Requiem III: The Search for The Truth
by Bonnie Eagan & Alisa Joaquin
Part 39: Observations of the Master
Intruders, ones that he knew were expected, and yet there were those who were not. They would be dealt with in their own time. He watched as the young Shaolin managed to escape his prison cage, save the girl, and escape the tigers. Perhaps he should have called upon the forces sooner and used them to his advantage, but he knew those who died here could not leave this place. They were bound to it as surely as if they had lived. He had been able to call upon their bidding for short periods of time, like asking them to seal whatever door the young Shaolin priest had tried to use, but their power had been limited to a certain distance. They could not go beyond the confines of the temple's perimeter. And if the temple's wall had been present, that included the hallway just beyond. But Peter Caine had been clever. He had found a door that could not be reached and guarded by the spirits of this temple. At first, he thought nothing of the matter, but grew angry when his bait escaped unharmed. But then, thinking upon it once more, this worked out better than he hoped for. Matthew Caine, his son, and the Ancient were heading for the temple. Though the youngest of the Shaolin did not go with them, it did not matter. He would follow later. That had been the nature of this young man. Where his father went, he was sure to follow.
The Master watched as Kwai Chang Caine arrived with his father, and three others. One of whom he was not pleased to see alive. Xia had not done her job. The Ancient still lived. She too will pay the price for failure if she had not all ready. Then another monitor came to life as someone else entered the building, trying not to be seen. A fog roe up and partially obscured the camera's lens, but he could see that the figure was a woman dressed in black. So, she dared to come here and seek him out. His curiosity, however, caused him to wonder how she had discovered his whereabouts. A most simple solution occurred to him, and he cursed himself for allowing even just the smallest mistake and underestimating the capabilities of others. The simplest solution was that she had followed the Shaolin, but how was it the Shaolin knew of this place? He had taken it over after Tan had disappeared. He had heard that the Shaolin had killed him in a duel of honor, but no other details had been given. Learning that Tan's daughter lived in the city though, had been fortuitous, or so he thought. Now it would seem she had also betrayed him.
The Master watched as his tigers were caged by Caine. Very clever, to use such a simple solution, but it would still not be easy. What awaited the Shaolin only he knew. The Master turned off the monitors and made his way to his private elevator leading to a very special sanctuary that only he knew of. After taking over from Tan, he had this place built with stones that he had saved from the temple. Tan knew nothing of these stones. They were specially chosen having been part of the crypt where centuries of priests and monks had been interned. It was a fitting place to make the preparations, to meet the crane in the tiger's lair, and this time, the crane would not survive the fight. It's young would be devoured by the tiger.
Continues with Part 40