The Lord of Shadows Rises by James Terzian

the stall. Bain Yu turned around as they entered. “Good morning, Masters. Is there something you need?”
    “We need your help, Bain Yu” said Alexander.
    “Let’s hear it,” said Bain.
    Alexander told him the plan, and Bain agreed, though some doubt remained. “This had better work.”
    Later that same afternoon, three thugs came into the shop. Approaching the desk, the larger of the men demanded, “Give us the tax for the week!”
    Bain handed the thug some money and they left, not noticing the three figures following them.
    After leading the Masters across town, the three thugs entered what appeared to be a Buddhist temple. Walking in, the thugs were greeted by a man, dressed in orange monk robes, and sat behind a desk. “You got the fee?” asked the apparent monk.
    One of the men stepped forward. “Yes, sir, we have the whole amount.”
    The monk’s eyes flicked to the corner of the entrance behind the men. “You have been followed,” he said to the thugs, “Leave. I will deal with this.” The three bowed and walked away.
    Once the thugs had departed, the monk spoke again, “You three can come out. I know you are there, Order of the White Rose.” He threw a medallion on the table.
    The three revealed themselves as the figure dressed in the monks’ robes dropped his hood, revealing a young male of teenage years with six dots across his bald head. “Welcome, Masters. My name is Guan Jiao, and I am the student of former Guardian Master Shin.”

Chapter 10: The Final pupil
    “Why are you in charge of a gang, and why are you forcing the townsfolk to give you money?” Alexander demanded.
    The teen bowed his head. “It’s just a farce to keep the suspicion off us. We have been hunted by the Lord of Shadows’ minions, and from the two hundred students that were at the temple, only seventy are still with me now, and the number is getting smaller.”
    “I see. By acting like a bandit, you are basically trying to fool the Lord of Shadows into thinking you were all wiped out, because monks are usually peaceful and try to avoid conflict,” surmised Mason.
    The monk nodded his head. “That is the gist of it,” he confirmed.
    “So what now?” asked Alexander.
    “Simple. I must join you and leave someone else in charge of this group,” Guan said.
    “Jun!” he shouted, and a young woman of Asian descent with black hair walked out and knelt before him.
    “What is it, Sifu?” asked the young woman.
    “I have to leave now to help the order. You are in charge of this group. Try to lay low, and hopefully remain safe.”
    The young woman continued to kneel. “Yes, Sifu.”
    “When the time comes, I might call on you and the others to fight. For now, try to gather more soldiers, as discreetly as possible,” said Guan.
    The young woman bowed her head. “Of course.”
    ***
    In the temple in Norway, the four generals were decked out in full armor. Kevin’s armor was green with spikes on his wrist, symbolizing the wind’s sharpness.
    Kyral had black armor that blended into the shadows. The armor, symbolizing the cunning of a ninja, had holsters for his kunai and shuriken. On his back he carried a short blade.
    Vladimir wore a dark brown armor with many layers to symbolize the strength and the protection of the hard earth.
    Finally, Shun Xian wore a dark-blue leather armor to symbolize water. Highlighting the way she moved fluidly like a stream or river.
    Behind the generals stood two thousand soldiers, equipped with old, yet functional, weapons: staffs, swords, pikes, arrows, and daggers.
    The Lord of Shadows spoke, “It is time to begin. I have contacted my proxies in several countries and have told them to begin their mobilization. Kevin, you are going to take five hundred soldiers and head to Laos and attack Vietnam and Indochina.”
    “Shun Xian, you will take another five hundred and head to Uzbekistan to help with the mobilization. Take out the weak countries that broke away from