Requiem III: The Search for The Truth

by Bonnie Eagan & Alisa Joaquin

Part 32: Facing the Truth on Two Fronts

Everyone was stunned into silence when the old priest turned and left the Caine apartment. Marlene was especially surprised. The old man had not even bothered to answer her question, but the look in his face was one of deep pain. What could have caused him to leave?

"I don't understand," Marlene stated. "Why did Ping Hai leave?"

"He is deeply troubled," Kwai Chang answered. "He blames himself for this."

"Why?" Marlene asked.

"Because he left you in the hands of someone whom I fear is not who he seems. And he believed that person to be a friend."

Marlene went cold at Kwai Chang's statement. "You mean Kim Luc may be . . . "

Marlene did not get to finish her words when Caine suddenly doubled over with pain

Images flashed through his mind, and he stated, "Peter, he has been attacked by a great force. We must find my son."

"Wait, my son," Matthew intervened. "You cannot go up against this force without knowledge. You must understand it first."

"You are asking me to meditate while MY son is in danger?"

"Your son is also Shaolin, Kwai Chang. You must allow him to fight his own battles. We will aid him, when the time is right and not before."

Kwai Chang breathed a deep heavy sigh. He knew his father was right, but where was that knowledge going to come from? There were very few books or scrolls in Caine's apothecary to aid them in their search, but still Matthew insisted they look through every book to find what answers they could.

Two hours passed when Lo Si returned carrying a small package.

"This is for you, Kwai Chang Caine."

The younger Caine took the package from the Ancient and opened it, revealing its contents. A small familiar bottle rested in a bed of cotton. Lifting the bottle out of its resting place, he removed the stopper and breathed in the fragrance.

"This belonged to Laura. The monks of Shambhala said it had been stolen." Kwai Chang asked the Ancient his wordless question.

"Xia dropped it as she left my home."

Again, puzzled looks appeared on everyone's faces, some wondering who Xia was while others did not seem quite so surprised at the revelation that Tan's daughter was somehow involved.

"She came to kill me, but instead is learning the truth, a truth that should have been revealed a long time ago."

"And what is the truth?" Matthew questioned, answering for his son.

"She is the granddaughter of Kim Luc, the Master."

Perhaps Matthew was right, it was time that they all learned more about the Master.

**

Peter watched in horror as the tiger descended the steps of the fake temple. At first Peter could not think. Then he suddenly remembered who and what he was and went into action.

"Mia, don't move!" he shouted down to her.

"Whose there?" Mia looked around. Fear was etched in her face like one of Lo Si's calligraphies. She continued to hold her forearm up, but blood continued to flow down her arm from the cut that Jake had given her.

"Up here!" Peter called. "Mia, you need to find the means to get me down. I can't help you from here."

Mia just stared at the man in the cage, the tiger moving ever closer, sniffing the air to discover what new prey had been added to its domain.

"Please, Mia. You've got to help me get down."

"I . . . I don't know how." Mia continued to remain frozen in the spot that she was in, her eyes darting back and forth between the tiger and the man in the cage. "I've never been in here before."

'Looks like I'm going to have to do this myself,' Peter thought.

Peter managed to get to his knees, trying to steady himself while the cage swayed. He tried to rub his hands together, but the unsteadiness of the cage did not help matters. Finally, he focused his chi and the lock on the cage opened, yielding to his silent command. As he opened the door, he held on to the bars with all his worth, trying to stand in the opening. His thoughts drifted back to the day that his father tried to get him to jump from the balcony and into a wheel of pebbles, trying not to disturb them. He had succeeded that day, trusting in his father to catch him as he descended. Today, there were no pebbles to aim for, just the bare stone floor.

"Oh, boy." Peter licked his lips. He felt a cold sweat beginning to break out along his spin.

"Do not think about how high it is, just think about not disturbing the pebbles," his father's words came back to him.

As Peter was thinking about jumping, even though he did not feel ready, Mia screamed. Another tiger had entered the arena. This time he had no choice. Mia was going to die if he did not jump now. It was too much like what happened at Carolyn's wedding. If he had not jumped then, he would have been useless to help his father and people would have been killed. Back then, his father caught him, but today, his father was not there to catch him. With his next breath, Peter calmed his racing heart and took that last step, descending to the temple floor, and landing squarely just ahead of Mia and in between the approaching tigers.

Continues with Part 32