Lo Si smiled faintly as the three 'young' people moved those villagers still living into the inn. Each time he had himself tried to assist he was shooed away by Wukong.

"No, Sifu, you must rest." He would say respectfully, no longer playfully bantering with him.

Lo Si opened his pack and took out the herbs and incense he had brought with him. In his home realm creatures such as this were rare. True demons did not cross over into the mortal realms often and rarely with such virulence.

He wondered how much history there was between the girl sometimes called Sparrow and sometimes Sun Xia He and Sun Wukong. Despite the name, he doubted they were related. Not even in mythic China would a monkey and a sparrow come from the same family tree.

The other man, the warrior dressed in white was called Lingxuzi. He seemed to be wary of everyone else in the inn. Although Lo Si supposed he couldn't exactly blame him. He did not know Lo Si or Wukong and he clearly had animosity toward Sparrow.

Lo Si lit the incense and placed it around the room making sure that it was placed in front of the windows and particularly concentrated around the victims. Wukong followed after him, breathing deeply the scent of the incense, smiling happily. It made Lo Si smile.

"Do you truly think the dead will rise?" Sparrow asked.

Lo Si shrugged "It will depend upon what has drained their Qi." He said. "Different demons have different effects. Some can create slaves of the dead, others are simply hungry."

"What happens when it is a witch?" Lingxuzi demanded glaring at Sparrow.

"Witches do not feast on qi." Lo Si said simply. In his youth people still believed that the creatures from the mythic realms were common in the mortal realms. He had been taught these things as a boy. "Demons do."

"Are not witches the same as demons?" He turned his glare onto Lo Si.

Lo Si tilted his head. "No, not always. It is pejorative and rarely a word one would throw at someone they believed had magical powers." He said. "But then, all things that are not Gods, animals, or humans are at some point called demons."

"This is true," Wukong said, and he would know.

Lingxuzi strode toward Lo Si, shoulders back, chin thrust forward, one hand on his sword. "Are you calling me a liar?"

His path was blocked instantly by Wukong's golden staff. It vibrated as it stood embedded in between the floorboards. Wukong was directly behind it. "He says you are mistaken… I say you are a liar. Are you threatening the holy priest?"

Lingxuzi scowled but turned around and walked away, finding a place in the center of the room to sit.

Lo Si bowed his head slightly in thanks to Wukong, then turned his attention to Sparrow. "If there is a kitchen here, could you please boil water to make tea?"

She nodded and left the room, taking the teapot from Lo Si.

"I will not be drinking it." Lingxuzi said, "Not if she is preparing it."

Lo Si simply shrugged and returned to looking over the injured, reassuring those that were even the slightest bit aware.

Xia He returned with the teapot filled with steaming water.

"Thank you." Lo Si said, smiling at the girl. He added the herbs to the pot and set it aside to steep. He glanced toward the window. The sun was beginning to sink into the heavens. "It is time to close up the windows." He said "Those in the rooms upstairs as well."

Sparrow bowed slightly and fairly flew up the stairs to comply, while Wukong closed the shutters and locked them tight.

Lingxuzi did not move. He simply stood there glowering. Following Wukong with his eyes. When the last window was closed and latched the smell of the incense grew more intense until he sneezed. His features changed briefly, becoming wolf-like before reverting to his overly handsome human facade once more.

Lo Si's eyes narrow and he assumes a Kung Fu stance between the wolf demon and his victims, the sleeves of his saffron robes sliding toward the elbows, revealing the dragon and tiger brands on his forearms. His narrowed eyes opened wide once more as Wukong launched himself at Lingxuzi. Wolf and Monkey tumbled out into the center of the street, no longer wearing their human facades.

"I knew it was you!" Lingxuzi shouted.

"You are the one that devoured the village." Sun Wukong countered. "You are a monster."

"I was hungry." The wolf demon countered, then charged at Wukong with sword drawn.

Wukong leaped upward, snickering as the wolf ran under him and continued. He didn't bother going back to the ground. He spun his staff lazily in front of him, but it was anything but a lazy maneuver. He kept his eye on the wolf, waiting for his next move.

The wolf leaped toward Monkey but was intercepted by the white-haired girl who dove from the second-floor window. She grabbed the wolf's clothing, spinning him around with her and then releasing him. He was sent down the street, skidding to a halt a block away.

Sparrow rose to join Monkey where he hovered. Monkey grinned at her, giggled a little, and nudged her with his shoulder playfully.

"Go protect the old one." He said. "I will skin this wolf."

She nodded and flew back into the window she had come out of then closed and locked it before heading back down the stairs where Lo Si was tending to the injured.

"What can I do?" She asked. She wasn't sure about this foreign priest with his yellow-orange robes and his scars. She had never seen a priest like him before. But she was sure about Sun Wukong and he was sure about the priest.

Lo Si smiled. "We need to get the tea into our patients. It will help replenish their qi." He said, "How is our friend doing outside?"

She smiled in return. "He will win. He is having fun right now. Best to leave him to his fun." She went to get two teacups. One for her to use and one for Lo Si. Together they began to get the tea into the villagers. Doing their best not to react to the sounds of battle in the street. Occasionally one or the other of the creatures battling outside would slam into the building and rattle the walls.

"It will be alright." Lo Si told them, "You will see."

Then there was silence. To Sparrow and Lo Si, the silence was more disturbing than the sounds of the raging battle.

It was full dark, and their patients were sleeping before the door to the inn opened Wukong strode inside, with a broad grin on his face.

Lo Si looked up "Did you kill him?" He asked.

Wukong stopped in his tracks and paused before speaking " No?" He thought priests and monks were odd about killing things, even demons.

Lo Si raised an eyebrow and waited.

"But the dragon did," Wukong said finally. "He was hungry." He shrugged.

Lo Si sighed and shook his head, laughing a little despite himself. Well, what demons did to one another was not something he could help. He was not there to enlighten them. He had a different mission.

"Will they survive, Old One?"

"Yes… I believe they will." He said.

"You should rest now."

"I believe you are right." Lo Si said as he rolled out his mat onto the floor.

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It had been a week since Peter and Leanne had left for St Adele, France. Paul Blaisdell had used that time and extensive contacts to track down Laura Caine. Or as she was known now, Laura Navarro.

He wasn't surprised to find her still alive, he wasn't surprised that she had remarried. He wasn't even surprised that she hadn't remained in France. He was, however, surprised at how angry he was on Peter's behalf. He'd told his foster son to give her the benefit of the doubt. That had been easy to say at the time. He'd had images in his mind of a similar situation to his own, or to what Peter believed was Leanne Garret's situation. It was harder to hold those thoughts seated in his rental car in front of a Spanish villa overlooking Madrid where Laura Caine, to all appearances, resided in comfort and safety.

He got out of the car and strode up to the front door. The housekeeper let him in and he was led into the living room where Laura Navarro was waiting. He'd been hoping that he'd found the wrong Laura Caine, but looking at the woman he could see that she was the same woman in the photograph that Peter had always carried with him.

"What can I do for you?" She asked, rising to shake his hand. This wasn't good.

"I'd like to speak with you about your son." He said.

Laura indicated that he should take a seat and she settled into her own. "How do you know Julian?" She asked.

"I don't." He said. "I'm here to talk to you about Peter."

"My son's name is Julian. You must have me confused with someone else."

"We both know that's not true." Paul said bluntly, "I'm no longer a policeman. I don't care about the… husband… situation beyond how it affects my son."

"Your son?" She asked. "Then I am definitely not the Laura you are looking for. I would remember if we had ever made a child together." She laughed a little and kept her expression neutral and vaguely amused.

"Peter is my foster son," Paul said. "He didn't have much when he came to live with my family. But one thing he did have was a picture of his mother. He carried it in his wallet and as far as I know, he still does to this day, although that may have changed with the revelation that you're still alive. He always said his mother looked like Rhonda Fleming. I can see that he was right."

"I am flattered at the comparison but you still have the wrong woman, Mr. Blaisdell." She said.

"Can we please stop playing this game? Peter may not be important to you any longer but he is very important to me." He noticed the momentary look of anger in her eyes that she had quickly beaten into submission.

"I'm not saying that I am this Laura Caine you are looking for, but for argument's sake, if I were… how could I help your son?"

"Peter's history is complicated," Blaisdell said and told her about the destruction of the temple, the lies that separated Peter from Kwai Chang Caine, the orphanage and his coming to live with his family.

"How tragic." She said. "I still don't understand what it is I or rather she could do for you, or for that matter what makes you think she's alive in the first place."

"A man that is close to Peter and his father, Lo Si, suddenly produced a picture of you in France. Presumably taken a few years ago. He showed this to Caine and he of course decided to take off to try and find you."

"Well, the picture might have been of me. My family and I lived in Paris until quite recently. So I can understand your confusion. But I assure you I only have two children and they both belong to my husband."

"Peter carries a lot of anger, and he has abandonment issues as you might expect in an orphan." Just because his father was very much alive, didn't mean that Peter hadn't spent 15 years as an orphan with all that entailed. "It was hard enough on him believing his mother was dead. Finding out that you willingly abandoned him could turn that love he had for you to hate. Personally, I don't blame him. But I don't want to see him hurt any more than he already has been."

"I don't know how to convince you that I'm not the woman you are looking for."

"You can't because it's not true," Paul said.

Laura's eyes narrowed "What is it you want, Mr. Blaisdell? Money?"

"No." He said. "What I want is to protect Peter. Unfortunately, it's too late for that. So I will settle for you to contact him and explain yourself." He pulled out a piece of paper with the address and phone number for William Caine. "He and his fiance are staying at his grandfather's place in St Adele. The old man is dying."

Laura scoffed. "Caine's father died when he was a boy," She said without thinking.

"Apparently being presumed dead is a family trait." He said. "Call your son… and your husband. They know you're alive and they deserve the truth." He got to his feet.

"I'll thank you not to return, Mr. Blaisdell." She said.

Paul placed one of Peter and Leanne's engagement photos on the coffee table. "From experience," he said "The past always comes back to bite you in the ass. It's better to meet it head-on before it destroys everything. I'll show myself out."

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The past two days had been hard for Caine. At first, his father had rallied when Peter and Leanne arrived but he had lost ground once more and what hope Caine had of his father continuing on had faded quickly. It didn't matter that anything that lived eventually died. It didn't matter that it was just the door into another life, the next part of the journey. His heart was breaking nevertheless.

Peter called the visiting nurse to make a special visit out to the cottage. It wouldn't be long now, he was sure. He had watched some of the people he cared for rally shortly then rapidly decline right before passing on.

He let her in an hour later and she went to Matthew's room where Caine and Martin waited at their father's bedside. Peter watched from the door as she examined the 98-year-old man. Matthew didn't rouse or respond to her as she proceeded.

She led the brothers out into the living room. "I don't believe it will be long now." She said. "A day maybe two at most. I wouldn't expect him to wake in that time. I'm sorry, I wish there was better news."

"Thank you for taking such good care of our father." Martin said, "Ahm… when he passes who do we contact?"

"I have a folder with information for you." She said and opened her satchel and took out a manila folder. "I don't know what arrangements you want to make for his funeral but there is contact information for most methods within. Your father was a joy to care for. I know having you all here has meant the world to him. I am truly sorry to see him go."

"Thank you," Peter said and walked her out.

Caine sank into one of the easy chairs and sighed.

Leanne knelt before him resting her hands on his. "What can I do?" She asked gently.

"Look after my son." He said. "Peter has opened himself up to the voices of the past. This will be harder on him than he realizes."

She nodded. "I will. He's worried about you right now."

Caine smiled sadly. "He is a good son." He said. "He will be a good father one day."

"Of that, I have no doubt." She said. "Do you need us to contact anyone to be here?"

Kwai Chang Caine closed his eyes a moment. "Yes… there may still be people from his temple that remember him." He gave her the location. They had traveled in China but that had they had also stayed in temples for extended periods. "I do not have the number."

"I'll find it." She said.

"Thank you." He said and rose to his feet. "I should get back to my father." He would not leave his side again until he had passed.

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Lo Si packed his gear and graciously accepted the gifts from the grateful villagers. The very old and the very young had come out of hiding as well and he had stayed there long enough to perform the funerary rites over the dead.

Wukong hefted Lo Si's pack onto his own back, not asking permission this time. "If we leave now we will reach the base of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit by nightfall."

"Then we shall leave now." He said.

"May I travel with you, Old One?" Sparrow asked.

"Yes." Lo Si said. "I would like that."

She smiled prettily and walked with them as they left the village.

The hours passed easily and Lo Si was certain that he was feeling stronger than he had in years. Which was good because Yulong Yeoh had taken the elixir of immortality much younger than he had. It was a battle that he could not be certain he would win but for Peter and Leanne's sake, he had to try.

The sun was sinking below the mountain when they arrived at the base. A siheyuan stood before them and Lo Si moved toward it.

Wukong placed his hand on The Ancient's shoulder. "Wait here Old One." He said and set Lo Si's pack on the ground. "I will go first. Little sister, go above and keep watch." He told Sparrow and strode into the house once she had lifted into the air.

Sparrow slowly turned to view the surrounding terrain, her long white hair billowing out from her as if each lock had a mind of its own and for all Lo Si knew it did.

Wukong returned in a few minutes. "I have found no danger within. Will you be alright while I go to see if any of my brothers have returned?"

"I will be alright. Thank you." He picked up his pack and walked into the front door of the first building. The feeling within was oppressive and heavy as if the evil of Yulong Yeoh had seeped into the very timber the estate was built with. He explored the first building sifting through papers as he found them, seeking out journals. He found nothing of use there and moved on through the back door of the building into the courtyard. Here he found the herb garden and the koi pond. The latter he suspected was there as a means of spying on people.

Sparrow lightly landed on the ground beside him. "I will search with you." She said.

Lo Si nodded his agreement to this.

"What is it you seek?" She asked.

"I am looking for his research and notes of his experiments to present them as a case against him to our order." He said "And with any luck a clue to his plans and where he is. He is an evil man, with evil intent and I do not doubt that he will harm those I care for if I do not stop him."

"You and he come from the same beliefs?" She asked, her pale brow furrowing.

"At first, yes." He said "But his experiments with immortality have damaged his mind and his qi."

"Wukong says you are immortal. Has it damaged your mind and qi?"

"No. My immortality comes from a different elixir than his. I believe that his failures are what caused the damage. Then again perhaps it is just that some are not meant to be blessed with such long life."

He entered the building to the left of the courtyard. He stopped short, not wanting to go further. "Sun Wukong should not see this." He said sadly, looking at the deceased monkeys. So many of them.

"We will take them outside. It will not hurt his heart less, but perhaps it will be gentler on the mind." She said.

Lo Si nodded. It was completely dark outside when they had completed their task.

Monkey joined them, already keening when he landed in the courtyard by his kin. "They are all gone… this is not all of them but they are all gone."

Lo Si rested his hand on Wukong's shoulder. "We will find them."

"When we find Yeoh Yulong… what will your people do to him?"

"I do not know." Lo Si said although he was concerned that they seemed particularly bloodthirsty where the line of Yeoh was concerned.

"Will they let me watch?" Monkey asked.

"I do not know this either but we will find out." He said reassuringly and then for the second time in one day, he said funerary rites.

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Paul frowned hearing a knock at the door. He picked up his pistol, walked quietly to the hotel room door, and looked out the peephole. A young man waited in the corridor, a little over 6 ft tall, with sandy brown hair, and hazel eyes. He recognized him from the pictures that hung in the Navarro home. He holstered his gun and adjusted his jacket. He opened the door.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Navarro?" He asked.

"I…" Julian drew in a deep breath. "I would like to speak with you about your conversation with my mother this afternoon."

"Please come in," Paul said, stepping aside to let the young man in. He looked about ten years younger than Peter, and Paul could only imagine the effect all of this was having on him.

"Who is this?" He asked handing Paul the photo of Peter and Leanne.

"Did you ask your mother about this?" Paul asked gently.

"She says she doesn't know. That you're a private investigator looking for someone that isn't her."

"Have a seat," Paul said, indicating a chair at the small table. He sat in the other one. "How did you find me?"

"Blaisdell isn't a common name in Spain. Not hard to track you down in a hotel. Especially not one owned by my father."

"Not bad, kid." He said. "For starters, I'm not a private investigator. The man in that picture is my foster son, Peter Caine."

"What does he have to do with my mother?" Julian asked.

"I think maybe you need to speak with her about that." Paul wanted Peter's mother to talk to him and explain herself but he didn't want to hurt the kid in front of him to do it. It wasn't his fault what his mother had gotten up to. Paul planned to give the information he had to Peter's father and let them sort out how to proceed from there.

"I've tried that. I don't want to talk to my father about it. Don't get me wrong he's not violent, but he has a temper and doesn't like surprises."

"I doubt your father could give you the answers you are looking for anyway," Paul said.

"Why won't you tell me what he has to do with my mother?"

"It's not my story to tell, Julian."

"He's my brother isn't he?" Julian asked. "I can see that he kind of looks like my mother, kind of looks like me. Did she give him up for adoption or something?"

"You do look a lot like him when he was your age," Paul said gently. "But I'm sorry, Son. Your mother told me the same thing that she told you. Except for accusing me of being a private investigator. Maybe she misunderstood me. Whatever the case, I think you should probably go home. I imagine they're worried about you by now."

Julian picked up the photo and put it in the inside pocket of his leather jacket. "Fine… thank you for speaking with me." He said tightly.

"There are worse things than not getting the answers you're looking for," Paul said. "Let it go, Son."

Julian nodded "Sure." He said and walked out the door. He walked quickly to the parking lot and got on his motorcycle. There was more than one way to get the answers he wanted.