability to track Golden Tiger Claw portals, since the Claws were originally from his essence; so he must have followed Raimundo's portal here. Warders possessed no true magic of their own, but had the power to amplify the magic of others. With a power boost, Bai Hu had been able to get through the palace's shielding seals she'd placed together with Raimundo earlier that day, designed to keep intruders out.
Wuya smiled. Next time she'd be more careful. Even Bai Hu wouldn't be able to get past her most powerful shielding spells …
"Ha!" said Do-Dum. "I told you she weren't so tough!" He banged on Wuya's crystal with his stick. "Ain't so tough now, are ya?"
"Don't do that!" scolded Befana, who was still trying to locate Kimiko's soul.
"I ain't scared of her," Do-Dum said plainly.
Wuya shrugged. "Minor setback," was all she said.
"She, uh, doesn't seem too bothered about being trapped, does she?" said the unicorn, who wasn't taking any chances; he was a safe distance away.
SilverClaw growled. "She's absorbed too much jing, all at once, and it's all of different elemental kinds … The mixture of elements seems to have an intoxicating effect. We may never get a better chance; we should just kill her now, while she's still in this weakened state."
"The ol' kick-'em-while-they're-down strategy? Spoken from the words of a true warrior," said Dojo sarcastically.
"Shut up! I did more than you ever could, you spineless coward! You're not worthy of being a dragon; that's why you were demoted to Xiaolin baby-sitter. And you couldn't even do that right!"
"At least I didn't have some kind of stupid vendetta against every person we met, you stuck-up magnolia!"
"What?"
At this point, Jack closed his eyes. The bed was soft, smooth and comfortable. He heard Befana and Cloud calling his name, while Dojo and SilverClaw continued to argue, but he didn't open his eyes. He didn't want to sleep, but he was exhausted, drained physically, emotionally and mentally. He was weak … He didn't know how long he'd still be alive for, because he felt so weak he was sure he was close to death, even if he still had his soul …
He felt himself drifting … floating … thinking …
Where would his soul go, if he died? Would it just disappear? Was there any point in living if it did? Would he travel to some kind of heaven – or hell? Or would he be reincarnated as something else? Would he keep his memories?
How could Kimiko still be alive without a soul? If a living body could exist without a soul, could that person still be called "alive"?
But then … the opposite must have been true, at the very least. If Wuya was anything to go by, souls could exist without bodies …
He was so tired … He didn't want to sleep … But he'd only rest for a little bit … Just a little bit …
Sleep came as a blessing, taking away all the aches and pains he felt in every part of his body, as well as the confusing thoughts he had in his mind …
Omi and Clay stood by the side of Kimiko's bed. They had both lost a significant amount of essence, but apart from losing their elements to Wuya, they were as good as new, thanks to Befana. She had used Jack's Vial of Light Shen Gong Wu to heal everyone's physical injuries, and the dark viscous liquid from the Shining Darkness to mend their spiritual wounds, preventing any more jing leakage. A delicious curative elixir made from the finest Peaches of Immortality – a source of jing – had restored everybody's lost essence. And with them, at Kimiko's side, was the Ping-jing unicorn Uno, who had helped with their swift recovery, thanks to the incredible healing properties of his unicorn's horn. They felt stronger than ever just by touching his horn.
But Kimiko would require more than the Peaches and Uno's horn to be healed; not even SilverClaw's Vital Spirit (a Shen Gong Wu that reconnected the link between soul and body if a person had died prematurely), could revive her. Kimiko's soul had indeed been taken by Wuya, as Befana had feared, and that could not be replaced. They would have to find a way to get it back before Wuya completely absorbed it.
Raimundo and Jack had suffered far less damage than the others, but Befana hadn't been able to revive them either. Befana couldn't locate Jack's soul on the physical plane at all; the link that joined soul and body had probably been severed by Wuya's attack. Usually, when a person slept, their soul travelled to the Dream World, where dreams were experienced, but a soul was always drawn back to its body when the person woke up. However, since Jack's link had been severed, his soul had gone walkies when he fell asleep. She'd have to find that, too. And Raimundo - well, he just hadn't woken up. What a mess.
Jack's parents, and indeed, Jack's father in particular, were both worried sick about their son. Though it had been Mr Spicer's fault that Jack became involved, Befana couldn't help feeling sorry for them all the same. Kneeling by his son's bed, within the cottage they were staying in, Mr Spicer held Jack's left hand in both of his, and kept whispering, "I'm sorry, son ..." over and over again, while Mrs Spicer sat on a wooden chair, sobbing quietly into her hands. The others couldn't begin to imagine what Kimiko's parents would be like if they knew what had happened to their daughter, but they had not been able to contact Master Fung and the other monks. Cloudstorm also remained with Jack, and, after a while, his parents began to find a strange comfort in the little griffin's presence. Cloud seemed to have that effect on people.
Strangely, Ember had returned to Ping-jing. After she had found out about Thoth's death, there was no need for her to guard the temple any more. Omi and Clay had thought Long would take Thoth's death more seriously; but Long shrugged it off ("That's the fourth time he's died in the last hundred years - one day his night-time antics will be the permanent death of him."). Ember had had enough though. She didn't say why, but she felt it was to do with the words of the strange goggled boy she had met in the temple …
Meanwhile, Raimundo was inside Befana's cottage, under guard even though he was unconscious – no one was quite sure how he would be when he would wake up – although the newest group, Uru and Coyote, were unaware of the reason why.
"Cheer up, Omi," Clay said to Omi. Omi was staring despondently at Kimiko's pale form. "Befana said she'll find a way to get Kimiko's soul back."
"But … we have lost our elements. Our recklessness has cost us dearly."
"SilverClaw said that if we travel to the elemental temples, we can get 'em back. Look, there ain't no point in beatin' yourself up over it. We did our best. We knew we weren't strong enough ta beat Wuya, anyway. And you were great, dodgin' all them lightning bolts and stuff. At least we managed ta capture her."
Omi grinned. "I was great? I WAS great!" It hadn't been difficult, really, avoiding Wuya's Lightning. It was just like dodging Eye of Dashi blasts. Really powerful Eye of Dashi blasts. And leaping through the Huai-Ren and the swaying tentacles had been just like taking the obstacle course challenge. Maybe his training hadn't been in vain after all.
Clay beamed at Omi's wide grin. It looked like he was feeling better already.
Omi's smile fell slightly, as he remembered something that he had wanted to ask. "What is it that Wuya's written on Kimiko's forehead?"
On Kimiko's right hand, Wuya had written her name, wu and ya; but on Kimiko's head was odd rune-like writing that wasn't Chinese.
"Befana's not sure," Uno replied, "and Long can't read it. He says it's written in the ancient Moshu-Ren tongue, and there hasn't been anyone who knows how to speak that in hundreds of years.
"Don't worry," he added when Omi and Clay gave him startled looks. "Befana'll figure it out. She's the best when it comes to dispelling curses. And if not – there's always the Alicorn Bell."
"Alicorn Bell?"
"Yes. A Shen Gong Wu, from the most powerful unicorn's horn, with the ability to remove any curse."
Crash!
Suddenly there was a sharp, rumbling sound, from outside, and hearing a yell that sounded suspiciously like Befana, Clay and Omi left Kimiko with Uno, running out through the door of the wooden house to see what was happening.
Raimundo was outside, opposite an irate Befana. He had taken her by surprise by waking up suddenly: she had removed the Golden Tiger Claws from his hand, but not the Star Hanabi which had remained hidden inside his pocket. He fired at a couple of houses, setting them alight, and jumped up and around to avoid being captured by the Xiaolin witch. Wuya may have stolen his element, but that didn't mean he wasn't still skilled at acrobatic leaps and agile jumps.
"Where are the Shen Gong Wu?" he demanded, leaping out of the way from a shot that would have encased him inside a crystal.
"Like I'd tell you, traitor." She noticed Omi and Clay sneak up behind Raimundo, and she nodded discreetly to the two of them. "Don't be an idiot," she said to Raimundo, keeping his attention on her. "Your mistress is safely locked away in my most powerful magical prison. There's no way a child like you could break her out."
Raimundo smirked. "You'd better hope she doesn't get out herself, then. If this is Ping-jing, then it's the exact place she was trying to reach, y'know."
Clay frowned. What on earth has gotten into him? He and Omi had successfully reached Raimundo, without him noticing, so he threw a lasso to capture Raimundo within the rope, while Omi leaped to take the Star Hanabi out of his hand.
"Rrrr! Let me go!"
"Not a chance, Raimundo," said Clay. Before long, Raimundo was back in Befana's sweet-filled cottage, where this time he was placed inside a crystal. Omi and Clay worriedly watched him growl, pacing backwards and forwards like a frustrated animal in a cage. Soldor the elf shook his head. "He's got it bad …"
Urubetsin, the big muscular man with spiky hair, came through the door and with him was SilverClaw and Ricky. Omi sighed. Ricky was Raimundo's older brother, but, although he had been faithfully at his brother's side, watching him sleep, he still didn't know that Raimundo was now on the Heylin side.
"What's going on?" Uru asked. "Raimundo's woken up?"
"Why have you put him in there?" Ricky yelled, obviously upset and confused by both Raimundo and Befana's actions. Why had they been fighting each other? "Let him go!"
"I can't do that," said Befana sternly.
"And why the hell not?"
"Go up to him and see for yourself."
Ricky walked closer, reaching out to touch the crystal. "Raimundo?"
"Get away from me," Raimundo hissed venomously, turning his head round to glare angrily at him.
"What's wrong with him?" Ricky asked, recoiling away in horror from his brother's glowering stare. "Why – why was he with Wuya?"
Clay, Omi and Befana exchanged awkward looks.
Uru sighed patiently. "What's happened …? C'mon, you can tell us."
Befana looked down at the ground. "Raimundo has betrayed us all. He was the one who restored Wuya."
"No," said Ricky, "it's not possible – he wouldn't do that …"
"Yep," nodded Raimundo, smirking suddenly, looking very proud of himself, "I did. And I'd do it again."
After a small, shocked silence, where Ricky stared at the floor, he whispered, "How? How could he have done this?"
"I believe Wuya has done something to him," Omi said reassuringly, trying to cheer him up just as Clay had cheered him up. Ricky looked so down: and Omi still felt partly responsible for what had happened.
"Yes, so do I," Befana agreed. "He seems to be under a spell of darkness, one that increases hostility towards others."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Ricky said. He instantly whirled round, looking like he was going to storm down the valley to the cave where Wuya was being held captive, and, just as he did in the desert, Uru once again held him back.
"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react this way," Befana replied.
"Well – can you fix it?" Ricky demanded furiously, grunting in annoyance as Uru let him go.
"I – I don't know," Befana fumbled. "I'm trying to find a cure, but unless I know exactly what's wrong with him, it could take days – or even weeks – for me to find the correct reversal potion."
"I think it was after I was frozen," said Omi.
"What makes you say that?" asked Befana, turning to face the boy.
"He seemed to be doubting his decision to join Wuya when I fought him. I could tell. He did not truly want to fight me, but he could not bring himself to admit it. But then when we fought against him inside Thoth's temple … it was like he was a different Raimundo."
"Hmm …" said Befana. Dojo was the only one present, apart from Omi, who had seen what happened in the Horn of Qilin cave; and Omi had been frozen while Jack and Raimundo had taken part in the showdown. "What really happened back in that cave, Dojo?"
Everyone looked at Dojo, who gave them a nervous stare back. "I'm sorry, I was … hiding behind a rock. I didn't see much."
"Figures," said SilverClaw tersely, branch-like arms folded in disgust.
"Hey," he yelled indignantly, "Wuya was gonna turn me into an insect! If Jack hadn't shown up when he did – "
"Did Jack see anything?" Befana interrupted. "I need to know exactly what happened. Every little clue helps."
"Dunno. He must have done. He was right in the thick of it."
"So that Spicer kid can tell us if he saw anything out of the ordinary?" Ricky asked, hope filling his voice.
"Well yes – except that Jack's in a state of soul-lessness thanks to Wuya."
"You've gotta find his soul right away, then!" Ricky yelled, voice angry and insistent.
"Don't you think I know that?" Befana snapped. She knew he was worried about Raimundo, but he shouldn't have been taking it out on everyone else. "What do you think I've been trying to do?"
"I still think we should just kill her," SilverClaw said coldly, but as Omi, Clay, Ricky, Dojo and Befana gave her a simultaneous group-glare, she gave in. Omi and Clay had heard a lot about SilverClaw, and they respected her for helping Dashi defeat Wuya fifteen hundred years ago; but after finding out that killing Wuya would mean the loss of Kimiko's soul, they were angry with her for always suggesting to kill the Moshu-Ren.
"But … if you really want to find their souls … You'll need to journey to the Dream World. Souls travel there when a living physical body rests in sleep. That may be where Jack's soul is. And if … If Wuya is put to sleep, both her soul and that of the Fire Dragon will temporarily separate from her body. It may be possible to recover the Fire Dragon's soul in the Dream World before Wuya absorbs it and make it her own."
Omi took a bold step forward, knowing what they would have to do. "And how do we reach this Dream World?"
"Well … that's the thing. Apart from pixies, no physical being can exist in the Dream World. Well – tell a lie – they can, but it's extremely dangerous. So the best way is to become a non-physical, ghostly form –"
"The Serpent's Tail!" exclaimed Omi excitedly.
"Yes, yes, the Serpent's Tail is one way … but we still need another Shen Gong Wu to make the journey to the Dream World once you've become non-physical."
"What about the Soul-Dream Bracelet?" Dojo asked. "Couldn't we use that to separate Wuya and Kimiko's souls?"
"Yeah, that too, I suppose. The Soul-Dream Bracelet separates souls from bodies," she explained, when she saw Clay and Omi's blank faces, "and either that or the Serpent's Tail can be used in conjunction with the Starbird Down. But the point is, we still need the Starbird Down to travel to the Dream World in order to find Jack's soul, regardless of the method used to become an ethereal form."
"Don't suppose either of you remember where the Starbird Down is?" Clay asked.
Dojo and SilverClaw looked at each other.
"Well I don't know where it is," SilverClaw said obstinately, looking a little haughty as she folded her arms. "Dojo hid most of them after he got kicked out of Ping-jing."
"Don't go giving me that high-and-mighty look," snapped Dojo, folding his arms. "I thought you hid that one!"
"I'll take that as a 'no', then," Clay sighed.
"But searching for an inactive Shen Gong Wu … that could take forever," said Dojo.
"There is one other way to get to the Dream World, which doesn't require any Shen Gong Wu at all," said SilverClaw.
"How's that?" asked Clay.
"The most obvious way – to fall asleep. But it's a lot more risky. You won't have any control over what happens in your dreams. Whatever happens, though, we need to put Wuya to sleep before she assimilates your friend's soul for good."
"I'll take care of that," said Befana. "I can borrow some more pixie dust from Luma Luma and do it myself."
"So we 'ave ta sleep?" asked Clay. "Sounds good ta me. Hey, where's Rai's brother gone?"
Ricky was no longer in the room.
"Done a runner, as usual," said Uru.
"Great …" said Befana sarcastically. "And I bet I know where he's gone …"
"What have you done to him?" Ricky roared, banging on the magical blue shield surrounding Wuya's prison cell. The cell was inside a cave across the far end of the valley, a regular prison cell with metal bars.
Wuya was sitting down comfortably on the ground, leaning her back against the ragged, stony wall of the prison. She greeted her visitor with a charming, but annoying smile. "You'll have to be specific, I'm afraid. I've done many things, to many people …"
"Raimundo," he growled in a clipped tone. "What have you done to Raimundo."
Her smile grew larger, and she leaned forward, clasping her hands together. "Oh … him … hehehe …"
"What have you done to him!" Ricky repeated. "How have you made him so angry at me?"
"I've done nothing. Those feelings of hatred have always been there."
"You're lying," Ricky stated simply.
"Am I? I've seen you before, Ricardo Pedrosa," she purred quietly, looking him up and down. They had the same green eyes. Ricky's hair was a lighter shade of brown, though, and long and wavy, reaching his shoulders. "Yes … I've seen you. While I was inside your brother's mind."
"W-what?"
"He hates you," Wuya said just as simply, her voice low and mocking.
"You're lying!" he said again. His voice was firm and angry, but hesitant around the edges. Doubt was beginning to creep in …
"Oh, but he does. I've read his mind. Twice, I might add. He resents you for being your father's favourite."
"I – I –"
"For God's sakes, get away from her!" Befana yelled, running into the cave and pulling on Ricky's arm.
Ricky yanked his arm away. "Don't tell me what to do! He's my brother, godammit, and I want to know what the hell's wrong with him!"
"You idiot! You're not helping! I'll … I'll talk to her. Before I do what I need to do."
" … Fine …" Ricky left reluctantly, turning his head round once, "but don't screw up, otherwise I'll be back."
"Stupid idiot," Befana grumbled. "And I don't know what you're looking so smug for," she snapped at Wuya, pointing an index finger at her prison. "There ain't no way you're getting out of that. As long as you're in Ping-jing, you can't use your elemental chi or powers; and that shield stops you from using magic."
"Yes, I know …" Wuya tilted her head, examining the flickering shield. An ingenious work of magic. She couldn't use any magic whatsoever while within its borders. Not bad for a human. "Why do you put up with them ordering you around? You deserve better than this."
"Don't even try tempting me, Wuya. We're not all as gullible as Jack Spicer, you know."
"No, of course not." This time Wuya's smile was genuine, nothing sinister hidden behind it.
"Where's Jack's soul?"
"How should I know?"
"You must think I'm really stupid. We all know you've put a spell on Raimundo, so you might as well come clean."
Wuya leaned forward again. "You really think I'd just tell you outright? I'm not your run-of-the-mill villain, about to give away my plans just so that you heroes can thwart them at the last possible moment. But," she said, her tone suddenly becoming less harsh, "you're highly skilled in magic. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. Your intelligence is being wasted here … you could do so much more with magic, you know."
Befana blinked. Was Wuya really complimenting her, or was it just a trick to win her over? Probably a little of both. She was beginning to appreciate how Jack and Raimundo must have felt when confronted by her. Wuya seemed to have an uncanny way of knowing exactly what someone wanted, and how to utilise that to her advantage.
In Befana's case, what she wanted was … freedom. No one ever praised her for her help – it was always fix this, heal that, transform that … Initially, she had been grateful to Long for allowing her to stay in Ping-jing. Shunned by her home village for practising stregoneria she had spent most of her life wandering from town to town, never staying in one place too long. Sooner or later, they always found out about her powers … but ever since she had taken up residence in Ping-jing, she felt as though everyone was taking her for granted. She was the next best thing to a Moshu-Ren Healer, and she was constantly getting calls from just about every free mythical creature in the world. Not once did they say thanks for a job well done.
And Wuya … was the last Moshu-Ren left. Most of the spells performed by the ancient Moshu-Ren had been lost by the passage of time – all the Moshu-Ren had been wiped out, and their descendants whittled down to a measly few, like Befana. Wuya was right. She could do a whole lot more, with the right teacher …
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted," Befana said at length, "but … I have to help them. I'm the only one who can, see."
"Do what you want, then. I won't hold it against you when I escape."
Befana couldn't help smiling a little. "A little over-confident, aren't we?"
The dark smile returned. "I'll find a way. There's always a way. And once I get out of here, I'll grind this pathetic little village into the ground."
This brought a frown to Befana's face. "We'll see about that." She held up the bag Luma Luma had given her, spreading out pink dust onto the palm of her hand.
"Pixie dust. Humph. You want to send Omi to rescue Kimiko's soul by entering my dreams? Foolishness. You won't be able to protect them from me in the Dream World."
"Empty threat. Nothing that happens in the Dream World is real. You have no control over the reality there. So you can't do anything to harm them in the Dream World." Befana blew the pink dust from her hand, where it magically flew through the barrier and into Wuya's cell. Wuya coughed, sneezed, and then, surprisingly, began to laugh.
The disturbing sounds of her laughter reverberated around the entire cave. "Oh, can't I?" she sneered, before dropping to the ground and falling asleep.
Befana took a small step backwards, wondering if she'd done the right thing.
What did she mean by that?
