The Lord of Shadows Rises (6 page)

“I've got someone more suitable for the task, Shun Xian,” said the Voice.

The female bowed and retreated. “Of course, Master, but my claws haven’t tasted blood since the murder of the Bolshevik family at their dojo in Siberia,” she said grinning. She reminisced as she stroked her fingers, pulling out two metal claws that reached out a good eight inches. Specially made to fit only her fingers, Shun Xian took great pride in her lethal weapons.

“Vladimir!” shouted the Lord of Shadows from his prison. On hearing his name a huge man, a black tattoo of a viper on his bare arm and holding a massive hammer walked up from the circle. The lion skin he wore across his shoulders had belonged to a lion he had felled with his bare hands, before he had ripped the skin from its body.

“Yes, my Master?" His Russian accent thick and heavy.

“I want you to kill Master Thompson of the Muay Thai, the reigning champion of the North American division. Take as many of your hunters as necessary to kill the fool’s students and find the Key,” said the Voice of the imprisoned warlord. “Do NOT fail me!”

The man got down on one knee. “Of course, my Lord," he said, before walking out.

“Why start killing the students?” asked Nicolson.

“If any of the students survive, they will only grow stronger and oppose us,” said the Voice.

“Bet you he fails," Kyral smirked.

“Say that to his face," Kevin replied.

***

The latest American Fighting Championship was taking place. In the most recent match, the Master of Muay Thai stood over his beaten opponent. “The winner of this bout is Master Paul Thompson!” shouted the announcer as the Master raised his arm in victory.

Thompson walked off the arena and to his students. “Great job master,” said Lenora. “Just one more fight.”

I have an hour before my next fight.”

The hour passed as Thompson walked into the arena.

“The next match will be Master Paul Thompson against an opponent whose size towers above all. Using Russian wrestling and some martial arts to overcome his adversaries, he is steamrollering all before him. -Vladimir!” shouted the announcer as the giant man, reaching an impressive seven and a half feet tall and all muscle, walked into the arena. “Begin!”

Master Thompson moved fluidly from his stance and thrust his knee at the giant man. His attack was easily caught, but the elbow he followed up with caught the giant Russian, making him release the Master. Vladimir growled, and struck back with his foot, his attempt intercepted by the Master’s knee. “You shall be my next victim, White Rose Master," he threatened as he stalked the Master.

So I'm the next to be targeted,
thought Thompson.

Vladimir threw another punch, but the Master moved his head to the side, letting the punch sail past. “I’m sure you can do better than that,” goaded the Master as he hopped around in his stance.

In the stands, Lenora and Alexander were cheering their Master on. “There's something off about this Vladimir,” Alexander whispered.

Lenora saw the worry on her friend’s face. “What is it?” she asked.

He turned to her. “We've got to stop this match. Master Thompson is in trouble. Look at the way this Vladimir is attacking.”

Lenora looked at him like he had lost his mind. “What are you talking about? I don’t see any...” she says before realization strikes her. “Those attacks.”

Alexander left his seat. “He’s using kill shots with his attacks.” His franticness making Lenora’s eyes widen. “Throw in the towel, now!”

It can’t be. They wouldn’t reveal themselves to the public, would they
? She thought, as she grabbed a towel from the bench and ran to the stage.

“He forfeits the match!” shouted Lenora as she threw in the towel for her Master.

The giant of a man glared at her. “This is my mission, girl.” Raising his arms, a series of movements caused an eerie blue glow to appear around the fighters. “This is a barrier that'll only drop when one of the fighters is dead."

***

Back at Master Thompson’s dojo, thirty men heavily armed with hammers approached. “The dojo’s closed,” stated one of the students as met the group at the door. Seeing the weapons they carried, the young man dropped into his stance and kneed the first attacker.

The armed men charged the lone student, overpowering him as they rushed over his body and into the dojo. The rest of the students stood, scared and outnumbered, ready to risk it all to defend their home.

After ten minutes of fighting, only three students were left to battle the twenty assailants still standing. Two students charged and engaged the overwhelming odds as one fled to sound the alarm.

He managed to evade the enemy long enough to press the switch, before he was killed by a dagger to the back.

The leader looked around. “Find the key now!” His men divided up, tearing up the dojo looking for the key. Failure to find what the Lord of Shadows needed was not an option.

“Sir, I found it!” shouted one of the men as he took it from a safe.

“Excellent, man. Leave the bodies here and follow me.” The group of attackers left with the wind, leaving the bodies of ten students, all teenagers, and eleven of their own men.

***

The battle taking place in the tournament was becoming one-sided. Master Thompson, his energy failing him, was starting to slow down The hits from the Russian giant were stronger than any he had ever faced.

Lenora was still trying to get into the fight, past the blue force field, but was forced to watch as her Master fought vainly for his life. “Master, don’t give up!” she shouted, hoping now for a miracle.

His opponent relocated several of his joints as Thomson’s throws found some success, but he seemed unstoppable. He had multiple bruises on his body and blood on his face and chest.

“Well, this is the end for you, fool!” Screamed the giant as he punched the Master in the chest, throwing his weight behind the strike and sending him crashing to the floor. Coughing out blood, the Master tried to rise. Vladimir grabbed the Master’s throat, lifting him from the mat, and began to crush his esophagus.

“That monster's won already due to forfeit, and by the rules he needs to stop his attack. I need security!” the announcer called with panic.

Several men in uniforms rushed to the stage guns in hand but were stopped by the invisible barrier. One slammed his stick into the barrier only to find it bounced back. “We can’t get in,” said one of the security guards as they looked for any weakness in the field.

“I won't go down this easily." Rasped the Master, using his remaining strength to head butt his opponent in the temple.

Vladimir stumbled back, letting go of the Master just as a knee was sent into his chest. “Pathetic!” growled the man mountain. “I'll kill you slowly.” He continued to circle his target as a predator does its prey.

Master Thompson jumped up hitting the assassin in the air with a strong knee to the ribs. “Time to end this.” The Master’s strength though had gone. A bone protruded from his knee where he had struck the Russian. “That attack and he's still alive and fighting,” said the Master as he fought to mask the pain.

Vladimir walked to the injured Master who was trying to get up and stepped on the Master’s one good leg, snapping it and making the Master scream in agony. Grabbing him by the throat he again lifted him from the mat, his broken legs dangling beneath him. Crushing his windpipe he threw the brave fighter, dead, to the floor.

Lenora screamed as the barrier finally dropped. The security officers near the barrier tried to apprehend the killer only to be thrown toy-like from the ring.

Lenora charged the giant man but was easily backhanded back out of the ring by Vladimir. Alexander also charged, hitting the giant Russian in the throat, making him stumble, but he recovered and punched Alexander back out the ring and into the crowd.

He opened his hands, moved his arms in a figure-eight motion and a black portal appeared before him. Turning to Lenora he goaded, “Your Master was easy to kill, girl. Pray I don’t come for you next.”

Lenora fell down and cried, holding her bleeding Master’s head in her lap. “Master!” she vainly cried as Alexander limped to her side. He knelt down and hugged her, as tears ran down her face.

***

In the temple, Vladimir approached the statue and saw there were now three cubes on the pedestal; he smirked. The crack had extended still further on the statue, the flesh of the Lord of Shadows peeking through.

“Well done, Vladimir,” said the Voice. “However, you shouldn't have made such a spectacle of the attack.”

“I'm sorry, my Lord. It was the only way to fight him,” said the Russian.

The Voice responded, “Since you have successfully completed your mission, I shall forgive this transgression."

“Thank you, my Lord,” Vladimir said, getting down on one knee and crossing one arm over his chest.

The Lord chuckled deeply. “Soon I'll be free of this accursed prison."

***

Back at the dojo, the two newly-minted Masters were horrified at what they saw. “Who'd do this to such innocent children? This is horrible,” a tear-stricken Lenora said. All of the students’ bodies still littered the floor, along with numerous dark-clothed assailants.’

Alexander balled up his fists. “Damn!”

The two sorrowfully gathered the dead bodies of their fellow students and buried them at the rear of the dojo. Granting the orphans the little honor they could provide in death. The assailants’ bodies burned with the dojo as the pair destroyed the building. Laden with supplies for their journey, the Masters left the scene and went in search of the remaining Masters.

***

One week later, traveling by train and guided by their medallions, the pair arrived in Brazil. Using funds Alexander has drawn on before leaving The States they rented a car, taking them across country to the edge of the largest rainforest on earth.

“It’s huge. How’re we going find the master in this place?” asked Lenora as they arrived at their latest destination. “Can the medallions still guide us through here?”

Alexander held her close. “We'll do it together," he said reassuringly. Lenora smiled back at the young Norwegian and returned his hug.

Alexander and Lenora had been in the rainforest for a little over two days, walking as much as possible and resting only when they could walk no more. No sign of any habitation could be found, only mile after mile of wet flora.

“We've been searching for days. Where is he?” asked Lenora.

As another day drew to a close, Alexander had his medallion out and was using it to guide them to the Master. Lenora heard a small roar ahead. “What’s that?” she whispered.

Alexander looked around. “Sounds like a wild cat. We’d better find shelter for the night,” he replied. Making their way to a small cave nearby, they lit a fire outside the entrance big enough to illuminate the immediate area, got out their sleeping bags and lay down. Time passed and the roaring grew more distant but the pair found themselves still unable to sleep.

Alexander looked at his partner with worry evident in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

The young woman had her arms around her knees shaking. “I wish my Master was still here,” she said, fighting back the tears.

Alexander put his head down in a slight bow. “I know, I felt the same way when Master Luray was killed,” he admitted, a tear threatening to run freely down his face.

The two continued to sit in silence as darkness fell on the rainforest.

***

At the temple, Nicolson was kneeling in front of the statue as Kevin stood alongside.

“I need you to go to the Amazon with Kira and deal with the two successors of the Masters. We must prevent them from finding the other Masters before we do," the voice commanded.

Nicholson bowed his head. “Yes, my Lord.” A black portal opened, and he walked through, followed closely by Kira.

Kyral walked out of the shadows. “I hope you sent some men with them. Otherwise, they’ll fail you,” he said with a smirk.

“Don’t question what I do, Kyral,” the voice was irritated.

“My Lord,” said Kevin. “Why go after the small fry now?”

“They are away from civilization and we can kill them with no attention drawn to us,” said the voice. “We can retrieve the key the boy has on him. How's my army coming along?”

“The men are almost ready. They are now ten thousand strong with access to modern weaponry and there are still more to come.”

“Excellent. I want them ready by next January,” said the voice.

Kyral bowed. “Of course, my Lord.”

***

In the rain forest, Alexander and Lenora continued their trek. A nearby roar bringing them to a sudden stop.

Alexander turned his head. “Did you hear something?”

“You mean the roar?” asked Lenora.

Alexander shook his head. “Well, yes, but not just that. I can hear human voices as well."

Following the sound, the two young Masters snuck towards the edge of a small clearing. Three men armed with rifles stood over the bodies of several jaguars, some being so small they could only be cubs. The forlorn roar was emitted by a lone, injured jaguar in a nearby trap. They listened to the men converse as they circled the wounded cat.

“Man, these jaguars sure are a pain to kill," said the largest of the three men, as he looked down at the injured female jaguar lying on the ground. Toying with the scope on his rifle he prepared to finish the job.

The two Masters saw the jaguar vainly struggling to get free of the trap. “Poachers,” said Alexander as he turned to his companion. But the girl was gone.

“Lenora, where are you?” he whispered. Turning back to the clearing he saw his friend stealthily approach from behind one of the three poachers, knocking him out with a punch to the back of his head. “She's going to get killed if she is not careful,” Alexander stressed as he followed after her.

The two remaining poachers heard the sound of their friend hitting the ground and turned around.

“What're you doing here, girl?” accused one of the men, fully decked-out in camouflage gear, his finger firmly on the trigger of his rifle.

“These animals are protected from hunting and smuggling,” she replied. “But then I suspect you already knew that!”

The two men laughed.

“We were going to sell the babies but they got a little rowdy so we put them down,” said the camouflaged poacher’s associate from under his safari hat. Lenora saw red and attacked the first of the two men, knocking him out with a quick knee thrust to the chest followed by a swift kick to the head. In her rage she lost focus, the second poacher hitting her in the temple with the butt of his rifle, and knocking her to the ground.

The man stood over her, rifle pointed between her eyes. “So long, girl,” he grinned, his finger on the trigger.

Lenora, still dazed, closed her eyes and readied herself for the end. But it never came. Before her attacker could fire the fatal shot he collapsed across her. Behind him was Alexander, hands raised in a karate chop stance. “You know I really hate those who tear apart a family. They're lower than dirt,” he said, reaching down to help his friend up.

Getting the rope from his bag the pair tied the three poachers together. Lenora tried unsuccessfully to get close to the injured jaguar, but it snapped at her, warning her to stay away.

Alexander walked up to her. “You're approaching her too fast.” Slowly he crept up to the giant cat, careful not to make any sudden movements. The jaguar continued to growl at the two but was no longer snapping. Alexander approached the trap and released the injured cat.

He saw the animal’s leg was bleeding and maybe broken, so he took a clean cloth from his bag and once again approached the cat, gingerly tying the cloth over the wound. Snapping a branch from a nearby tree and cutting down some vines he fashioned a makeshift splint onto the cat’s injured leg. The jaguar looked at her rescuer’s eyes and walked toward him as he walked away.

Alexander turned around and smiled. “You want to come with us?” The jaguar nudged his hand in confirmation.

“You've got a way with animals,” said Lenora. Unable to believe what she was witnessing.

“They aren’t mindless creatures like many people think. Show them respect and they won't harm you,” lectured Alexander. “Show them kindness and they'll remember it for their whole life.”

“I'll have to remember that.” Responded Lenora. “We’d better get to work burying the deceased Jaguars.”

***

The two fighters and their feline companion, having completed the shallow burial of the dead jaguars, walked further into the rainforest, leaving the men in the clearing tied up. Taking out his medallion Alexander saw that it was glowing brightly. “This way,” he confirmed.

The three continued to walk deeper into the jungle for hour after hour until Alexander suddenly pushed Lenora to the ground as an arrow flew by where she had been stood only a moment before. “You know you shouldn't attack people you don’t know." Shouted Alexander to their unseen attacker.

A young, black-haired boy wearing spiked gloves appeared from the trees. Holding a bow in his hand, a quiver of arrows were slung across his back. “What're you doing here?” he questioned, keeping an arrow notched on his bow string and his eyes on the two humans and their companion as he waited for their answer.

Alexander took a brief glance down at the medallion he held and saw it glowing. “Are you a master of the White Rose?”

The boy tensed up. “Who are you?” he asked cautiously.

Alexander smiled, the boy’s response all the confirmation he needed. They had found another Master.

“Why don’t you take a look at your medallion?” He gestured at the medallion the boy had around his neck. The young boy raised an eyebrow, took the medallion and pointed it at the two newcomers, seeing it glow brightly. “Very well. This is all the proof I need that you mean me no harm. Come. Follow me and I'll take you to my campsite,” he said as he headed off through the trees.

They were led by the boy to a clearing less than a mile away. A log cabin stood near the center, land left free on all sides to no one to sneak up catching the boy unawares. “Welcome to my humble abode. My name is Mason, and I’m the former student of Master Estefan. Since his was killed I’m the current Master."

“I'm Alexander, former student of Master Luray,” Alexander replied.

“And I'm the former student of Master Thompson. The name's Lenora.”

Alexander turned to the jaguar. “And this is a jaguar we saved from some poachers after her babies and mate were killed."

Mason nodded. “What'd you do with the cubs and their father?”

“We gave them a burial, it seemed the right thing to do."

“Glad to see there's still compassion in this world. May I ask why you're walking in the rainforest to begin with?” asked Mason.

Alexander sat down on a log near the entrance to the cabin. “We’re looking for allies, either Masters or their recent successors, to help prevent the rise of the Lord of Shadows."

“I thought that may be the case. My Master was killed a few months ago, and I have been trying my hardest to keep the poachers out. I've also seen the medallion crack twice since my master was killed.”

“All of the Masters but one have been killed. Can you help us?” asked Alexander.

Mason sat down beside Alexander. “I will assist you since it was my master’s last wish to help you. But first, we need to get stronger. Otherwise, we stand no chance." Alexander and Lenora nodded in agreement.

The next morning, the three arrived at a nearby river with a clearing and the three stood facing one another. “We need to have an idea of what we've got to work with."

“I'll start,” began Mason. “I know the Brazilian style of jujitsu, and I’m a master at using my spiked gloves that can extend with a hidden button. I've studied, but have yet to master, another form known as capoeira, which is a dance style of fighting."

Alexander went next. “I know the five animal kung fu styles plus Muay Thai. I can use a tanto pretty well, but have yet to master it. I have mastered a short sword and am working on dual wielding.”

Lenora looked at them. “I have mastered Muay Thai, as well as Snake and Crane. The only weapon I can use with any proficiency is the staff, but I prefer to use my knees."

“I'll teach you Jujitsu to give you both more styles to use and maybe confuse your enemy." Mason got into his stance with the other two doing likewise.

Xxx

In the middle of the Amazon, Nicolson and Kira appeared from within a black portal. “Let’s find these weaklings and call it a day,” said Nicolson as Kira stayed silent. “I thought you'd be excited to fight this boy, since your last mission was interrupted.” He smirked.

The red-haired woman growled in response, “Don’t mention that failed mission, Nicolson,” she said with venom.

The man chuckled. “Or what? You aren't near my strength or any of the generals. You’re kept around purely as a meat shield and for eye candy.”

Kira growled while fingering her sword.
Just a little slash and he won’t be bothering me
, she thought, anger etched across her face.

The two walked up to a clearing and saw the tied-up poachers that the Masters had left. “What do we have here?” he asked, as Kira gave them a disgusted look.

The poachers looked at the two. “Those two little brats jumped us and prevented us from catching our prize,” said the one with the hat.

Nicolson bent down and untied them. “What did the brats look like?” He gave them a creepy smile.

“A young woman with black hair but no weapon," said a poacher. “I did not see the one who knocked me out.

“Do you want revenge against them?”

The three looked at each other and nodded their heads. “Yes,” the leader said.

The general laughed. “Good. ’Cause those two are our targets. Help us kill them, and you'll have your satisfaction,” he told them cutting them lose.

The five left the area in search of their quarry and headed deeper into the forest.

***

The three were resting in the log cabin when Mason woke up, startled. “Someone triggered an alarm!” he whispered waking up the other two. Looking at the clock it was five o’clock in the morning.

“We're about to have company.” As they got their equipment, the jaguar woke up and joined the three, curious. The four walked out and saw five figures approaching from the East.

Alexander’s eyes widened with shock, but turned into pure rage and anger as he shouted, “You murderer!” He pulled his short sword from its sheath.

Nicolson smirked. “It's been awhile, boy, since I killed your master.”

Alexander tried to calm his emotions and steady his breathing. Kira fleetingly looked at the two with sorrow in her eyes before she steeled her features. Mason caught her expression.
Why would she be sad? Isn’t she on their side
? He thought.

“I will take the woman. I need to see something,” Mason told Lenora who nodded.

“I will deal with the three idiots with guns,” Lenora replied.

Nicolson smirked and charged forward, attacking Alexander with his sword. Alexander blocked the initial strike and then span and kicked in response. “I will avenge my master.” He put his sword diagonally over his chest in a defensive posture.