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Kai’s vision clouded and she stumbled back, tripped over a dusty cushion and landed on a bench. The Jian landed in her lap, and she automatically gripped it tighter to stop it from cutting into her legs.
“Who disturbs my rest?” a voice whispered through her mind and a face swam into view.
Kai froze. I should have read the plaque; that’s a Qin era Dragon Warrior. This must be a Spirit Blade. She swallowed and tried to drop the weapon.
“You woke me, and you dare to attempt to drop my sword?” the warrior’s voice swelled from a whisper to a roar, and she whimpered from the stab of pain it gave her. Her hand tightened around the hilt, the blade lifting without her consciously moving it, the point heading toward her throat.
“I apologise for... I never intended... I didn’t mean to... I’m sorry!” she replied, still trying to let go of the sword, to cut the connection with the spirit in the blade. The pain in her head intensified. “Please! I’m truly sorry.”
Finally, the spirit felt her remorse and the pain faded. “I accept your apology. You appear to be an honourable woman, no matter what your reason for picking up my sword.”
“Thank you.” Kai sighed with relief.
The sword stopped pointing at her throat and laid itself, flat, in her lap. Her hand didn’t ungrasp though, no matter what she tried.
“Now tell me why you have plucked me from my resting place?” the warrior’s face in her mind was relaxed now, and Kai got the feeling he was bored of being on the wall.
She explained what she did for a living and why she was in the temple, “Chamberlain is hiding in the tree in the courtyard. I suspect that he will attack me somehow when I get close to him and while I am a competent knife fighter, I wanted something a little bigger than my Tanto.”
The warrior hummed inside her head, clearly considering the story, “Have you studied the use of the Jian?”
Sighing, Kai shook her head, forgetting that the warrior wasn’t actually corporeal and spoke out loud, “No. All I had intended to do was to get him to back down, so that I could take him to the police to answer their questions.”
It didn’t seem to make a difference whether she spoke in her mind or aloud.
“A bluff then. What if he threatened your life?” He said.
“Then I would defend myself as best as I could.” She looked at the silvery blade across her lap its edge glinting, “and probably die trying.”
“Hmm.” The warrior fell silent for a long time.
The silence went on for so long that Kai thought he might have fallen asleep again, but she still couldn’t release the hilt. I don’t have control of my arm; it’s almost as if I don’t have an arm at all.
Finally, her arm moved slightly, the polished blade reflecting her face in the dim light.
“I will aid you in apprehending this, Mage. With luck, you will be able to persuade him to leave the temple with you, but should the situation turn life threatening I shall fight with you; all you need do is to allow me to use your body.” He sounded almost excited.
“Getting bored of being on the wall of the temple huh?” she muttered out loud.
“I have been in this blade for over two thousand years, since my emperor saw fit to have my spirit housed in it.” The warrior said, “Unable to influence those who wielded me unless they carried the same ability you have... boring does not come close.”
Kai stifled a laugh, “I shall accept your help, sir... it would help if I knew who I was talking to.”
“I am Wei Tian, Commander of the Emperor’s Bodyguard.”
She inclined her head in thanks, “I am Kai-Lynn Riordan, Diviner and Hunter. May I have the use of my arm again please?”
“Of course. I suggest that you use the sheath that was with my blade. It will make it easier to carry me.” Wei Tian released her arm and she let go of the hilt, rubbing her hand and arm to get the pins and needles out of it.
“Carry me across with you, Riordan.” His voice spoke in her mind even though she wasn’t touching the blade.
How on earth? I wonder. Kai slid her glove back on and picked the sword back up.
“You feel muffled, Riordan,” Wei Tian said, “What have you done?”
She explained about the gloves she wore to stop her ability from intruding on her daily life while she walked across to the wall to retrieve the sheath, carrying the sword.
“Have you had no training? Many Diviners in my day studied for years to control their powers.”
Kai took the sheath down, attached it to her belt beside her Tanto and slid the blade into the intricately tooled leather. “As far as I am aware, I am the only one of my kind in Te Ling and possibly the world. Who would train me?”
“I see your problem.” Wei Tian’s voice was as clear as ever, “Now what is your next step for the capture of the criminal?”
Kai rolled her eyes and ignored him, trying to concentrate. I have to try to sneak up on him. I wish Amira was here, she’d be able to tell me the fastest route into the courtyard from here.
“The right-hand door leads to the courtyard, the left to the Inner Sanctum which also has a door to the courtyard. Are you certain that the Mage is there?” Wei Tian appeared to be able to listen in on her thoughts.
Kai grimaced, “In the last vision I saw through him, he was looking down from the tree at a chest under it.”
“I don’t remember there being any chests out there, but it has been some twenty years since I was last in use.” The spirit gave a definite feeling of being lonely and Kai began to feel sorry for him.
“Well, I need to find out what he’d doing without him seeing me. I have to assume that he’s put spells on the doors into the courtyard, so would you mind staying quiet for a moment while I look?”
“Of course.” Wei Tian said.
Kai slid her glove off again and touched the scarf. The image took over her mind almost immediately. He’s moving. That’s a corridor... and he’s going out into the grounds. If he manages to lose me here, I’ll never find him before... a buzzing interrupted her and she took her hand away from the scarf, pulling her glove on again, before she took her phone out. “I’m glad I have this set to silent when I’m on a case.” She muttered as she hit the answer button.
“Zhao here. Where the hell are you, Riordan?” the detective’s voice was way too loud.
“Shut up, Zhao! I’m in the Temple and tracking Chamberlain. I haven’t actually seen him yet.” Kai gritted her teeth at his impatience.
“So why call us in before you’ve got him?” Zhao snapped, “I’m coming in.”
“This idiot will make the mage run faster than if it were just you after him.” Wei Tian commented, and Kai had to bite her lip to stop herself laughing.
“No. I need you and your men to surround all the exits from the grounds. If he gets out, that’s it.” She told him.
“Good plan, Riordan.” The spirit said, echoing Zhao on the phone.
“Then do it!” she snapped, “I’ll call you back once I have him in custody.” Kai turned her phone off completely, so that he couldn’t argue.
“The corridor you saw through his eyes was the one leading from the internal courtyard to the rear garden.” Wei Tian said, “I can show you a short cut.”
“I’d appreciate that.” The information was suddenly there in her mind, and she was moving before she had time to think, “I didn’t realise you’d be able to see the vision too.”
“I’m a Spirit. I can see a lot that you can’t.” the warrior was amused, and Kai had to fight to stop herself giggling with him.
Kai left the main temple and ran through the covered walkway that Wei Tian had told her about. It seemed to skirt around the outside of the temple and as she slipped through a gate that stood ajar behind the temple, she saw Chamberlain in the flesh for the first time, trying to hide in a stand of rhododendron.
The mage was taller than her and his hair was bright red and green. He didn’t seem to have a great deal of care about how he dressed, wearing fleece tracksuit bottoms and a long leather coat, but Kai got the impression that he’d not paid attention to that in his flight from the murder scene.
“They think I did it. They think that I killed the one man in the entire world who I loved and would do anything for.” What he’d said earlier repeated in her thoughts and the despair in the tone filtered through.
“Are they that certain that he killed the victim?” Wei Tian said, “If what he has said is true and he is friends with the victim, then there would be evidence of him there.”
“They just want him to answer questions like that. He was seen running from the scene of the crime and that probably makes him a key witness to what happened.” Kai began moving quietly toward the bushes.
Then the barking started outside the temple grounds.
Kai groaned, “He brought Wolf Clan officers?”
Chamberlain heard her and appeared out of the bushes. In his hands he held a ball of green flickering light, “Don’t make me hurt anyone, Hunter. I’ve never killed anyone in all my life, don’t make me start now.”
“Then we have something in common. I’ve never killed anyone either.” She said, moving closer, “Look, you’re a key witness to what happened at the crime scene; they don’t want to hurt you, just talk to you.”
“People who talk to Zhao disappear.” Chamberlain stood his ground, “Everyone knows that he’s one below the White Tiger.”
He’s got a point there. Kai shrugged, “So what? You’re a witness, not a suspect. Just tell the truth and you’ll be fine.”
The ball of light grew bigger. Chamberlain tossed it from palm to palm as casually as a kid with a tennis ball, “I didn’t see who killed him. I just woke up and he was dead; torn to pieces as if he’d been in a fight with another Wolf Clan member.”
“You see, it couldn’t have been you; you may be a mage, but you’re nowhere near as strong as Wolf Clan.” Kai took another step toward him and stopped, stretching out one hand to him, “Please, just come with me and I’ll call in a favour to make sure that you aren’t harmed in anyway.”
The ball of light stopped moving and shrank slightly, “Are you sure you can do that?”
As certain as I am that you’re innocent. She thought, “Wei Tian, can you feel any guilt coming from him?”
The spirit considered the matter, “Yes, but nowhere near enough to have been the murderer. Be wary, Riordan. I feel that there is something else going on here.”
“You too huh?” Kai wriggled her fingers, “Please Chamberlain... Michael... please just come with me...”
A howl interrupted her, and Chamberlain jumped back as four werewolves appeared around them. They growled, and he froze, the ball of light turning orange.
Damn. I’m going to seriously hang Zhao out to dry myself for this. Kai made a swift decision and stripped off her right glove again, “Wei Tian, we may have to defend Chamberlain instead of bluffing him; do you mind?”
The spirit blade glowed blue, “I’d prefer it to seeing him torn to pieces by the Wolf Clan or seeing you killed by the mage.”
“We’re on the same page then,” She murmured. Unsheathing the sword, she turned her back to Chamberlain and put herself squarely between the wolf clan officers and the mage.
“Back off, you lot!” she shouted, “If you truly want to question him, you’ll move back and let him come in peacefully.”
The werewolves growled and the biggest one took a step toward her. She swung the blade to face him. His fur was black with bright red tips and his eyes glowed red in the light from Chamberlain’s spell.
“Back off! I do not want to hurt anyone.” Kai licked her lips, trying hard not to let the primal urge to run take over.
“Steady, young Diviner. Stand your ground.” Wei Tian told her, and she felt him take control of her body, but not her mind, “You do the talking and I’ll defend you. The less blood spilled the better.”
Then the wolf changed form, bones crunching from one shape to another, the crackles of tendons and cartilage shifting, sinew popping and twanging, making Kai wince. Once the change had finished, Zhao stood there, naked in front of her, eyes glowing red still and elongated canines pressing against his lower lip.
“Abomination. He is both Vampire and Wolf Clan?” Wei Tian’s shock mirrored Kai’s.
“Don’t defend him, Riordan. He killed our Brother Wolf.” Zhao said.
“I didn’t!” Chamberlain shrieked.
“Your DNA is all over the place, Chamberlain.” The canines retreated and Zhao’s eyes became brown, as the detective completed the change to human.
“Of course, it is I was Jai-Lo’s lover!” the mage seemed on the edge of tears.
Jai-Lo? The Maître D at my favourite restaurant? Nah... couldn’t be... I saw him earlier today and Zhao said that the murder was this morning. Kai shook her head mentally.
“We know that. You were heard arguing with him over his decision to leave you.” Zhao stepped forward.
“Yes, we argued, but we made up in the best way possible. I fell asleep afterward and when I woke up, he was dead.” Chamberlain said.
“At least listen to him properly, Zhao. Innocent before being proven guilty remember?” Kai swallowed. Wei Tian was still in control of her body, so she couldn’t put the sword away.
The three other werewolves growled, the sound making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“I will not let you take me to the White Tiger,” Chamberlain said, “I’ll die first.”
“Protocol says that all cases involving Treaty members be brought before the White Tiger’s court,” Zhao shrugged, “It’s out of my hands. Riordan, put the sword down before you cut yourself.”
“I can’t. It goes against everything I stand for if I let you hurt him,” She said.
In a blur of movement, Zhao was beside her, his hands on the sword, trying to wrest it from her, “Let go.”
“I can’t.”
Wei Tian twisted the blade slightly and threw the detective off, making him stumble backward a few steps. “Stay calm, Riordan.”
Zhao frowned, “Have you been taking lessons that I’ve not heard about?”
She shook her head.
Behind her, Chamberlain shrieked in fear as two of the wolves approached him, “I swear on the life of the Black Dragon, if you come any closer, I will kill myself.” The ball of light became blood red and the wolves growled again.
Wei Tian spun Kai round, obviously intending on defending the mage, but as the point of the sword came toward him, Chamberlain’s face filled with anger.
“You led them to me. You won’t come away from this unharmed, Hunter.” He shouted at her and as he threw himself toward her, Wei Tian brought the sword up. The blade’s tip slipped smoothly into the mage’s body, blood running down the blade and flooding over her hands.
“No!” Kai screamed.
The mage grinned and took a step, then another and another until his chest met the hilt of the sword. The ball of red light grew to surround the two of them.
“I didn’t want to kill you, I just wanted to defend you from them.” Kai said, tears streaming down her face.
“But I wished to die, Hunter. Without Jai-Lo’s love. I am nothing. At least now I can join him on the steps of Heaven, having died an honourable death by blade.” The mage replied, “But despite my gratitude for that, you led them to me when you could have let me go. Therefore, for the rest of your life you will regret the lifestyle you have chosen.”
She stared at him, confused.
Chamberlain coughed, blood flooding out of his mouth. He spat the stuff out to one side and said, “You move through an interesting world, Hunter; Now you will live that world every day for the rest of your very, very, very long life. I curse you with my heart’s blood that lies on your hands; I curse you to true immortality and everlasting change.”
The light went out of his eyes, and he slumped forward. The ball of light around them shrank rapidly and disappeared.
With a practised movement, Wei Tian tilted the blade and the body slid off onto the ground. Kai stared at it.