Rivers of Fate

Full Circle

After the bird had flown out through lobby doors that mysteriously opened on their own, the frazzled night guard began receiving calls from residents on the top floor. They reported hearing shouts and crashes from the penthouse above. When Mr. Chen didn't answer his condo phone, the guard headed up to investigate.

A small cluster of residents who'd come to check for themselves now helped the toppled night guard back onto his feet at the penthouse doorway.

"What the hell's going on?" the guard sputtered. He clutched his sore ribs where the wind had been knocked out of him.

"I called the police! I knew I'd heard gunshots!" one man pointed at the balcony window. "Look at the holes in the glass that's still up!"

"Forget the window!" said a woman. "Look at them!"

The guard stared at the unfamiliar man dressed in a cosplay with blood on his face and the woman who'd arrived with Mr. Chen. They stood staring back at him. But whatever question the guard would have asked died on his lips as he blinked in confusion at their faces.

"Aren't you going to stop them?!" the woman demanded. They had all jumped back when the couple rushed past them.

The silent night guard watched the woman and the man disappear down the stairs as the stairwell door swung closed behind them. He was paid to monitor the lobby and premises, patrol the parking lot and indoor garage twice a shift. That was pretty much the extent of his duties. Chasing after people with swirls of lightning and fire respectively in their eyes was a few notches above his pay grade.

_____

The motorcycle was where Wanfeng had left it. It came to life once again at his touch.

Chen Kai's car was gone.

Coward. Run fast, for if I hunt you...

Wanfeng gave an angry swipe of his hand across his face in an effort to remove the blood Chen Kai had spat on it. He started when Xia clasped his head in her hands. The touch of fox magic upon his cheeks was like a soft brush of fur. It cleansed away the blood.

"I--I wasn't sure I could do that. All I did was think I could and it worked." Xia lowered her hands to study her palms, then jerked her gaze back to Wanfeng. They had just run down eighteen flights of stairs with neither having broken into a sweat.

"Wanfeng! We have to help Lucy and Mr. Antoine! Kai was talking to some man on the phone. I could hear everything. The man told Kai he was going to the townhouse and that I better be there! He said if I didn't cooperate he would make sure I did for the "welfare" of my neighbours. What do they want with me?"

Wanfeng took in Xia's anguished face. Her neighbours were no mere mortals, this he'd come to know. But she was unaware of this. They'd had the power to bring him here, manipulate time, conjure the bike... Could they not defend themselves? Yet the Elder Antoine had told him they were old and weakening. Wanfeng could feel his dragon essence more powerfully than ever since he'd first arrived in this world. They must no longer be able to block him and the urge to shift was well nigh unbearable to resist. He could change freely at will now. He knew it. He felt it. He could take Xia in his talons and fly them away from here right at this moment.

'NON! Arrête! Stop! You must not change form! We cannot allow you. Pas encore! Not yet! You must preserve your true strength for the journey home! Forces are converging faster than we expected. The storm is nearly here!'

With an immense growl of frustration, Wanfeng held to his human form. If shifting too soon risked their chances of getting back to their realm then he wouldn't do it. He would heed the Elder's warning, trusting to fate that when the time was right, he would know.