Dragons: The Essential Ties

By Ricardo Chévere

Sorcerers, wizards, and witches use magic for evil; but, as long as there are dragons in the world, there will be champions ready to stand against them.

Borys knows little of such matters, but he does have a faint memory that seems to suggest that dragons are to blame for the death of his parents. He yearns to know more about these creatures, and in his quest for answers, he comes across a mystical craft that takes him down the abominable path of magic. Hell now learn more than he ever bargained for about these elusive creatures. And hell also discover terrible things he can do with his newfound powers.

Alanna almost drowns at her fathers marina. She lives only because David jumps in the water after her, even though he doesnt know how to swim. David becomes a local hero, but Alanna cannot understand why she survived. Now, shes back in town seeking answers.

Heroes and villains alike are about to discover that nothing touched by magic remains unchanged, especially in a world of sorcerers, wizards, witches, and Dragons.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Dec 16, 2009
• ISBN: 9781426930515

Ricardo Chévere

Ricardo Chévere has trained in the Chinese martial arts for over thirty years, gaining a unique perspective in life based on the concepts of the universal or inner energy (chi). In Dragons, he shares with us his profound love for these mythical creatures and the wisdom and power they represent.

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 Acknowledgments 

From almost the very first day I decided to begin writing this novel, there was a person who not only answered my call for help, but offered it voluntarily. During the writing process, I came across many moments when my lack of mastery of idiomatic phrases in what is only my second language, English, kept me from moving forward, but this person was always there to help me out with these difficulties. He also helped me with the myriad of technological problems that working with computers entail. I would like to deeply and profoundly thank my college buddy, Kung Fu student, and dearest friend, Jusnel González Ortiz.

A few months after I had begun writing this book, this dear friend of mine, asked me about the story. I began explaining to her what I had in mind, and she listened. It is my wish to thank her from the bottom of my heart, because she spent countless hours listening to me as I told her in detail, every single major event of the story. I consider myself to be more of a storyteller than a writer, and it is when I tell a story that it all becomes clear in my mind. Thanks to her, I was able to organize my ideas and come up with a storyline worth writing and reading. Thanks, to my very patient, golfer-friend, and flying-friend, Sandy Wieprzkowski.

It was at my friend’s wife birthday celebration, that this person took a first look at The Essential Ties. I was so nervous back then, this person had several degrees in English and Creative Writing, and my writings had not been edited yet. Surprisingly, she enjoyed that first chapter, so much so, that she offered to continue helping me throughout the entire book, editing my grammar and suggesting and exploring other ways to express what I had in mind. She opened the door of her house to me, where Dennis, Morgan, and her brother Richard, spent great times together, sharing the warmth of their home with me. She became a very dear friend, and she taught me so much about the ever-challenging English language, as she edited this book in its entirety. I have no words to express my sincerest and deepest thanks to you, Nanci Brillant.

Last, but never least, I want to thank my mother, who always supported me in developing every single trace of talent I ever showed. She still keeps, up to this day, most of the writings and drawings that I made as a child. Back then, I would begin writing and drawing stories in a notebook, and cut it short in the end, only because I was running out of pages. I am forever grateful to the entire Universe, and to every single power that had anything to do with the selection of this amazing woman to be my mother. I could have never had a better mother than her, Laura E. Nazario. Muchas gracias, mamá.

Table of Contents

A Frightening Night

Nightmares

The New Student

Training

Betrayal

The Dragon Temple

The Dragon Masters

The Cave

The Sleeping Mist

Fire

Witchcraft

Witch Hunt

Blossoming Feelings

The Bait

Transformation

The Witch Master

The Challenge

An Eventful Day

The Arrivals

The Summit

Something In The Water

The Chase

A Long Awaited Answer

The Steal

Lost And Found

Too Early

The Ill Fated Twins

The Dragon Pearl

Chapter One:

A Frightening Night

Borys…Borys! called out, Ivan Mazanova, a thin and tall middle-aged man with some gray hairs already showing around and above his ears. With the frown and forehead wrinkles of someone who had worked hard all of his life, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He had been walking up a hill in the Skala slopes of Poland, where the impressive Stone City laid, filled with rock formations that looked as if Mother Nature had sculpted them into the magnificent figures they looked like, people, animals, even trees and artifacts.

Just a few days before, he remembered, he had had a serious conversation with his eight-year-old son about his escapades to the Stone City.

Borys, you know it’s not safe… said the father to his son, with a concerned and loving tone. I don’t want you going up to that place alone anymore.

But I like to talk to the rocks; they are my friends.

Listen! Suddenly his father’s facial expression turned from concerned to worried, and then to sad as he sighed, ...someone, or something, is out there taking your friends away.

Borys was about to open his little mouth to talk again, but his father continued right before he had the chance to say anything, And I don’t mean your rock friends. The children are disappearing, and I don’t want you to be the next one. I could not bear the pain.

He then looked at Borys straight in his big, blue, round eyes, holding him on his lap, and said, Promise me, promise me that you will not go to the rocks again by yourself.

I promise, Borys replied quickly.

As the sun was coming down the horizon of the Stone City, Ivan’s calls for his son became louder and more desperate. Borys had broken his promise. Unknown to his father, though, was the fact that he had gone down the hill through another one of the many passages he had learned about from his many visits to the Stone City forest before. It was at night that the children had been disappearing, and Ivan’s thought of losing his one and only son was creeping up his spine like a cold chill.

Although now short of breath, he kept running up the hill, desperately looking around. His fear was growing, and the landscape was not helping, for in each rock formation he could recognize figures, animals, even human forms, that looked as if they were accomplices to the terrible fate that awaited the kidnapped children.

He stopped. He had to stop and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath, his old lungs couldn’t bear the demand for air that this strenuous run put on them. The forest was getting darker by the minute. The sun had been swallowed by the horizon, and only the remains of its light allowed Ivan to barely see. Suddenly, something moved in the distance, somewhere approximately twenty to twenty five meters away.

Borys! he yelled, with a renewed hope in his voice. Borys, is that you, my son?

He kept negotiating the branches on the forest floor, the knee-high rocks, and the creeping darkness. He came to what looked like the place where he saw something move. He stopped, lit the old oil lamp that he had brought, and looked around. He called Borys again, but there was no response. Tired and breathless, he sat down on a rock, thinking only the worst as tears started to run down his cheeks.

Then, he heard a sound, like when horses breathe out, but stronger, louder. A big rock formation started to move, and he could clearly hear the sound of crumbling stones. He stood up quickly, with his lamp in his hand, but he fell to the ground because of a tree branch that toppled him. He looked up in terror from the forest floor, as the rock stretched out with what looked like arms. Then, a head on a long neck stretched out as well from the rock, and he heard the breath, like winded horses, again. Ivan, a devout Christian, couldn’t move his legs, but he could certainly still gather enough of his breath to say a quick prayer with his eyes tightly shut.

Borys is fine, Ivan heard a strong and very potent voice say, combined with a growling sound.

He stopped his prayer and opened his eyes to find himself in front of a dragon. With his trembling hands, he covered his face as he whimpered in fear, turning his body and making himself into a ball. Then again, he heard the breath come out from the nostrils of the dragon, and the same words repeated:

Borys is fine.

He finally took his trembling hands off his face, and looked at the dragon with a wondering expression, as if waiting to confirm that the same dragon that was about to eat him, was the same one talking about his son.

My son…Borys…you know my son? he asked in disbelief, and in fear of what that could mean.

Yes, replied the dragon.

You leave him alone! the man yelled. Don’t eat him! Take me instead!

Each new phrase came out with a surprisingly new strength. Ivan was still afraid, but the thought of a child-eating dragon knowing his son’s name, made him forget about his own safety.

Eat him? You must be out of your mind! the dragon growled, sounding disgusted. I do not eat humans, you ignorant fool. I protect them!

The dragon was sounding more and more irritated each time Ivan spoke.

If not for my presence in this village, all the children would be dead already!

But Ivan was not listening; his mind was focused on one thought alone, how did the dragon know his son’s name? The dragon, which was looking with certain anger in his eyes, suddenly raised its head and ears, as if listening for something up in the sky that it could not see. Then, still looking around and trying to pinpoint the location of that something it seemed to hear, it said to the man on the floor, Go! Quickly! Run as fast as you can and lock yourself in your house!

But, but my son…!

I already told you! Now the dragon sounded really angry while shouting and growling, He is fine! He is already at home! Now, go!

The dragon then opened a huge pair of wings and flapped them to get off the ground and fly.

Ivan started running down the hill, but stopped to try and recognize a peculiar sound. He heard it again, but this time it made him run even faster. The sound was like a bird, like a screaming bird, but with a hint of a human’s voice in it. It sounded as if it were coming from the distance, but from different sides, as if circling above in the evening sky. Ivan also heard a loud, angry roar he could recognize; it was the dragon’s roar.

He finally made it to his house, his heart beating out of control. Almost without a breath left in him, he called his wife to open the door. He heard the door’s wooden bars being moved from the inside, and the door opened.

Adrianna, where is Borys? he came in yelling at his wife, sounding like a mad man and rushing by her side, looking for their son.

He is here! Ivan! What’s happening? she answered with the fear of knowing that something was terribly wrong.

But he didn’t answer, as he desperately picked up Borys from the floor and held him to his chest.

We have to go now!

Where are we going? Ivan, tell me! Adrianna’s desperation grew as she ran out of the house after her husband, without getting a straight answer from him.

He continued running with his son in his arms, who was now crying because of the chaos and the rush of things happening all around him. But while running, he tried to explain to his wife as he gasped for air.

We must...go to the church, only there...will we...be safe...from the demon dragon!

The strange bird sounds and the dragon roars were loud and sounded very near. They couldn’t see anything in the darkness of the night, just a few steps ahead of them on the dirt road from the dim light of the oil lamp. Something sounded like a burst of fire, and the cries of what they imagined to be some sort of a bird were heard as if it were burning alive. But they kept running, and finally, they came to a clearing where a tall, old, stone church stood.

They were running toward the huge wooden front doors of the church, when their path was cut by a huge dragon that landed right in front of them. The ground shook with the weight of the mammoth dragon. Now, because of the lights in the front of the church, Ivan could see the entire shape, texture and color of the beast.

It was about two men and a half tall, up to his front shoulders when standing on its four legs, but its neck stretched out and up, higher than the rest of its body. Its body was covered with brown scales, about the same color of the rocks from the stone forest, but the underside of its neck was a pale yellow. These yellow scales seemed to continue down to its belly, and probably, all the way to its tail, which ended in a thicker point that looked like a club or cudgel with what looked like bone spikes. Ivan got a good look at its wings; thick, wide, and with the same brown color of the scales, they spanned perpendicularly from its body, for about the same length of the whole dragon itself. The head of the dragon was full of horns, there were about ten of them, in different sizes, with the largest ones towards the back. The snout was short, but while it growled, Ivan’s family caught a glimpse of the many teeth it had in its mouth.

Go back to your home! the dragon shouted in its growling voice. But as it approached them, they heard the strange bird-like sounds quickly coming closer, and another strange figure fell from the sky, landing on the dragon’s neck, taking it down to the ground. With one of its claws, the dragon pulled the creature off its neck and smashed it on the ground right in front of all of them. The dragon then took a quick, but deep breath, and, although it seemed as if it was just blowing air, a burst of fire came out of its mouth and lit the fallen creature in flames. Two more creatures landed on the dragon’s back and made it fall to the side. Ivan didn’t waste one second and made it to the church doors.

Adrianna began to knock, hitting the doors as hard as she could with her hands, trying to make enough noise so someone would open them.

Please! Open up, Father! her voice trembled in fear and desperation as she screamed.

Ivan was doing the same. As she continued to call for help, Adrianna looked back at the battle that was still raging right in front of the big church. She was able to take a good look at the bird-sounding creatures, and to her amazement, she recognized them. They were gargoyles, pretty much like the ones on the rooftop edges of the building they were about to enter, man-like creatures with wings like bats. They had faces like men, with bird beaks and long ears. They had claws in their hands and feet, and a demon-like tail ending in what looked like an arrow tip.

The doors of the church finally opened and they ran inside. An old man in yellow robes assisted them.

Father, there’s a dragon outside! Ivan shouted while giving his son to his wife so he could grab the old man by his arms.

I saw him come to life in the forest today! Ivan continued with terror in his voice.

But that’s not all, Father! interrupted Adrianna, holding Borys in her arms and kneeling down on the floor to take a good look at her son and see if he was hurt.

She then turned her eyes to the priest and continued. I saw gargoyles out there too, what is going on?

The priest was about to talk, when a gargoyle came crashing in through one of the high windows near the ceiling, falling just a couple of meters away from Adrianna and Borys. She immediately picked up Borys and ran up the aisle toward the altar. Ivan tried to follow, but the priest held his arms tightly and pulled him back to him.

Where is the dragon’s lair? the priest shouted.

My family, Father, help me! Ivan shouted as he tried unsuccessfully to free himself and run after them.

But the priest did not let go and once again shouted the same question.

Let me go! Ivan repeatedly shouted, struggling to get the priest’s hands off of him.

The gargoyle stood up slowly, it was about three meters high, and shook off the pieces of glass from the window and the wood pieces of the benches it had broken when it fell. It looked at Ivan and the priest but didn’t walk toward them; instead, it began to sniff something out with the nostrils it had on top of its bird-like beak. Then, it turned its head around as it perceived the source of the scent that called its attention. It looked at Adrianna and Borys and began walking toward them. Again, Ivan struggled with the priest to run to his family and defend them, but the priest would not let him go.

The gargoyle reached out to Borys with one of his dark, stone-like hands, when another gargoyle came crashing through the front doors in a ball of fire. The distraction gave Adrianna the chance to escape. She held Borys’ hand firmly and ran to the side aisle of the church. The gargoyle noticed her running away and flapped its wings to lift itself from the floor. She ran toward the smashed front doors, but the gargoyle landed right in front of her, blocking her way out, startling her and making her fall to the floor. The gargoyle again reached forward to grab Borys, when a funnel of yellow fire came in through the doorway, pushing the gargoyle away and engulfing it in a ball of fire. The gargoyle let out a loud, pain-filled squawk as it burned from the dragon’s fire. Adrianna stood up and grabbed Borys’ hand to look for her husband, but she found him and the priest, both unconscious under the fiery rubble. Again, she heard the dragon’s roar and more squawks filling the air. There seemed to be more gargoyles outside. She realized she had no time to waste, and with tears in her eyes and despair in her heart, she continued running out of the church, which was now on fire, leaving her husband behind with the priest, assuming he was most likely, already dead.

Outside, there was fire in the nearby trees and all around the big church. These provided some light for her to see the road ahead. While running, they could still hear the squawking screams of gargoyles on fire, and the roaring of the dragon and its fire bursts.

But one sound came from too close; it was a gargoyle coming down to seize Adrianna. With its talons, it clawed her shoulders and picked her up. She let out a piercing scream of pain as blood spurted from her shoulders. She was desperately still trying to hold her son’s hand. Borys didn’t let go either and came up off the ground as well, with his mother.

Mommy! he screamed in terror as he looked up.

Precisely at that same moment, the dragon flew on top of the gargoyle and grabbed it with its claws, yanking it abruptly, but the gargoyle didn’t let go of Adrianna. Borys, on the other hand, fell from his mother’s grasp into the nearby trees. Branches crackled and snapped as he fell through them all the way to the ground. He fell on his back, which took all of the air out of his lungs. The last image Borys saw before losing consciousness was that of the dragon flying above the treetops, still blowing bursts of fire in the darkness of that terrible and frightening night.

Chapter Two:

Nightmares

Borys was tossing and turning in bed, sweating, breathing hard and fast. His facial expressions showed fear and helplessness. The phone rang, once, twice, and then finally, he woke up with a start and sat up, reaching up with his arm, almost screaming, panting, as if he had been running. He kept breathing fast for a few seconds, then, calmed down enough to regain consciousness of where he was. The phone was still ringing, he picked it up.

Hello...

Borys, darling, are you all right? a familiar voice with a British accent, the one he came to recognize as his mother’s, asked from the other end of the line.

Mother, what time is it?

He was still a little groggy. The room was dark. Heavy dark curtains were covering the windows, so he couldn’t tell right away that the sun had come out a few hours ago.

Well, it is ten thirty, did you oversleep?

Yes, I guess so. said Borys with a sigh.

Well Borys, darling, you must hurry now. Come on! Get up! You’ll miss your train! You can’t go away before seeing your mother.

Don’t worry, I’ll be there.

Well, you better, she scolded Borys. You know how I feel about this whole idea of you going away to such a far place, and to find what, yourself?

She was not enthusiastic about Borys’ decision. This was the day he would leave England to go to the Far East, as far as China, and his adoptive mother, Mrs. Brightwood, would not stop bickering about such insane idea.

Sixteen years ago, his parents died in that frightful night that gave him such nightmares. He could still see a few images in his mind, but unclear, fuzzy, and in complete opposition to reasonable explanations. What, or who, could have killed his mother?

A dragon, he said many times, but no one believed the distorted version of the truth coming from the mind of a troubled and disturbed eight year old that had just lost his parents.

The remains of his father’s body were found under the burned rubble of the church. Many more bodies were found, the Priest’s, and what seemed to be a group of nuns.

His mother though, was found in the nearby forest, close to where he was found. Her body looked as if an animal, a beast, had mauled her with sharp claws. Stones, rubble, and dust were found over and next to her. It looked as if burned, but she wasn’t.

Inspectors and law officials tried to put the details together to come up with some sort of explanation, but they couldn’t. After a few years, they stopped, but Borys’ nightmares didn’t. Psychiatrists treated him for the emotional trauma, and he improved, but the nightmares never stopped. He could still see his mother in the dark night, right above him, and a yellowish shape above her. The huge shape had wings and spat fire; he could feel the air blowing hard with each flap of those enormous wings. Claws were keeping a tight hold on his mother’s shoulders, as he held on to her extended arm. It was a dragon. He was convinced. No amount of drugs or therapy could convince him otherwise.

After a couple of years, it seemed as if no one would ever adopt him. After all, it was rumored that his parents had been practicing witchcraft, the devil’s arts. The simple people of his village, and those in surrounding areas, were scared to death over the constant disappearances of children that now seemed to have stopped since his parents died. The math was simple enough for such people: the culprits of such crimes had died, so no more children disappeared from then on.

Finally, he was adopted, not by a Polish family, but by a British one. James and Esther Brightwood could not have children of their own, so they decided to adopt. They wanted to help a child in need, and Borys was the perfect one to fill that requirement, since no one wanted him. So, at the age of ten, he found himself on his way to England. His adoptive parents kept his Polish name, Borys, but he received their last name and a British education.

Although he was now far away from where the terrible events that scarred him happened, he still had the same nightmares. Through therapy and counseling, he came to admit that dragons were just a myth, but he never really believed it. Deep inside, he kept feeding an insatiable anger against the dragon-like beast that killed his parents, it didn’t matter if it was a myth or not. At times, he would falter from his belief, but only to be reminded of it by his nightmares.

In college, he studied everything he could find on dragons, but all the roads he explored, concluded that they were just myth. It was there, prompted by a friend, that he joined a group of students that met every week to practice some form of Chinese internal art that used meditation and breathing exercises to calm the mind and the spirit. And it worked; his nightmares were not as frequent as before. He felt a kind of composure that he hadn’t experienced for as long as he could remember. But he was particularly interested in finding more about the Chinese ideas on, and knowledge of, dragons.

He kept digging for answers until he got what he was looking for. He found out about a village in China that was said to be blessed by a dragon, and a teacher, an expert on the deeper aspects of the dragon style of Kung Fu, that lived there. So, it was decided, he would travel to China to find this teacher and learn everything there was to know about dragons.

At his adoptive parents’ house, there was so much food on the table, a dinner almost fit for a prince. He was received with the unconditional love of the ones who raised him.

Borys, my child, come in, said Mrs. Brightwood as she hugged and kissed him effusively at the door, like if she hadn’t seen him in years. I prepared your favorite, my dear.

The tired expression on Borys’ face from the train had disappeared. There was no way a smile could hide in the presence of Esther; she was just too bright and spunky for any sadness or tiredness to show their gloomy faces in front of her.

Ah, there he is, how is my boy? said James coming from the kitchen.

I’m fine father, thank you, and you? Still serving Mother the Queen in the kitchen? he asked with a joking tone.

Ha! You’d be doing the same hadn’t you left her Majesty’s kingdom, answered James as he bowed his head, and opening his arms as if presenting the so-called kingdom by pointing around the house."

Stop it you two, or I’ll have you both scrub the dungeon floors, interrupted Esther, continuing with the joke, how about that?

They all laughed it up and continued to the dining table. There, they continued talking about friends, neighbors, and simple everyday topics while they ate. After dinner though, the conversation turned more serious.

Borys, are you completely sure that you want to do this? You know that we will spare no expenses on any treatment, or therapy, or any kind of professional help. Esther had never agreed with Borys’ idea of going to China.

Mother, I’m sure, said Borys with a serene tone in his voice, as if trying to calm her down. The practice sessions in college were more helpful than any other treatment or drug ever was.

She then stood up while gathering some plates to take back to the kitchen and continued.

Well, if you ask me, that sounds more like hokus pokus to me.

Oh! Leave the boy alone Esther, he’s a man already, for God’s sake. If he can find a cure for his nightmares in China, then send him off, I say.

Thanks father, but she worries, that’s all. Borys was trying to comfort Esther with his words.

He got up from the table and went to the kitchen to give her a hug. She looked up into his eyes and asked.

You still have them, right, those horrible nightmares?

He nodded, and she continued.

I remember the countless nights when you’d wake up in the middle of the night, crying, shivering, cold, and calling for your mommy. Whatever it was you saw that night, must have been terrible for an eight year old to watch.

He held her in his arms as if she was the one in need of solace. Then, her expression changed. She looked as if guilty of something terrible that she was about to confess.

There’s something I think is time for you to have.

She went to her bedroom. Meanwhile, James and Borys had finished clearing the dining table, so when she came back, they all sat there. She had a photo album in her hands, placed it on the table, and started going through some old pictures of him growing up. Then, she came upon one special picture that she had never shown Borys before.

She was beautiful, your mother, Esther was saying as she looked at the picture and gave it to Borys. I’ve had this picture since the day we adopted you, but we were advised not to show it to you until you were ready.

Ready? asked Borys.

You were supposed to get better before we could show it to you, added James. I guess, so it would not disturb you any more.

She is just as I remember her, said Borys while lost in thought, almost whispering, as he looked at the picture of his dead parents. Her long dark hair, her sad but tender eyes...

I hope you can forgive us for keeping this from you for so long, Esther sounded sorry.

Borys came back to himself again and said.

It’s all right, he sighed as he placed his hand on Esther’s arm, you are my parents now. She is just a memory that I, sadly, remember only in bad dreams.

Later that night, the three of them were at the airport, and James and Esther were wishing him good luck finding an end to his nightmares in China. Hugs and kisses were exchanged; tears ran down Esther’s cheeks.

The flight to China would be a long one, long enough for sleep, long enough for nightmares. But there was a new found faith in Borys’ mind, soon, very soon he hoped, the nightmares would be over.

He fell asleep on his seat. An hour passed, then another, but no nightmare. This time, he was actually dreaming of good things. He found himself sitting in front of his favorite rock; Bram, he called it, or was that the name the rock gave him? It didn’t matter, he felt good, serene, happy. Bram the rock was such an intelligent friend. It knew about history, math, science, and so many wonderful things. He was there, talking to Bram the rock, and the world around him seemed to disappear.

Now, in his dream, he was back in the house, eagerly waiting for his father to arrive. He was sitting on the floor, looking up at his mother. She was such a beautiful view. She was humming a song and her voice soothed him like an old rocking chair.

Suddenly, he felt startled. He heard a big noise, someone knocking on the door, almost bringing it down. He looked up only to see his father reaching down to him, picking him up and running off out of the house. There were noises, strange noises, something unrecognizable.

It’s dark, but he can see his mother running right behind him, her face looks scared. Then, a big roar, loud, scary; he is now trembling in the arms of his father. More strange noises are heard. He turns his head and sees it, a dragon with huge teeth.

He is running now, his arm being pulled by his mother, and there is fire behind. But he’s not pulled forward. The floor is no longer under his feet, and there is so much wind. He looks up and sees his mother, claws are holding tight to her shoulders. Then the roar, the raging thunderous roar gets louder. He screams, he calls his mommy in terror, and a huge yellow dragon yanks her off his arm. He falls...

Mommy! he cried, as he woke from yet another nightmare.

Chapter Three:

The New Student

"Kung means work, effort, activity, or exercise. Fu means mature man. So, Kung Fu is any kind of activity, work, or effort that helps a man to become a man, a mature man."

Surprisingly, Master Huang could speak English, and was very good at it, something that seemed to be completely out of place in such a secluded village in China.

Near the Lung Shan Mountains, this village was like a place that time forgot, but with an amazing contrast between old and new. Old style houses and buildings ran across the main streets, some of them with electric power, most, still using fire to light the night. Some houses had latrines instead of modern day bathrooms. About twenty kilometers away, was the nearest modern day, countryside town.

In this contrasting world between worlds, was Master Huang’s kwoon, a place dedicated to the practice of the Dragon style of Kung Fu. Many of its students came from far away, from other countries, and in the Master’s desire to help these travelers, he had learned English to communicate with them. Still, it was obvious that this was not his first language; his accent was very strongly Chinese. He was actually now learning a third language, Russian. But for this class in particular, everyone spoke English, including the few Chinese students that joined it.

In the mornings, the exercises were more about stretching than anything else. The breath had to be harmonized with each movement, but although the stances were very low and close to the ground, no one ever felt short of breath. A certain tingling sensation was always felt during the morning Chi Kung. Master Huang had explained the meaning of the words but that didn’t make it any easier for some students.

"Chi is the universal energy, the life force that flows through everything. With the breath and the mind, a man can control Chi. We exercise to become strong and flexible, then, Chi can flow easy and strong."

You could see his eyes closing as he talked about Chi, it was as if he was entrancing himself. He talked with a certain air of calmness, slow, but fluidly enough, truly, like a man of age and wisdom. At fifty three, he still looked like a man in his thirties. His hair was completely black, not one single gray hair could be found on his head or his long pigtail. His face showed almost no signs of aging, and his body, fit like an athlete’s, was strong and hard but not bulked up. Yet, his movements were supple and fluid, with the lightning speed typical of a man half his age.

But this morning, someone had walked in through the big black doors of the kwoon, a young, twenty five year old Chinese man, carrying a big, thick staff. All the students stopped what they were doing. The man said something in Mandarin, and Master Huang answered back. The man kept talking and showing off his big staff, then, he gave it to one of the Chinese students to hold. Master Huang came to the center of the courtyard and all the students moved back to clear some space. They both greeted each other with the traditional hand gesture, the right fist facing the left palm, and then took a fighting stance. Master Huang only raised his right arm while taking a deep breath, and sank his body into a tall lady stance, where both his knees were bent inward, his heels were pointed outward, and his legs were as stiff as wood but ready to move in an instant. They were ready to fight.

The stranger leaped forward attacking with his right front upward snapping kick, and followed through with a left punch. Master Huang slightly moved to the side to avoid the kick, and then lowered his raised arm to chop down on the forearm of the punching arm. The man stopped for just a second, showing pain in his expression from the chop on his arm, but then continued to try a back fist to the face with the same arm. The Master blocked the arm with the very same one he had used so far. The stranger tried to pull down Master Huang’s blocking arm so he could now attack with his other fist, but the Master allowed him to bring his arm down, which he followed with his body by going down into a deep horse riding stance, like sitting on a horse with his legs opened wide, knees to the outside and thighs parallel to the ground. His arm slipped down under the stranger’s ones and hit him on the abdomen with a palm strike. The man fell down on the floor in pain, but the fight was not over yet.

He stood back up with some trouble from the pain, and running forward, attacked the Master again with a flurry of fast punches that were directed at his face, chest and abdomen. The Master was still using only one arm, the same one, and with it, he blocked every single punch as he walked back. But at one fraction of an instant, he grabbed the man’s right arm as if pulling back in the same direction of the blow, while turning his body into a crossed stance and facing the trapped arm. Then, he turned back into the opposite direction, taking the man’s arm around and above himself. With the arm above the Master’s head, the entire ribcage of the man was exposed, and with his left arm, the Master chopped it.

Although the man was not ready to admit defeat just yet and the pain seemed unbearable, he would still stand in readiness for a fight, holding his ribcage with one of his arms. Then, finally, the man walked forward as if to attack the Master, but Master Huang took a deep breath while bringing his two palms to his right ribcage. Before the man got any closer than a meter away, Master Huang pushed with his two palms forward while breathing out through his mouth. Although he was never touched by the Master’s hands, the man flew back in the air like pushed by some unseen force and fell on the ground about five meters away.

In extreme pain and with great difficulty, the man got himself back up, but only to his knees, and bowed down to the Master. While the defeated man was on his knees with his hands on the floor, Master Huang grabbed the thick staff that the man had brought earlier and walked up to his side. He raised the staff with both his hands and swung it down on the man’s back. The staff broke in two, and the man fell on the floor, not to stand up again.

There were two American students in the group, two British, one German, three Canadians, one Korean, and about six Chinese. Although the students knew better than to question the Master, one of the American students could not hold himself back anymore, and did.

Master Huang! Why did you hit that man while he was down? He was bowing to you! He conceded! Why?

The rest of the students were expecting an angry response from the Master, but instead, he calmly asked, Do you understand Mandarin?

Too little, replied the American student.

Then, let me translate for you, he proceeded to explain. That man has looked for a teacher that he could not defeat. But no teacher will accept a student that tries to test him, it is not polite. So, he brought the staff and said that if I defeat him, I should break it on him as punishment for his disrespect.

He paused for a moment to look around and direct his last words to the entire class. So now, welcome the new student, your new brother, Liu Cheng.

Later, that night, Liu Cheng came to the sleeping quarters. The others were wondering if he spoke any English, so they asked.

Yes, a little, he said with obvious pain in his voice.

Everyone introduced themselves, except one of the British students, who was still in the courtyard, practicing some moves and breathing exercises.

And who is he? asked Liu Cheng, pointing at him.

Oh, that’s a special one, the one with the nightmares, answered Mike, one of the Canadian students.

Nightmares? asked Liu Cheng with curiosity.

Oh yes, and very bad ones, I’d say. I met him in college, back in England, Edmund continued, and since then, he has been battling the very same horrible nightmare that haunts him every single night.

What is his name? Liu Cheng asked.

Borys, Borys Brightwood, he answered as he walked in from his late practice. Nice to make your acquaintance, he put his right fist against his left palm in the traditional Chinese greeting.

You see… said Trey, one of the American students, who continued while pointing to the back, Borys sleeps all the way there, so he won’t wake us all up when he goes bananas at night.

His comment was sort of clownish, but Liu Cheng wasn’t amused, so he didn’t say or ask anything else that night.

For a whole two weeks, the new student did not join the class, except for some meditation practices and to sleep at night. His body was healing from the internal damage it suffered. Although the blow from the staff seemed like the worst, in reality, it was that one palm strike to his abdomen that had done the most damage. Eventually, he started participating in the morning Chi Kung sessions. He still showed pain while stretching his body, but in a matter of a month or so, he was able to join the rest of the class for the more physically demanding exercises.

One day, during partner practice, as the arms of the students were clashing in punches and blocks, everyone started complaining about a certain electrical shock that they felt when touching Liu Cheng’s arms. Borys had not partnered with Liu Cheng that day, so he felt intrigued and wanted to try. They started their practice. It was first an inside low block, then, an outside middle block, and finally, an outside low block before changing to the other arm. At first, Borys felt the shocks on his forearms, he stopped, rubbed them, took a deep breath, sank himself into a horse riding stance, and continued.

Master Huang was watching attentively from the distance. Then, it happened; Liu Cheng felt the shocks and stopped. They took a few seconds to rub their forearms, and then resumed their practice. Master Huang came over and asked them to stop.

You two, addressing Liu Cheng and Borys, will be partners from now on.

They both bowed their heads slightly with the fist and palm hand gesture, showing respect for their Master’s words.

At that moment, one of the Chinese students came running into the kwoon. He was yelling, trying to catch his breath at the same time, obviously desperate about something. Master Huang hurried out of the kwoon, following the lead of the Chinese student. Borys, Liu Cheng, and a few others, followed.

They ran a few kilometers into the village and came to a gathering of people in front of the local restaurant. Police officers were there keeping everyone away from a body that was lying on the street. The onlookers opened some space for Master Huang to walk through, and his students stood behind him. Trey, one of the two American students who came running after the master, was the first to react to the scene.

Jacob! Jacob! He screamed his buddy’s name and dropped to his knees right beside him to try and lift him up.

The police officers held his arms and pulled him back, so he would not mess up the crime scene.

Let me go! he kept screaming and struggling. What happened here? Who did this?

Master Huang came from behind him while he was still struggling with the police officers, and hit the base of his skull with a hammer fist, knocking him out. He asked to be allowed to take him back to the kwoon. The officer in charge reminded the Master that they would have to interview him later, and signaled his men to release him. Two of his fellow students picked him up and carried him away. Master Huang asked everyone else to go back and wait for his return.

Borys noticed that Liu Cheng was staring at Jacob’s body. He lowered his eyes and sighed, then slightly shook his head side to side, like when someone replies with a negative answer. After watching Liu Cheng’s reaction, Borys approached him and asked, Are you all right?

Liu Cheng’s face was a little pale; something about the sight had triggered what looked like fear, surprise, maybe even anger and shock.

I can tell that you have never seen a dead body before, Borys pointed out.

Still staring and somewhat lost in thought, Liu Cheng said, I have seen this kind of death before.

What do you mean? Borys wondered.

Liu Cheng was still staring but unresponsive now. Borys grabbed his arm to get his attention and asked again, Liu Cheng, what do you mean?

He shook his head a little and came back to himself, looked at Borys straight into his eyes and said, I have seen this before, the way Jacob was killed.

Are you sure? Borys questioned.

Yes, the same bruise on the neck. said Liu Cheng, pointing his finger at his own neck.

But anyone with some training knows that the neck is a vulnerable area, Borys shrugged his shoulders as if wondering, sighed and continued, that bruise could have been done by anyone.

Liu Cheng pulled his head back a little and sighed, looked around for a few seconds while organizing the thoughts in his mind, and with a bit of relief in his expression, he finally concluded, You probably right, it could be anyone.

They both joined the rest of the students and headed back to the kwoon, to eagerly wait for their Master to return and bring them news.

Later that night, Master Huang arrived from the police station. Mike, the Canadian, called the others so they would gather around the Master to hear what he had to say.

How did he die? Was it murder? Edmund was the first to ask.

Yes, replied the Master sadly.

Trey had regained his consciousness and came to the Master to ask in an angry tone, the one and only question he cared for, Who did it?

Master Huang walked toward him, sighed, and said, The police know who did it; they are looking for him now.

Why was he killed? Trey wanted to know more.

A man heard the killer ask Jacob if he was a dragon student, explained the Master. When he said yes, the man attacked him.

What? Trey asked with surprise and disbelief.

Master Huang sent everyone to sleep, but took Trey with him to talk to him alone.

A few days passed, and Trey was still angry and frustrated, he was definitely not the same man since Jacob’s death. There was talk about him leaving soon back to America. More and more, he was found going around the village looking for the assassin. He was also getting into fights with the locals, trying desperately to get answers as to the whereabouts of Jacob’s killer. Luckily, his Kung Fu was good enough to keep him from getting hurt, but Master Huang could not and would not have any more of his nonsense, so he had the other students watch over him during the night, to keep him from sneaking out into the village again.

It was Borys’ turn to watch over Trey, but because of his recurring nightmares, he hadn’t had enough rest and fell asleep. Again, a nightmare woke him up, only to realize that Trey had left already. Not wanting to get in trouble for his failure, Borys headed out on his own to find Trey in the village. Liu Cheng’s turn was next, but when he came to relieve Borys, he noticed them gone. So, he recruited the help of Mike and Edmund, to help him find them in the village.

Meanwhile, in the village, unluckily enough, Borys had found Trey, but still unknown to him, also the assassin. Trey was fighting with an old man, or so it looked like in the dim light of that particular street. There was no one else around. Borys rushed to try and stop the fight, but just a few steps from reaching them, he saw Trey shrug his shoulder and fall down from a strike to his neck with a short stick.

No! yelled Borys, as he rushed down to the floor to hold Trey up and see what was wrong with him.

Ah...another dragon disciple, Borys heard the old man say in a cynical way. How many of you will I have to kill to bring out your dragon master?

Borys stood up and said in between anger, tears, and even a hint of fear, I will show you a real dragon!

He brought his arms down into his abdomen, rounding his back while breathing in deeply, and sinking into a lady stance, with his knees bent and turned in. His hands came up together, palms facing away from each other, as if rising up like fire from his abdomen up to his neck, and then pushed them out, turning his palms to now face each other, while a strong, forced exhalation, came out through his mouth. He felt a strong tingling sensation all over his body, as if his Chi had been sent in a strong current to run freely through him. He was now ready to attack.

The old man kept a grin, with a constant, sinister, and cynical laugh, while looking at his opponent, as if he gave no credit to his skills and found them laughable. Borys was staring intently at his opponent’s face when, apparently, he seemed to lose his concentration. For a fraction of a second, he was startled, instead of seeing the old man in front of him, he saw that terrible face, horns, teeth and all, looking at him in the dim light of the night. He blinked his eyes and shook his head to get rid of the image, but the dragon face stayed in his mind.

Is there any trouble? the old man asked sarcastically, still laughing. Too much fear?

But Borys took another deep breath and regained his fighting posture, with both hands in front of him, one slightly farther away than the other.

I think I will have fun with you, said the old man as he got into a fighting stance.

Borys attacked with the dragon fist, by allowing the middle finger protrude from the others; first with his left, then, stepped forward with his left foot to use his right fist. He continued the circular motion of the latter one to go from an attempt at the abdomen to an extended punch to the face, while advancing with his right foot into a bow and arrow stance, where the front leg is bent while the back leg is straight. Then, he pulled his left foot from the back, to place it beside his right, and brought his left fist in an uppercut motion, which he followed with a circular movement, to stretch it out to his left side while opening his legs into a horse riding stance and leaning his body forward.

The old man just kept laughing through all the motions as he dodged an avoided every single blow. Borys did not stop attacking. Once in the horse riding stance, he brought his right foot from the back to join his left underneath him, and then raised his left leg to try the Dragon waving its tail kick. Again, no contact, but when the leg fell back on the floor and he tried to follow through with another dragon fist to the chest with his right hand, the old man surprised him by walking in, deviating the arm and pushing his face with his open hand, tilting his head back and making him lose balance. Borys fell down on his back; but that moment’s contact did more than just take him down. They both felt a sudden shock, they saw a bright light, they both saw the dragon face, and they both felt an intense anger.

As soon as the old man touched Borys and felt the shock, he gasped for air as he stepped back, shaking his head around, like trying to find his bearings again. Borys stood up again to continue with the attack, but to his surprise the old man yelled, Stop!

Borys stopped. He was having trouble too. He kept shaking his head and blinking his eyes, as if there was something in them that needed to be removed.

What now? Borys asked, panting from the fight. Too much fear?

You…you were scarred by a dragon! said the old man, with a certain ring of discovery.

What? Borys felt shocked and present for the first time in years.

No one ever believed his story about the dragon responsible for the death of his parents, and here, in the middle of the night, a stranger, an assassin no less, in just a few seconds, validated