Distant Cousins
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Year 1997
*My son, I need you*
Kwai Chang Caine did his best to concentrate, but it was no use. The pounding in his head blocked all awareness of his son. Whatever world Bon Bon Hai had brought Caine to, it was also blocking any attempt at communicating with Peter. Not only that, the accident had left Caine feeling weak. All he felt like doing was sleeping, but he knew he could not do that. A large dark bruise formed along the length of the now closed laceration on his right temple. The area was tender and Caine suspected he had also suffered from a concussion. Sleeping could prove fatal, if that concussion was severe. He must remain awake for at least several hours. To do so, Caine decided to explore the confines of his prison.
Caine rose from the floor, though a bit unsteady, he began walking. Everywhere he went it was white. Nothing else seemed to exist in this realm of endless whiteness. It was ironic that an evil being such as the Dark Warrior would come from such a place. Thoughts of the day that he had been chosen by the priests of Shambhala to fight the warlord invaded his mind. The Dark Warrior had proven stronger than he had anticipated and quite resourceful. Before his ultimate defeat, the Dark Warrior had chosen a successor. Bon Bon Hai had inherited his powers and was more of a threat than ever.
Caine thought about Peter's encounter with the ex-Zhong Li Quan leader. He had been proud of his son when Peter had described his escape from the prison cell filled with snakes. Only a full Shaolin would have seen through the deception. Given enough time, Caine believed Peter would have defeated the Dark Warrior. Now it seemed it would be up to Peter to face the Tiger. Caine wasn't too concerned since Peter was fully Shaolin, and had been for nearly two years. Bon Bon Hai's dark powers, on the other hand, seemed to have grown since their last encounter. It was going to be more difficult to defeat him.
Caine walked for at least an hour and was beginning to tire. His wound was not sufficiently healed and his qi had been weakened. His pouch that he normally had at his side had been taken away. It would have contained the necessary herbs and items that would have assisted in his recovery. Without it, Caine's chances were lessened. Even though his own body was obedient to his will, the injury to his head made it difficult for him to focus, and that much harder to heal himself.
Caine fell to his knees when he finally felt like he could go no further; his breath coming in short gasps as he struggled for control. There had to be a way for him to escape this endless whiteness. It was then that he felt the coldness of the white crystal medallion around his neck. Ever since the Dark Warrior had been defeated and Bon Bon Hai had been established as the new threat to mankind, Shambhala had to be protected. He had been wearing the medallion to keep it safe.
While Caine had been away, the book of Shambhala had been recovered quite by accident. Bon Bon Hai must have carelessly left it where it had been stolen from some unknown thief, at least that was the story. The book had ended up in a used bookstore not far from the Caine apartment. It was Cheryl who discovered the book and brought it to Peter. She had no idea what the book contained, only that it had references to the Shaolin and thought Peter should have it. Even after the book of Shambhala had been returned and placed back into its hidden drawer, the cherry wood box with its matching medallion insert had to be placed where it would be safe from evil. The medallion that Caine wore was an intricate part because when the medallion was brought close to the wooden box, the inserted crystal would glow.
"The medallion, it may be the key," Caine realized and said to no one. By speaking his words out loud, he could fill some of the oppressive silence of this place. At that moment, he understood how Peter must have felt and why he would chatter. Some of it was from nervousness or from being scared. Other times it was because Peter did not like the silence. Perhaps it reminded him of being alone and isolated from everything, just as Caine was at that moment.
Caine pulled out the medallion from under his shirt and held it up. If the book was a portal to Shambhala, then the medallion must be a means to enter that sacred realm as well. But would it work in the Dark Warrior's realm? There was only one way to find out.
Continues with Part 9
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2003.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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