“Six years ago, I became pregnant by Ming Dao. Nine months later, I gave birth to a son, who was named Ming Lao.”

The American stiffened again. “Ming Lao is your son? They said his mother was killed.”

“And, to all intents and purposes she was.”

“So, someone is lying. Cause you’re not dead.”

“Indeed I am not. Another young girl named Ling Li was sold into servitude at the same time as I. We became friends. We also became pregnant within a month of one another, and gave birth within hours. I, to Ming Lao, and Ling Li to a daughter she never got to name.”

“And why was that.” Kael’s voice was flat, without inflection, yet Lao Ma knew she was keenly listening.

“Girl children are not seen as gifts by Ming Dao. The infant was murdered within seconds of her birth. Ling Li lost her life shortly after that.”

“Why?”

“Female offspring hold no interest for Ming Dao. Every one of them has been killed after birth. I was the only one to produce a male heir. He dares not rid himself of me.”

“I’m afraid I still don’t understand. From what I can remember of biology, it’s the man, and not the woman, who produces the chromosomes that determine the sex of the child.”

“Ming Dao is a very superstitious man. He tried for many years to produce a son, but failed. Because of his success with me, he must keep me alive and healthy. If Ming Lao should die before he reaches maturity, Ming Dao will come back to me, demanding I produce another son for him.”

Kael snorted. “Just like that, huh.”

“Yes. Just like that.”

“And why did your friend have to die? Does Ming Dao murder all concubines who displease him by giving birth to daughters?”

Lao Ma laughed lightly. “I don’t think there would be two women left standing in all of China if that were so. No, Ming Dao employed a skill with which he is quite accomplished: deception. He killed Ling Li, telling everyone it was she who had given birth to his son and had died in childbirth. Myself, he kept alive and sent away so I would not be a ‘softening’ influence on his son.”

“’His son’?”

“Yes. I gave birth to the boy, and there will always be that bond, but he is being raised to be as monstrous as his father. Ming Lao is his father’s son.”

“And so he sent you here?”

“Yes. The Mistress of this house died suddenly and he sent me in to fill her place. It is his way of keeping me in his service while removing my influence over Ming Lao. And here I shall stay.”

“What happens if Ming Lao manages to live to take over his father’s position?”

“I will likely be executed.”

“You don’t sound as if that frightens you in the least, having a death sentence over your head.”

Lao Ma shrugged. “My life matters little in the Universe’s plan. After all, we all live beneath the sentence of death from the moment we draw our first breath.”

Kael relaxed. “Yeah, I suppose we do.”

The Asian woman released her grip on Kael’s arm. “So, as you can see, I have very little vested in the affairs of Ming Dao and his empire. I helped you escape from him and his men not to hand you back to him, but rather to free you from yourself. You are destined for greatness, Kael Androstos. You must simply find those seeds within yourself and allow them to blossom. I can only offer so much aid to you. It is something you must, ultimately, do for yourself.”

Kael turned slowly, looking deeply into the eyes of the woman before her. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“You don’t. Not with one hundred percent certainty. You must listen to what your heart says.”

The American laughed. “I don’t have a heart, Lao Ma.”

Reaching up, Lao Ma laid a tender hand on Kael’s cheek. “Yes you do. And it is bigger by far than you can imagine.”

Disbelieving, Kael shook her head.

“You have within you an immense capacity for hatred and anger. You are filled to the brim with it. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Where the capacity exists for one, the capacity exists for the other. Drain your hatred, subdue your will, and the understanding will come.”

“And you really believe this.”

“Yes.”

Kael dropped her eyes, looking down at the ground as she swallowed hard. “I only wish I could,” she said, a trace of hoarseness in her vibrant voice.

15 June 1991. Lao Ma’s Home. Chengdu, China

It was early morning when Lao Ma made her silent way to her sitting room to begin her daily meditations. She smiled as she crossed the threshold, seeing Kael sitting crosslegged on one of the mats, a copy of her ancestor’s Book of Wisdom laying open on her lap. Her mesmerizing blue eyes were closed and she appeared deep in meditation.

Those eyes opened as Lao Ma took a step back, intending to leave the other woman to her peace. Kael’s smile was open and beautiful, pulling Lao Ma back to the threshold. “Please,” she said softly, responding to the smile with one of her own, “continue with your reading. I did not mean to intrude.”

“You weren’t intruding at all. In fact, I’d welcome your presence. I have a few questions about what I’ve been reading.”

Gracefully accepting the invitation, Lao Ma let her feet carry her into the room, where she joined Kael on the mat, sitting and crossing her own legs beneath the silken fabric of her gown. “How might I be of assistance to you?”

Kael looked back down at the Book, pointing out a passage with one long, tapered finger. “Your ancestor was indeed a wise woman. I just wish she wrote in a way that could be easily understood by mere mortals like myself.” Her eyes twinkled.

“What about the passage troubles you?”

“It says here ‘To conquer others is to have power. To conquer yourself is to know the Way.’ What ‘Way’ is she talking about?”

“The Way of Serenity. Of Wisdom. Of being one with the Universe.”

“And how does someone conquer themselves? I’m not sure what she’s getting at here.”

“Humanity is driven by a will. To conquer yourself is to rise above that will. To let it no longer have an impact on your life.” Lao Ma smiled at Kael’s still slightly confused look. “A will is like a bolder that is loosed from the top of a mountain. It rolls down the slope, destroying all in its path. It does not stop until it either runs into something that is stronger than itself, more often than not destroying itself in the process, or until it no longer has the energy to destroy. If the bolder is simply removed at its source, the mountain’s summit, it cannot destroy, and life beneath it continues as it was meant to be.”

“So, it all goes back to getting rid of your will.”

“Exactly.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“The philosophy is easy. The practice is not.”

“Not even for you?”

Lao Ma’s face shone with compassion. “Not even for me.”

Kael sighed. “Well …I suppose it might be a little easier if I could see a practical application of this philosophy. You know, to make it more real to me.”

The older woman’s dark, almond eyes narrowed. “It occurs to me that you are mainly interested in whatever powers may come with this philosophy.”

The corner of Kael’s mouth curved upward. “I’d be lying if I said that your …special …powers don’t intrigue me. But, if what I’m hearing you say is true, I won’t be able to use them unless I follow your teachings. So, based on this, what harm can my knowledge cause?” Kael looked deceptively innocent, reminding Lao Ma again never to underestimate the powerful woman.

She thought quickly, carefully weighing the pros and cons, then sighed, coming to a decision. “Come with me.”

She didn’t miss the triumphant spark that lit Kael’s pale eyes as she jumped to her feet, all to willing to follow her mentor into this new stage of learning.

Same Day. Ming Dao’s Estate. Chengdu, China.

Geraldo stood in the waiting room of Ming Dao’s mansion, nervously pacing before the antiques that garishly decorated the place. He had been waiting for two hours for an audience with the drug lord, his heart beating more quickly with each passing moment until he was sure it would explode from his chest.

Finally, the door opened and a large bodyguard gestured for the Colombian to enter Ming Dao’s office. Geraldo found himself before the older man’s desk in short order, wiping his sweaty palms on his perfectly pressed slacks.

After a long moment, Ming Dao looked up from his work on the desk, his eyes magnified behind the thick lenses of his glasses. “You asked for a month, Mr. Rodriguez. I have given you that, and more. And yet that worthless whore continues to elude you. That is not what you promised me, Mr. Rodriguez. Not what you promised me at all.”

“She is here, Ming Dao,” Geraldo countered. “And I’m quite sure I know where she is hiding.”

The Asian’s eyebrows rose, giving him an almost comical appearance. “Then why is she not here, in this room? What games are you playing with me?”

“No games, Ming Dao,” Geraldo hastened to explain. “I assure you. It’s just that …she’s in the one place you won’t allow me to look.”

“And where might that be?”

“The whorehouse run by that woman you call Lao Ma. I don’t trust her. She’s hiding something, and I bet my empire that it’s Kael.”

Ming Dao smiled. “You must be very sure of yourself to make a bet like that, Mr. Rodriguez.”

“I am very sure.”

“Very well. I will give you another week. You may search the pleasure house at your leisure. If you can find your whore among all the others, I will honor my arrangement with you and you may sell my product in your country. If not,” Ming Dao’s smile became a shark’s leer, “your empire, and your life, become mine to do with as I wish. Do we have a deal, Mr. Rodriguez?”

“What will happen to Kael?”

“For kidnapping my son, her life is already forfeit. She belongs to me and is not part of the arrangement.”

After a moment, Geraldo nodded. “Alright, you’ve got a deal.”

“Very good. I will see you in exactly one week. Leave now.”

Bowing his head respectfully, Geraldo turned from the desk and was escorted from the mansion. As he slipped into the car and keyed the engine, he thought briefly of just going over to the whorehouse and grabbing Kael. But then he hesitated. Ming Dao had given him a week. He would make the old man sweat it out. Then he would retrieve what was his. Ming Dao would never have Kael. But he would find that out the hard way. Later.

A dark smile bloomed on his face as he pulled away from the walled estate. “This is going to be fun.”

Same Day. Lao Ma’s House. Chengdu, China.

Lao Ma led Kael to a large room that looked somewhat like a gymnasium. The walls and floors were padded, their coverings vivid with Chinese characters so that the entire room looked like one gigantic mural.

Off in one corner, a group of shelves stood, each bearing an assortment of clay pots, glass bottles, small carved figurines, rocks and other sundries. A small round table sat in front of a wide window which showed the vista of the sun-drenched city several stories below.

“Please choose an object from the shelves and place it on the table,” Lao Ma requested, coming to stand, relaxed, before said piece of furniture.

Kael did as she was asked, selecting a blown glass green fish and setting it on the table, before backing off a few paces, watching the older woman avidly.

Standing relaxed, her hands loosely by her sides, Lao Ma took in a deep, cleansing breath, then let it out slowly. She allowed that core of serenity always within her, a gift from her ancestor, to break its bounds and flow through her, filling everything within her. She focussed her eyes on the glass figurine.

It shattered.

“Holy shit!” Kael shouted, a wide, disbelieving grin on her face. “That was fantastic! Show me how you did that!”

Lao Ma laughed, taking in Kael’s child-like excitement and glowing eyes. At that moment, she sensed no malicious intent in the woman before her, but that wasn’t to say those feelings wouldn’t change in a heartbeat’s time. Some of your wisdom would be appreciated right now, Honored Ancestor. I can only hope that I am doing the right thing, teaching her these powers. Did you feel this way when you gave them to your Warrior Princess?

Swallowing her misgivings, Lao Ma gestured to the shelf. “Choose another object, then.”

Kael returned to the shelf and chose a delicate glass vase, flowers painstakingly painted around the barrel. She returned to the table, and after clearing the top of the glass fragments, set the vase carefully in the middle. “Ok. What’s next?”

Despite herself, the smaller woman couldn’t help smiling. “Next? Try to break it.”