Spider's Bite
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Kwai Chang Caine stared down at the stricken priest. He knew the Ancient had been right about one thing that he would eventually die. Caine also knew another truth, that the Ancient was not destined to die at that time. What could have caused the Ancient to be ill? Was it possible that he had been poisoned? If that was the case who had poisoned him and why?
As Caine re-examined Lo Si, he found where the poison had invaded the Ancient's body and realized just who it was had harmed the old priest. Traces of a powerful poison could be found on Lo Si's garment, the kind that seeps through the skin. It was the same type that Latrodect had used on him when the Black Widow sect had tried to take over Chinatown. The poison was designed to break down resistance. Caine knew that if Lo Si tried to interfere in any way, the poison would become worse. Caine, however, had been able to resist some of the poison's effects, eventually cleansing the poison from his own body. But Caine was younger than Lo Si and his abilities as a Shambhala Master were more developed.
Many times Caine had pointed out to the Ancient that he was out of practice, but now was not the time to do so. There had also been another way how Caine had been able to overcome the effects of the poison and that was the defeat of Latrodect and the Black Widow sect. The poison lost its hold on him when the sect had been vanquished from Chinatown. Though Caine would not think about the time when he had been under the sect's influence. That time was a dark point in his life. Still, he had to wonder what the Ancient meant by his words, that he could be forced to choose between his son and the old priest. It did not make sense.
****
Peter sped through the streets of Chinatown until he reached the apartment he shared with his father and grandfather above the warehouse. He skid his car to a stop and bounding from inside, he raised up the fire escape to the apartment's interior.
"Grandpa, you here?" Peter cried out urgently.
"Peter, please do not shout. I may be old, but I am not deaf."
Matthew Caine had just entered the room from the terrace carrying a plant that he had been transplanting into a larger pot. He had decided to stay rather than return to that life of solitude and loneliness. He decided with what time he had left, he wanted to spend that time to get to know his son and grandson. He had been helping the Ancient teach Peter the fine art of being an apothecary while Caine had been in Shambhala. It was a challenge for both. Matthew had learned quickly that his grandson was not always a patient student.
Just at that moment, five men dressed in black entered and surrounded the two Shaolin.
"Oh no, not now," Peter said. "Guys I don't have time for this. Go bug some other Shaolin."
The five men circled the two priests then systematically attacked. Nets shaped like spider webs were thrown but were deflected by cane or by evasive kung fu moves and well placed kicks. Matthew caught one of the nets on his cane. As one of his assailants tried to pull the net free, his cane snapped in two. Peter was just barely able to side step another net that was thrown by ducking down on the other side of the workbench. Their attackers were skilled but not skilled enough. Still, they managed to achieve their objective. One of the three men surrounding Matthew grabbed the old priest from behind and pulled out a knife and held it to the Shaolin's throat.
"Stop fighting or he dies, now." The man holding the knife spoke in Chinese.
Peter did as he was told, not wanting to risk the life of his grandfather needlessly.
The others bound the hands of the priests and forced them outside. They led them down the fire escape to a waiting van. Both were pushed inside.
"Hey, take it easy," Peter demanded. "He's not that young any more."
"Silence! You are in no position to argue."
Another signal and one of the men drove a needle into Peter's arm. A gray haze settled over him as the drug took effect. He felt himself falling and tried to focus his thoughts on his father. Before he could get his thoughts to co-operate, blackness overtook him.
Continues with Part 4
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2002.
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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