Ash sat cross-legged on the floor of his room. Six days ago, his new Sisen had arrived, and she’d left four days ago. The two days in between had shattered everything he thought he knew about the Bamboo Viper Steps. His mind still raced with all the breakthroughs he’d accomplished. Shame filled him when he considered how arrogant he’d acted when his Sisen had arrived. He’d considered himself unmatched—untouchable—standing alone at the peak of martial ability.
Now Ash knew, far from standing on the mountain top, he hadn’t yet begun to climb. His Sisen had humbled him, not with angry or unkind words, but with her Step ability, and his pitiful reflection of that ability had pushed him into despair multiple times.
But even in this, Ash’s Sisen had displayed unmatched expertise. Every time he’d touched the edge of a mental breakdown, she’d brought him back with praise or a discussion on his progress, not his faults. Looking back on that, it scared him. In those two days, she’d extracted every possible drop of potential from him without breaking his spirit.
Grandmaster Echo had broken Ash physically many many times. His Root chakra, for the first time, had become a terrible liability as it quickly healed his body repeatedly. This had delighted her, and though she didn’t pry into how he healed so rapidly, she took terrible advantage of it.
Ash hadn’t known his chakras could hurt, but his Root still felt mashed, like he’d wrung it dry. The rest of his body felt just as bad, as the overworked Root had taken longer and longer to heal his broken physique. Even now, four days later, bruises covered skin, the dark blotches giving him a sickly appearance. Thankfully, most of the swelling had decreased.
The scent of pine-sage hung thickly around Ash from the arnica cream his grandpa had made. Ash didn’t know if it helped much, but he liked the smell and it made Grandpa happy to use the ancient recipes.
Ash’s stomach growled and he mentally prepared himself to move. He’d never sat idle for so long, but Grandpa had insisted he spend the next week resting, which is why Ash found himself in his room in the middle of the day.
Now Ash’s stupid hunger would force him to exert his sore muscles.
With a soft groan, Ash used his hands to push himself up. Through his open door he could see his Grandpa asleep in his bed. Ash smiled at that, knowing the bruja’s magic had taken root, causing Grandpa Pine to sleep sixteen hours a day.
Ash stepped quietly over a pile of clothes and into the hallway. He gently closed his grandpa’s door and then tiptoed to the kitchen. Surprisingly, his muscles didn’t complain as much, and he sighed in relief. It appeared the worst of the pain had finally passed.
Five minutes later, Ash cursed quietly as a plate of reheated chilaquiles burned his hands, and he dropped it on the end table next to the fake La-Z-Boy his grandpa had bought thirty years ago. To cool his fingers, he gripped the cold michelada, letting the can numb the pain of his fingertips.
With a loud cough to cover the sound, Ash opened the can and paused to see if Grandpa Pine had heard. The sound of the TV filled the small living room with a more muted screeching of parrots and cockatiels coming through the open window. The irritating birds had settled into the avocado trees to escape the afternoon heat.
The TV reception remained good this afternoon, the atmosphere cooperating, or at least not interfering, with the only signal that made it this far south of the States. Ash sat with a heavy thump into the worn La-Z-Boy and groaned in pain as his entire body complained at the sudden movement.
The commercial ended and Ash eagerly listened to the news caster. Nothing exciting had happened since the sudden brief appearance of the superbeings almost a week ago, but he hoped something new about the Pit might have occurred.
Ash’s Third Eye chakra warned him and pulled his attention away from the TV. The danger didn’t appear to be directed at him, though. It felt more like when he ventured too near the crocodiles.
No, that wasn’t right. This felt a hundred times stronger. As terrifying as the sensation felt, it was only an echo of the terror Third Eye had generated when the small blonde witch arrived.
Ash pulled his t-shirt off the back of the chair, slipping it over his head as he strode to the door. He paused there to slip on sandals before regarding the door. His Root chakra, containing most of his survival instinct, remained quiet, as did his Third Eye, so he opened the door and stepped out.
A man and woman stood thirty feet away. Even in the bright sunlight, he couldn’t tell if they had tans or were half Mexican like himself. They radiated intense danger, however.
Ash had gone years without feeling fear, now, in the space of two weeks, the little bruja, the gringo she’d brought along, literal Death, the Scarecrow angel, hell-spawned horses, golden superman, and Ash’s goth Sisen had each caused intense fear. He could now add another pair to his list.
The woman stood almost six feet tall and the man a few inches more. They would’ve towered over Ash just a year ago, but with his recent growth spurt, things weren’t as bad. They both had dark hair, brown eyes, and plain features. Nothing that made them stand out other than their height.
Ash’s Third Eye had worked overtime lately, and it tingled now, telling him the pair hid behind an illusion, and had concealed their real appearance somehow. He couldn’t tell if it was makeup or maybe something more fantastic. Since the Clypse, nothing sounded crazy anymore.
“Hello, Ash,” the woman said, “we’re excited to finally speak with you, although I wish the circumstances were different.”
She spoke Spanish fluently like a native. Too fluent. It even contained the slight regional variations around Guadalajara that only a native would hear. The one thing Ash knew for sure at this moment, was that these two were not from Guadalajara.
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“Hey,” Ash responded, and as usual, he went with his gut. “You’re the two that have been protecting the farm for the last couple of years.”
The woman smiled, and Ash’s Throat chakra confirmed it was genuine.
“You haven’t needed much protection, to be honest,” the woman said. “You do incredibly well on your own. But yes, you could say we’ve kept an eye on things and jumped in when we thought it necessary.”
“Do you own the large chupacabra?”
The man laughed, seemingly in spite of his best efforts to remain serious. He gave the woman a sideways glance before replying to Ash. “Chupacabras are just folklore and legend.”
“Why are you revealing yourselves now? And how have you evaded my detection?”
“We have some advantages you don’t have yet,” the man replied. “As to why, we had to make a decision because things are about to change.”
The woman continued, “The Americans are on their way. They’ll be here momentarily. We would like to join you, assuming you go, but we can’t because it would bring even more attention, and the consequences of that would be counter to our intentions. All that to say, it’s safer if we’re not with you.”
“So you’re showing yourselves to tell me you’re not following me?”
“Not exactly,” the man replied. “We wanted you to know if you leave with the Americans, we’ll remain here to guard the farm and your grandpa. They’ll be safe.”
Ash’s Throat chakra once again verified their honesty.
“You’re the same as the little witch, and maybe even that flying scarecrow.”
The woman’s face lit up at the mention of the scarecrow and she grinned. “Not the same, but not different either. Let’s leave it at that.” The woman paused, and then continued. “When we agreed to this assignment, we didn’t know what to expect, but I can honestly tell you it’s been a pleasure.”
“They’re almost here,” the man said, “and my shield won’t block their satellites much longer.”
“Good luck to you, Ash,” the woman said.
“Wait,” Ash said. “There’s one other thing. If I’m not here, can you please watch out for Maria’s brother?”
“Is he the one you never kill during the attacks?”
Ash nodded.
“We’ll spare him if he returns with the toxic-alchemists.”
“Thank you. He’s a good guy, just—it’s hard sometimes to see when you’re caught up with the wrong people.”
The man nodded. “Excellent observation and worth remembering under the current circumstances.”
The woman removed a coin from a vest pocket and held it up. “This is a gift from my goddess if you wish to accept it. To be clear, it carries an obligation to repay the kindness of her protection all these years—an obligation to pay that kindness forward to another.”
“Pay it how? And what does that coin do exactly?”
“She said you’d know how to repay her when the time came. As for what the coin does—it’s a marker of sorts. During her time here she had many friends, some remain, and her mark will aid you.”
“And what about her enemies? Nobody only has friends.”
The man laughed. “So, jaded. You’re right of course, but those enemies would attack you anyway. Fuel on an existing fire you might say.”
Ash nodded, his gut telling him to take the coin and his chakras not objecting.
The woman flipped the coin with her thumb, and Ash caught it with his right hand.
Ash studied the coin which gave off a faint light. It caused his palm to tingle as if the coin contained electricity or vibrated rapidly. The coin had a nice weight to it, the silver-white metal unfamiliar to him. The side facing up had one of those leafless trees that grew on ocean cliffs. They always stood alone and looked mysterious. He used his thumb to turn the coin over and before he could read the words etched on this side the coin’s glow dimmed.
Whatever energy the coin possessed drained into Ash’s palm causing an intense sensation of burning, which disappeared almost immediately. His brain registered the three lines of text on the coin to be some sort of poem.
Ash used his left hand to pick up the coin from his palm and froze. Almost completely faded now, a glowing windswept tree covered his palm like some sort of glow-in-the-dark-tattoo.
“Oh, hell no,” Ash said. “I didn’t think you meant ‘marked’ literally.”
Ash tore his eyes away from the weird tattoo after it disappeared completely, and he looked up to demand some answers from the pair.
They had both disappeared, however, and Ash couldn’t tell if they’d cloaked themselves with some type of power or dashed away at an incredible speed. The fact that none of his chakras could answer that concerned him, as he’d come to rely on them for survival.
In the silence, Ash could make out the soft sounds of a helicopter, or maybe more, high above, and a moment later, the sound of vehicles approaching. He remained on the porch, standing patiently in his gym shorts and T-shirt. With a last glance at the coin and then his palm, he placed the coin in his pocket.
The vehicles that appeared weren’t the massive black SUVs that every American movie used when the government arrived. In fact, he couldn’t tell they were Americans at all.
The two pickup trucks sped into the clearing that surrounded the small house. Each vehicle had a fifty-caliber machine gun mounted on the back, along with five uniformed policemen, all in the garb of the Guadalajara police force.
What gave them away was their intense focus on the surroundings and the obvious training each displayed. The clues were clear if you knew what to look for like how they held their weapons, the way their bodies faced, and the state of their equipment. The trucks stopped on either side of the house, and none of the occupants even looked at Ash.
Another two trucks arrived, one staying near the road, and the other moved behind the house. A man stepped from the passenger side of the truck near the road and waved at someone in the back. A soldier jumped gracefully from the truck. Neither had a machine gun, but each had a pistol on their hip. The soldier from the back of the truck clutched a satchel tightly against their body.
The pair strode directly toward Ash and stopped ten feet away.
This close, Ash verified they were indeed Americans, and the soldier with the satchel was a woman.
“You said he was untouchable, Captain” the man stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
The woman glanced Ash up and down. “Yes sir, this is unexpected.”
“You know I don’t like the unexpected.”
“Yes, Colonel.” After a pause the Captain continued. “Sir, we are well within his range for fatal damage and recommend a more cautious approach.”
“We don’t have time for caution, and you know it,” the Colonel responded. He turned and locked eyes with Ash. “We wouldn’t be here otherwise, would we, Ash?”
“Caution gets you killed,” Ash agreed. “It’s the thinkers who always go first.”
The Colonel didn’t wear the goggles and scarf the others wore. He removed his helmet and grinned. “I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”
“Why are you here?” Ash asked.
“First, let me make a couple of introductions. I’m Colonel Rogers, and this is Captain Riegel. We’re part of a special task force and are here to discuss an opportunity.”
“Colonel Rogers?” Ash asked. “Like Captain America but with better pay?”
“Exactly like that,” the Colonel replied with a small laugh.
Ash’s Sacral chakra, located near his groin, didn’t sense any hidden irritation or animosity coming from the Colonel despite Ash’s disrespectful comment and his respect for the man increased. The Captain was another matter. Ash’s comment had upset her although her goggles and scarf helped hide it from view.
Ash tilted his head toward the truck on the left. “It’s a lot of people for a discussion.”
The Colonel looked around. “It’s not the way I wanted to approach this, but I don’t need to tell you about the dangers in this area. Without a show of force, the narcos would’ve hassled us. After all, they watch this farm intensely and are interested in anyone who visits.”
Ash opened his mouth to deny the statement, but the Colonel held up a finger. “Before you lie,” he turned to the woman. “Captain?”