Spider's Bite
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Karen Simms had not been to the home of the Ancient. For her, the man was an enigma. Since her unscheduled trip to the past, when she looked at the old apothecary, she could not help but see the old priest from the temple. Accept for the hair, beard and glasses, she would see the same man staring back at her. His face appeared more rounded but his eyes still held a timeless quality. He would also look back at her, studying her face, as if he was trying to remember something, or perhaps reliving a memory. The thought disturbed her and she vowed to ask Lo Si one day when they had a chance to be alone. Today would not give her that opportunity. She and Matthew Caine had come on an urgent mission, to save a young priest from dying.
Karen and Matthew entered the Ancient's home. Everything was still and peaceful, an unusual occurrence. Usually Lo Si could be found either working on some Chinese calligraphy or entertaining several children from the community.
"I don't understand," Karen stated. "Kermit said he should have been back from Shambhala by now." Wherever Shambhala might be she thought.
At that precise moment, footsteps could be heard coming down the staircase behind them.
"If you're looking for the Ancient, he's not back yet. I'm Cheryl, his assistant."
"When will he be back?" Matthew questioned the young woman standing on the stairs.
"He was pretty ill. The Masters said it could be several days. The Black Widow's poison really did a number on him."
"Black widow's poison?" Karen questioned.
"Yeah," Cheryl replied. "It's really nasty stuff from what I hear."
Discouraged that they were not able to find help, Matthew turned toward Karen. "Come, we must do what we can for Peter."
"Please, let the Ancient know we need him when he gets back. We're at Kermit's"
"Sure, no problem, but he might not be back for several days," Cheryl replied.
"We understand." Karen answered.
Karen drove in silence back to Kermit's apartment. A side-ways glance gave her cause to be concerned from what she could see of Matthew's face. His head was bent as if in prayer, but lines of worry were etched in his brow.
"You're afraid that you're not going to be able to help Peter."
"All I can go is strengthen his qi," Matthew replied, not surprised that Karen was able to read him so well. "It is up to Peter to fight off the effects."
"But what about the black widow venom? Won't that complicate things?"
"Black widow venom?"
"Yeah, Kermit showed me a report from Nicky Elder." Karen explained to Matthew that the drugs that had been given to Peter had been laced with black widow venom.
Matthew's eyes narrowed then tightly closed. He reeled from what Karen had just told him. He had heard of such drugs, but had not had the experience of working with someone who had been injected with such a lethal combination. He suddenly felt helpless, not knowing if even his skills would be enough to save his grandson from certain death. Even if Peter would have succeeded in throwing off the hallucinogenic effects, the black widow venom could still kill him. The thought of losing Peter so soon after just getting to know him tore Matthew's heart in two. At that moment, Matthew thought of his son, still in jail at the 101st Precinct.
"My son may be able to help him, but he is in your jail."
"I'll see what I can do to get him out. You do what you can for Peter. You might be able to bide him some time by strengthening his qi."
"You are correct. We must not give up hope."
Karen reached Kermit's apartment as quickly as she could.
"I'm going to drop you off here," Karen stated. "I'll check on your son."
"Do you have the information Kermit gave you?"
"No, I better come upstairs with you." Karen Simms pulled from under her seat a red light and switched it on. "It's really supposed to be used in case of emergencies, but I'm making an exception in this case. I really don't want to waste time parking the car."
Karen then turned off the engine and exited the car. Just as Matthew was about to pull the crate of herbs from her back seat, Karen offered to carry the heavy box.
It wasn't long until they were once again knocking on Kermit's door.
"Where's the Ancient?" Kermit asked.
"He's still in Shambhala," Matthew stated.
"Great. Peter's likely to die and there's no one to help prevent it."
Kermit, that's why Matthew's here," Karen countered.
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm feeling more helpless than I'd like to be."
"Do not be sorry. You care for Peter very much. A trait which you do not expend lightly," Matthew observed. "I am worried too. I will do what I can with these." Matthew stated, pointing to the crate of herbs. 'But it may not be enough,' he said to himself.
"I'll set you up on the kitchen." Kermit stated and led Matthew to another area of the apartment.
Karen Simms quietly slipped into the bedroom to look in on Peter. She could see that his face was pinched with pain and his body was curled into a fetal position. Sweat continued to pour from his body soaking the sheet. She sat beside him and ran a hand through his damp hair.
"You're going to get through this detective," she stated, her voice nearly choking with emotion. "You have to. That's an order."
"Perhaps I can help."
Karen looked up to see a man standing in the doorway. He was tall and had silver running through his dark hair. His eyes were gray and held that same timelessness as the Ancient's.
"Who are you?"
"A friend," was all he said.
Continues with Part 29
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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