The woods around them hummed with animal life. Remo could feel the heartbeats closing in.
Chiun ignored the forest and the creatures within it. In his unwavering gaze, his entire world seemed to compress until all that remained was the man standing before him. His hazel eyes were fixed on his pupil, burning deep.
"Do not gather false security from our past successes against these creatures," the old Korean hissed. "Whatever happens, remember well the prophecy."
Remo's attention was torn between his teacher and the woods. Through the trees he saw a shadow, then two. Moving stealthily, they came ever closer to the road.
"I remember," Remo promised. "'Even Shiva must walk with care when he passes the jungle where lurk other night tigers.' Don't worry, I got it."
A bony hand gripped his forearm. In the early days of training, it would have been a slap or some other inflicted pain to impress on his pupil the importance of what was being said. Another of the many things that had changed over the years. But Remo's fundamental nature had not changed.
"It is not enough to speak the words," Chiun insisted harshly. "You must understand their importance. You are in a difficult time now, Remo. In the book of Sinanju are the names of many good Masters who failed but once and paid with their lives, for such is the price of failure even for those from Sinanju. Yet you are more fortunate than Master Pak, who lost his life to the drinkers of blood. Or the second Lesser Wang, who was the first Master of Sinanju to encounter the dreaded succubi of the Nile. Or Master Tup-Tup, who was defeated on his first day as Reigning Master-yes, his first day-by the unholy magics of a Dravidian conjurer. You are blessed because you have their lessons, often learned in blood, to guide you. And, praise the Great Wang, you have prophecies like this one. Listen to them, learn from them.
But do not think yourself invulnerable because you benefit from the wisdom of the ages. You are not the end of history. It will take but one time, Remo-one fatal moment-for you to become an eternal lesson for all the Masters who follow you."
With that, he released his grip on Remo's arm. Turning, his eyes slivered as he scanned the woods to his left.
Remo felt the heavy sense of dread that came like waves from the frail form of his teacher. When he spoke, his own words were filled with soft reassurance.
"I'll remember, Little Father," he vowed.
Chiun didn't take his eyes from the nearby trees at the side of the road.
"Good. Do not forget it when some new daydream flits through your wandering mind. Prepare."
And the creatures appeared from the forest.
They came up all around. As if possessed of a single mind, they passed out of the thorny underbrush on either side. Low to the ground, they came onto the road.
"Stay alert," Chiun cautioned. Spinning, he pressed his back to Remo's and raised his hands. Ivory nails like shards of sharpened bone were directed at their stalkers.
Remo matched his teacher's pose. Senses stretched far out around them, he watched the creatures exit the woods.
Growling and hissing they came. They came and came until the road was clogged forward and back, blocking advance and retreat. Even though there were more males than females, the females seemed dominant. In each of the small groups the males stayed close to a single female.
As they circled, Remo searched the sea of faces for Judith White.
She might look different. He was prepared for that. The same formula that had made her the monster that she was could be used to alter appearance. Remo had seen it before. But Judith White was more than just a face. She wouldn't need to look the same for him to sort her from the pack.
In the sea of movement he detected not a single female that carried itself in quite the same way as Judith White.
Despite his disappointment, one woman caught his eye.
She was off to one side, watching intently. A hint of malicious glee brushed her beautiful face.
"Hey, Chiun, isn't that the chick from New York?" Remo asked, directing his chin toward Elizabeth Tiflis.
The questioning confusion in his voice was matched by the puzzlement on the face of the Master of Sinanju.
"It is," Chiun said, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"How would she know to come here?" Remo asked.
ELIZABETH TIFLIS SENSED that she had drawn the attention of both men. She found her way to the head of the massive pack. Feline eyes settling on Remo, she extended a lazy finger his way. And the words she spoke surprised both Masters of Sinanju. "You," Elizabeth announced. "It's about time you got here. You're wanted inside."
And the animal purr of satisfaction that rose from deep in her throat chilled the spring morning.
Chapter 21
"Excuse me?" Remo asked. He shot a glance at the Master of Sinanju. Chiun's expression was stone.
"Don't waste my time, sugar," Elizabeth warned. "Get down on the ground now and you'll get out of this alive. Of course, I've seen you in action so I know enough not to take any chances. For our own protection, we'll have to make it so you can't harm us. A few broken bones, cut hamstrings. But I promise you'll live."
One of the males nuzzled Elizabeth's hand. His eyes were trained on the Master of Sinanju.
"What about the old one?"
She smiled. "Use him as a scratching post."
Remo frowned at Elizabeth. "What do you want with me?"
"Me?" Elizabeth replied. "Nothing. If it was up to me, you'd be nothing more than a meal. But this isn't my show. So do we have a deal? Or do we take you down the hard way?"
Remo's face steeled. "I don't deal with vegetables, minerals or animals."
"Suit yourself."
A subtle nod. The pack began to close in.
Elizabeth was the focus for those in front. The others circled in around her. Following her moves, mirroring them. The same was true for the larger groups. Eyes flicked from prey to their respective leaders and back again.
In the pack to the left, Remo spied three familiar faces.
The TV homemaker had found a pair of work gloves in the bottling plant. She thought they would be a pair of good things that would keep her hands clean for craft work, vegetable gardening or everyday disemboweling. Unfortunately she'd misplaced one. If she had looked a bit closer at her neighbor, she would have noticed a suspiciously glove-shaped bulge near the AA brassiere of the kleptomaniac actress.
Behind all of the others lurked Bobby Bugget. The singer seemed as out-of-place as he did frightened. At the front of the closing pack, Elizabeth nodded to the Master of Sinanju.
"He looks even stringier in daylight. Looks like we'll be cleaning our teeth on your bones, Grandpa." Chiun's neck craned from the collar of his simple black robes, offering a tempting target.
"You are welcome to try, perversion of creation," the old Korean replied.
Smiling, Elizabeth stopped abruptly, still several yards shy of Remo and Chiun.
"Don't assume just because a species is new that it's necessarily stupid," she warned cryptically.
Her dark eyes flickered for an instant to the blind spot beside Remo and Chiun.