Seeing the serpent wriggling away, I sprinted forward. I knew that if the serpent escaped, I might never find it. If I do not eradicate it today, Its continued presence will bring more deaths and wreckage.
Running as fast as my feet could carry me, I caught it in time grabbed onto the front portion of the body, and swung it back. With its size, my hands were busy holding it down. However, I needed my amulets.
I took a deep inhale and then shouted a command.
"Yomo kara watashi no heishi-tachi yo! My soldiers from four directions!"
Initially, nothing happened despite my efforts. I watched forlornly for a miracle but nothing happened. The serpent was struggling but would break free soon.
I repeated my command and after a while, something stirred in my sling bag. Within seconds, a stream of amulets flew out of the bag
"Head!"
I commanded and the pack of amulets formed up like a diamond shape on the serpent's forehead and sank into its scales.
"Exterminate - Konzetsu suru!"
The diamond glowed and then spun into a tower of light. Within seconds, the serpent began to shrink until it was only about a feet long - a miniature of the beast that I fought just moments ago.
I held it down with one foot and swiftly removed a sachet from my bag.
"Imprison! Torappu!"
The next moment, I grabbed the shrunk reptile firmly and dropped it into the sachet. Then swiftly, I sealed the sachet with an amulet over it. The serpent is a creation of dark Onmyoji's craft and has to be exterminated using our powers and rituals.
I stood up ready to search for Kelly. She must be nearby!
Then something caught my attention. I heard shuffles in the grass and stood with my arms ready for combat. The breeze careened by and the grasses yield a spot through which I noticed the outline of boots, police boots!
That must be the missing police Visnu spoke about. Treading slowly, I pushed the grasses apart and soon found myself looking at the body of a uniformed policeman. He was unconscious with bruises on his face.
I leaned forward to check and was relieved to learn that he is still breathing but his pulse was feeble.
"Shock and anxiety," I pronounced.
"Can you hear me?" I asked and, in response, heard a faint whisper
"Help me. Be...be careful."
"You will be fine. Don't worry." I assured. I did not ask why I needed to be careful. I supposed he was referring to the serpent which I had already apprehended.
I was about to drag him out of the grass when I caught sight of another policeman lying just a few meters away. A swipe of cold fears crept up my neck. I sensed something.
I walked over, cautioned in every step, to check, and was greeted by the dismayed spectacle of a bloodied torso. There was blood from the nostrils and mouth. There were also nasty bruises on the I touched his wrist and found no pulse.
He must have walked right into an ambush and suffered terrible fighting before succumbing to his wounds.
I knelt and bowed my head. I joined my palms in prayers and chanted the Kshitigarbha mantra.
"Rest in Peace."
*
The moment of saintly peace was fleeting for soon I heard blows being exchanged.
There is a commotion ahead! I trod towards the source of the noise. The thickness of the grass made it hard for me to ascertain the position. The movement of the Lalang grasses was the only signal I could rely on.
Slowly but steadily, I walked up to the location where a scuffle was going on. From the sounds of sparring, it was a fierce combat.
Soon the grasses thin away and I caught sight of a tight hand-to-hand combat between a lady and a man in black.
They were swift and deadly with each exchange, with each blow meant to knock out the other party.
The outline of the lady was familiar. I walked closer to be sure.
I found Kelly!
"Kelly!"
"I need some help here!"
Wasting no time, I quickly leaped over and joined the fray.
The man was delivering swift and decisive attack with kicks. I found the strokes familiar but could not place it.
I parried it smoothly and a high kick kept him at bay
"Kelly! Are you fine?" I asked.
" Look at me! Do I look fine?" She said and just then I realized her feet were bound. No wonder she was so hampered in her responses using only her hands and fists.
I quickly removed a knife from my bag, bent over and gave the ropes a swift slice. I barely had time to help with untying when the man in black came back at me.
His kicks were swift and I was drawn into returning kicks for strokes. As we fought, I noticed his hair was dyed gold and he wore a nasty expression. There was a deep scar on his forehead and one of the eyes has a white pupil that gave an eerie look.
After ten bouts, Kelly joined in and I managed to steal a kick on his abdomen
He retorted "Despicable. Two against one."
"Dont talk to me about honour. You kidnapped my fellow disciple!"
"Did they hurt you?" I turned to Kelly
She nodded as she flexed her shoulders.
"Let's make him pay back."
"Where is Yasu? I asked, my fists raised "You cannot get away."
"Save that warning for yourself." His Kansai accent told me he must be part of Yasu's clique. I had met him before but my brain failed me in its recollection.
I barely had time to ask further when Mr Gold Hair lunged forward and delivered swift and decisive attacks with his fists. Each blow was firm I could feel his arms were iron hard. He is well-trained.
I fought back and nearly had the chance to punch him but for treacherous kick from him. It took me on the thigh and I felt pain.
I leaped back and avoided a second blow. Resting my body weight on my right leg, I somersaulted forward and delivered a kick on his head.
The blow shocked him. He changed his poise and was about to attack.
I was ready with ahigh kick but Kelly grabbed my shoulder using it as a fulcrum and raised both her legs. The suave and accurate move hit the man firmly on the face.
The man fell backward and collapsed. He did not get back on. The blow must have knocked his senses out!
"That's fast." I remarked "You are still good in armed combat."
'"What took you so long?" Kelly complained, ignoring my compliment. "I was abducted. Look at me." She extended her hands and I noticed part of her jacket was torn at various spots along the limbs and shoulders.
There was also a cut beneath her lower lips. I was angry
"They were rough ya? They punched you?"
She nodded. "I am amused."
"I was ambushed too," I explained.
"You too? I walked right into a trap."
"It seems like Yasu Ito planned it."
"You met him?"
"I fought him for many bouts. Then he used his magic and escaped."
"You mean he beat you?" Kelly asked with a mischievous grin.
"Not quite. If we had another thirty bouts..."
"Then you will be badly beaten!" She rubbed her blunt sarcasm in my face.
"Come on. I came to save you." I said
"Sure but I have not seen Yasu for ages. Why is he in Singapore?"
"I asked the same question when I fought him. He was tight-lipped."
"I guess he is after the Orange Rabbit."
"That artifact we borrowed from Oji Hasegawa?" I asked with reference to one of the senior masters of Ten-mon sō who Is presently residing in Singapore.
"You are serious." I asked
Kelly nodded "They overpowered me and snatched the Rabbit."
"Why does he want that soft toy?"
"It is not so simple. It turned out the Orange Rabbit was potent because of something in it. That explains its powers"
I slapped my forehead
"Something? What was it?"
"I could not see clearly but that man with golden hair took it, digging it from within the Rabbit."
I felt my heart beating hard.
"I have a sense we botched things up. He may have stolen something important for a sinister purpose."
There was a long silence as we mulled over my observation.
"How did Yasu find you and then abduct you ?"
"Trickery-its in the DNA of the Dark Robes. He tricked me. I was looking for a specialist who could read ancient maps. He happened to stay at ...
"That solves the mystery. Why are you in this part of Singapore?"
"Through the grapevine, I chanced upon someone who introduced me to a secret network of specialists who could help me decipher a code on a map."
"Fictitious person, I supposed?"
Kelly nodded.
"In my eagerness, I had forgotten to verify the real identity."
"It was probably planted by Yasu Ito that dunce to lure you into his bait."
"Did you sense anything amiss?" I asked. Usually, Kelly is known for her sharpness.
"The give-away is that when I reached the street, I smelled the fragrance of osmanthus."
'The Osmanthus Arrow?" I said, referring to one of the weapons used by the Black Robes on their victims.
"I didn't know then. After walking some distance, I remembered there were no osmanthus flowers in Singapore because of the climate. By then I began to feel weakness in my limbs. Then they pounced on me and snatched my backpack. I struggled and tried to fight back and ..."
She looked at her wounds and then at me.
"I fainted and when I woke found myself in the boot fo the car."
"I am so glad..."
"Glad what?"
"I found your vehicle because someone took a picture of you being taken into it."
"Who is that person?"
I remembered Xuan but simply said, "Tell you more in the future."
"You knew why they brought you here?"
Kelly shook her head
"When I regained consciousness, they carried me into the tall grass. I heard Yasu's voice. He was speaking to someone on the phone. Then he spoke furiously at his men."
"What do you think he planned to do when he got you into the Lalang grass?"
Kelly flashed an expression of disgust "Bunch of idiots. They will regret it."
"Again, glad the police arrived in time after I shared the pictures."
Kelly looked in the direction of the fallen policeman.
"Are they fine?"
"One dead and another injured."
"Ruthless." She remarked
"I am now worried,very worried about what will happen to that thing in the Orange Rabbit."
"Besides that, Oji." She muttered, "How are we going to explain to him?"
A dark sense of foreboding built over my head as I thought of the consequences.
"When I lost possession of the Orange Rabbit, I was sickened." She said. "It will be hard to explain ourselves."
" Worry about that later. Let us get out of this place. It is humid and I cannot stand it."
"Where is Yasu now?"
"I don't know. I just woke and saw this fellow and tried to break loose."
"He picked the wrong opponent."
"Help me with my ankles." She said, impatiently. I quickly cut loose the remnants of rope on her ankles.
"His despicable ways. (san-sai-ji no narai-goto, yasō made), which translates to "A three-year-old's habit lasts until eighty years old."
"That's what Master Sato always said of recalcitrant people." Kelly said
"He used serpents on me."
"Are you alright?"
"Barely. He escaped when I was about to capture him."
"Thanks for coming for me but how did you find your way here?"
I thought of Xuan but decided to postpone talking about her.
"Someone helped me but tell you more about her later." I scanned her from head to toe. There were cuts on her cheeks, and hands and her long brown hair was messy. However, this is Kelly the Onmyoji and her beauty was undiminished. The fighter in her was evident on her face - that strong jaws and her lips pouted with defiance.
"I am glad to see you. You are still alive."
Kelly slapped me on the shoulder
"You need to improve on your skills. I was waiting for you to rescue me."
"I tried my best. In a way, I am not in the best form. After the exorcism, your SOS call was a trigger. I rushed over and walked into an ambush."
"You need to careful from now onwards. I don't want to mourn you.
"So are you, Kelly Nishimura. You are two years younger than I am." I emphasized
"Yasu and his fellows may just eat you up next time."
"Talking about him - I found he had grown stronger."
"More agile," Kelly observed.
"And ruthless in strokes. In a few bouts, he seemed to be out to snub out my life."
"So you need more practice. Adam the Onmyoji!"
"No matter what, I saved you." I said in a retort. We are the closest of teammates but also have that habit of haranguing each other in good spirits.
"Guess next time I will return the favour."
"I don't need it," I said
"However how did you find this place?" Kelly asked.
"Thanks to Visnu. His colleagues from the Traffic Police searched for the vehicle and traced it to this area."
"Thanking their efficiency."
"Maybe sometimes magic and tools from our world are not enough. You need to help from the human realm." I observed.
"Practical stuff first - we need to go after Yasu and get back the relic."
"Then let's get you out of here quick."
"I suspect he does not know the purpose of the Kanji and henced needed me to help him."
"Can we get someone from Otsu to research on the history of that relic?"
"Gosh I wish I need more information on that relic. At least its name."
We exchanged looks and pondered
"Let's go and see Oji tomorrow," I said since he will be the senior Master Onmyoji who knows its history.
"Wait. Where is the man?" Kelly asked, holding my arm.
She said as she looked around us. Suddenly I realized the Gold Hair man is missing. I sensed danger
"He is still around!"
"Find him quick!" Kelly said.
At this moment, there was a swoosh in the air. I sensed danger and warned"Duck!"
With my left hand, I gave Kelly a firm push. She backed away just in time because, the next instant, a dart flew between us, missing my nose by a fraction of an inch.
"Duck!"