Requiem III: The Search for The Truth

by Bonnie Eagan & Alisa Joaquin

Part 28: Lo Si's Journal

Lo Si entered his home and went straight to an old trunk sitting in the corner of his living space. The trunk was nondescript, but what it held only he knew. He pulled out a chain from around his neck and a small key could be seen dangling from its length. He opened the trunk and inside were his old robes, folded into a neat bundle. They still held a faint odor of smoke from the fires that destroyed the temple, his reasons for holding onto them were not clear. Perhaps they were there to remind him of the part he played in keeping the Caine line alive. The robes, however, were not the item he was looking for, another sought his attention, one that went farther back then the temple in California.

There had been another temple, one in China, one where Lo Si had sought refuge after the love of his life and daughter had been taken from him by the soldiers. A Shaolin priest had come to his village after the soldiers had been there. Lo Si went with him. He had not known at the time that it was the very same temple that Matthew Caine had been a part of. Matthew had not been there when Lo SI arrived. Like all young Shaolin, he had been wandering the countryside, helping and healing those in need. Eventually, Matthew had returned, and with him he brought his young son. Though they had been members of the same temple, they had never spoken. At the time, Lo Si had spent his days in meditation trying to purge the hatred that he felt in his soul for the betrayal that he had thought had been done to him.

Then Lo Si thought about the day that he heard the rumor, the rumor that a raid was being planned to destroy that very temple, not because they followed the old ways, but because a certain Shaolin priest was sought because of his family line. He had heard it in the marketplace. Lo Si did not understand at the time what it meant, so, he let it go. And so the raid happened and the temple was destroyed. He blamed himself for not acting and wept for those that were lost, especially the children. And from that day forth, he vowed to study all that he could regarding the line of Caine. What he found astounded him. The line, though not of pure Chinese blood, was special, and yet contained the taint of death. The taking of a life does no one honor, especially when the life was taken by a priest sworn to peace. Reading of the account of how Master Po lost his life and Kwai Chang Caine taking the life of the Emperor's nephew, Lo Si could understand why it had been done. The nephew cared little for others, yet that did not justify Caine's actions. Lo Si found within his own research that the Caine line was more than worthy, despite the taint placed there by the Emperor, the dishonor that would haunt the line for four generations until most recently.

But there was another line that crossed the Caine path, a line that was also Shaolin and should have remained so, except for a grandson's defiance of his own father. Lo Si had met the boy when he was asked to escort the last of the royal line to this country for protection. He could hear the boy arguing with his father, asking again why his grandfather had not come home from America. The boy's father confided in the priest, asking Lo Si to help his son understand, but the boy refused to listen to any advise from any Shaolin who might have known Kwai Chang Caine or Matthew. Though Lo Si had heard of Matthew Caine, he had never met the priest. His involvement centered around his son and grandson, believing that Matthew was gone from this earthly plane. Until one day in the late fall, someone came looking for a gravesite that held nothing. The figure was bent and he held a cane, the face so familiar that Lo Si thought he was looking into the future. But that was another time and the Ancient had other matters that concerned him now.

Lo Si pulled out a worn journal. In its pages was a history, one that Lo Si had tried very hard to rectify in the only way he knew how. Information in that journal showed the truth, how lives and paths crossed and changed to affect all those who were touched. There was still one more life that needed mending, but he was uncertain as to how to go about it. That life had not listened to reason and he feared it would also end with destruction. Not only that, he knew little of the granddaughter who followed in the footsteps of another out of a misbegotten sense of justice and honor. The footsteps should not have been hers to follow in the first place. Would she see reason, or would she end up like Tan. For her sake, he hoped she would change the path she walked, though it was doubtful. He had to try, but he did not know where to find her.

At that moment a cold unearthly chill penetrated his bones. He turned to see her standing before him, waiting.

"It is time, old one, to meet your destiny," Xia crooned, her voice once again taking on that ethereal quality.

Lo Si stared sadly at the young woman, not moving a single muscle, but holding the journal close to his body.

"What are you waiting for old fool, an invitation?"

"You must not do this. If you do, you will never know the truth."

"The truth? What are you talking about old man?"

"I am talking about your true heritage."

"Heritage?" Xia questioned. "What do you know of heritage?"

"There is much you do not know. You sought to regain your family's honor for the death of your father. Your grandfather wishes to do the same. But you do not know that honor has been served already and there was no honor to lose."

"Grandfather? Honor? I have no grandfather."

"You are wrong. Your father was the son of Kim Luc."

"And who is Kim Luc?" Xia asked sarcastically.

"A man, like Tan, who turned to evil."

"My father wasn't evil. He was only gaining what was rightfully his. The temple should have been his. Caine murdered him."

Lo Si shook his head at Xia's naiavity. Whatever Tan had told her about her family's history was obviously false, cultivated and twisted to suit his own purpose. That had been Tan's way. "Are you afraid to learn the truth then?"

"I fear nothing you have to say to me, Shaolin."

"Then take this." Lo Si held out the journal.

"What's that book got to do with me?"

"It was your great-grandfather's. If you wish to know the truth read it. But hear me out before you do. Lives were lost because of your hatred, lives that can never be replaced. If one more life is taken, it will not be mine, but yours, and the line will be lost forever. No requiem can happen. The cycle of your lives will have ended. You must make the choice, to live within truth or die, dishonored and alone."

Xia stared at the Ancient Priest, still holding the journal out toward her. Why was he doing this? And why was she hesitating? Did she really fear what was in that booK? She all ready stated that she wasn't afraid, and yet, she continued to stand there without moving. This was ridiculous. There was nothing in that book that she didn't all ready know, or so she thought. But what did she know? Slowly Xia raised her hand and reached for the book. What would it hurt if she flipped through its pages. She could always kill the Ancient later.

As Xia opened to the first page, Lo Si moved to the table where his herbs were stored. Satisfied he at least got her attention, Lo Si pulled from a nearby shelf two cups.

"I will put on a pot of tea."

Continued with Part 29