Alex had always been very grateful to Grandma Spice. Without her guidance, he could not have found his inner strength. When Georgina had died, Grandma Spice had taken him under her wing and had taken on the responsibility of teaching him. As for the rest of the Moon Palace affairs, she had never shown any interest in any of it.
"Oh, I'm doing well, Alex," she said. "A little blindness won't kill me. I'm still strong, but I haven't found a cure yet. Georgina tried so very hard to help me, but she died before she could find a solution." She sighed, paused, and the line went quiet for a moment before she spoke again.
"Can I rest my hope on you, Alex?" she asked. "It's said that you've made substantial progress in martial arts, but I hope your medical skills have also improved. Those shouldn't be neglected."
"Yes, Grandma Spice," Alex said, feeling a burst of affection for the old woman. "I will cure your eyes and help you see again."
"Well, you are a good boy," she said softly. "I hope you're right. For now, I want to talk about something else. I'm glad to hear you're progressing so well. In fact, Spencer Holliday of the American Martial Arts Association has been asking about you. He's an old friend of yours, correct? He's heard about all you've accomplished. In fact, I'm thinking of inviting him to the Moon Palace. If you have time, could you come and visit?"
"Yes, I would like that," Alex said respectfully.
"That would be good," she said with a sigh. "I'm worried about you, Alex. You are dear to my heart. If you come here, you will be taken care of, and I know those four Moon Maidens would be happy to see you."
"You don't have to worry about me, Grandma Spice," Alex said reassuringly, afraid the older woman would sicken herself with her concern for him.
"Well, I can't seem to stop myself," she said. "There is one other thing I want to talk to you about. I'm originally from Philadelphia, and I was admitted to the palace by Georgina when I was just a child. I still have some old ties in Philadelphia. Would you please do me a favor and go there for me?"
"Yes, of course. I'm at your command," Alex said, immediately agreeing.
"Don't you even want to know why I'm sending you there?" she asked, chuckling. Then she continued. "A relative of mine is seriously ill, and I don't know where else to turn. I try to call and ask for information, but I'm old and people tend to ignore me. I'm worried about her, so would you be willing to go and see if you can learn anything? Maybe you can offer some advice. If you can't, I completely understand."
"Of course I'll go," Alex said. "I'll see what I can find out." He thought it was a fortuitous request as he had already planned on going to Philadelphia to investigate the matter with Marvin.
He figured that if the disease that Grandma Spice's relative had was common, then the doctors would have already diagnosed it.
"Thank you, Alex," Grandma Spice said. "When you get to Philadelphia, seek out the Lambert family and talk to a woman named Keira Lambert. She's ill and staying at home. Her mother, a martial arts master, is the head of the family."
"Okay," Alex said. "I'll fly there tonight."
"You don't have to worry," Grandma Spice assured him. "She's not in any immediate danger, so you can take some time to deal with any of your own affairs first and then go whenever you're ready."
Alex looked at the time, and realized it was already quite late, so he decided to go to Philadelphia the next day. "Well, I'll head out there tomorrow then."
After hanging up the phone, he thought about what kinds of diseases Keira might be suffering from. Grandma Spice hadn't given him a lot to go on.
He figured it was time to drive home, and he decided to take a shortcut.
As he drove by a diner, he realized he was starving, so he stopped to grab a meal before heading home. He pulled into the parking lot across the street, and then he stepped into the diner.
The diner wasn't busy, so he sat in a booth and ordered some dinner. It arrived quickly, and he gobbled it down, anxious to get home. It had been a long day, and he was tired, but the meal made him feel better.
When he had finished, he paid his bill and stepped out into the darkness again. As he started to head back to his car, he heard the voice of a woman coming from an alley behind the diner.
"Let me go!" she cried. "Don't touch me!"
Alex ran over to the alley and found an old van blocking the entrance, forcing him to go around it.
Five young men were holding a dazed young woman, trying to drag her into the back of the van. The woman struggled. Although she looked delicate, she was fighting back aggressively.
She looked like she had been fighting for a while. Her hair was in disarray, her clothes were torn, and her exposed skin shivered in the cold wind.
Even in the state she was in, Alex could see she was very beautiful, and he knew he had to help her, so he stepped forward.
One of the men saw him and shouted, "Go away!"
His four companions also turned and scowled at Alex.
One of them pulled a knife out and waved it threateningly. "This doesn't concern you, boy."
When the young woman saw Alex, her eyes lit up with hope, and she called out, "Help me, please help me!"
One of the men grabbed at her arm and said, "Be quiet! We're not done with you."
She struggled, but the man held her tighter. Then he turned back to Alex and pointed at him. "Go away! I'm not going to say it again."
"It's you who should go," Alex said firmly, stepping closer.
"Get him!" shouted the man holding the woman.
The other young men pulled out their weapons and quickly surrounded Alex, who lashed out in a blur of motion. Before any of them could react, they were down on the ground, moaning in pain.
They stared up at Alex with fear and anger. They hadn't expected him to be able to beat them so quickly and easily.
The man who was still holding the woman roared, "Boy, how dare you attack us! This is none of your business!"
Alex stepped forward menacingly, and the man cowered back, but he didn't let go of the woman, instead using her as a shield. "How did you do that?" the man asked, indicating his comrades rolling on the ground. "There are five of us and only one of you."
"You're only bullies," Alex replied calmly. "Bullies are easy to defeat."
Before the man could react, Alex reached out and grabbed him, sending him falling to the ground next to his comrades, joining them in their groans of pain.
The man spit out a mouthful of blood as he said, "You won't get away with this."
Alex struck again.