In the Orient (11 page)

After Archibald moved to the far wall, he trained the flashlight’s beam in the direction of the Monkey Clone. What he saw literally took his breath away. The Monkey Clone had its burly right arm wrapped tightly around his brother, and it was licking Jockabeb’s swollen ear!

The Monkey Clone must have moved Robert Liu during the night, because his motionless body was lying directly in front of Jockabeb.

Watching helplessly as the Monkey Clone’s young hostage painfully squinted and barely opened one of his eyes, Archibald grimaced at the anguish written all over his brother’s badly bruised face.

“Jockabeb, say something if you can you hear me.” Archibald yelled out.

In a weak voice that was barely audible, Jockabeb answered through parched lips, “I hurt all over, and I’m really thirsty.”

“Hold on, we’re going to get you out of here,” Archibald promised, not at all sure if it was a promise he could keep.

While Archibald was taking to his brother, May silently took up her position against the opposite wall.

As soon as Willow lowered her body down and moved to May’s right-hand side, Archibald said, “Okay, May, start bargaining.”

The initial verbal exchange between May and the Monkey Clone didn’t take very long, and her voice was
steady when she reported the results. “It was just as you suspected,” she began. “The Monkey Clone wants the elixir before it releases Jockabeb and Robert. The good news is that Robert is still alive, but just barely.”

“Robert was unconscious and lying near me when we left, so how did the Monkey Clone get him over there?” Archibald asked.

“Don’t you remember?” May replied. “The Monkey Clone can lengthen its arm as long as it wants.” Then she added a note of caution, warning both Archibald and Willow, “Remember that when the action starts.”

All of a sudden, Archibald had an idea he thought just might work. Moving the old metal flask into the flashlight’s beam, he told May, “Say that for the elixir in this flask to work, it has to be splashed all over the Monkey Clone’s face while I say the magic words. Then say that I won’t do it until Jockabeb and Robert are let go.”

“I doubt the Monkey Clone will agree, but I’ll give it a try,” May answered skeptically.

The next verbal volley between May and the Monkey Clone took longer than their first exchange, and the outcome was a bit more favorable.

“The Monkey Clone offered a compromise,” May reported. “Jockabeb will be released when you splash the magic elixir on its face. After you say the magic words that set the Monkey Clone free, we can have Robert back.”

Not waiting a moment longer, Archibald shouted, “Tell that rotten monkey that it has a deal.”

When the Monkey Clone listened to May and nodded its hairy head in agreement, Archibald walked slowly forward, stopping three feet in front of the ancient creature he hoped to soon destroy. Standing that close, he could smell the stale stench of centuries-old matted fur that covered the monkey’s powerful body. He also knew that the stench was about to get worse, much worse.

Tucking the flashlight under his armpit, but keeping its beam pointed squarely at the Monkey Clone’s face, Archibald unscrewed the flask’s large cap. Then he shifted the flashlight back to his left hand, never failing to keep the Monkey Clone’s face well illuminated. “Get ready to duck,” he whispered to his brother.

The moment the Monkey Clone loosened its stranglehold on Jockabeb, Archibald’s right hand moved quickly. Reaching back, he flung the foul smelling, yellow liquid in the flask all over the Monkey Clone’s head. At the same time, he yelled at the top of his lungs, “Nito, Vito!”

Instantly, Willow yelled, “Samu!”

The moment the Monkey Clone turned its head toward the girls, a pair of deadly projectiles were launched.

Willow’s arrow struck its mark a second before May’s flying dart zeroed in on the Monkey Clone’s right eye. Unfortunately, that mere second was enough time for the Monkey Clone to raise its right hand and deflect the flying dart so that it hit the wall and tumbled harmlessly to the ground.

Suddenly released from the Monkey Clone’s vice-like grip, Jockabeb slumped forward and fell helplessly on
top of Robert. At the same time, Archibald heard May’s flying dart hit the wall. Even though he knew his plan had gone terribly wrong, he was still hopeful that somehow Willow and May would be able to quickly launch their second shots.

Keeping the flashlight trained on the Monkey Clone’s face with his right hand, Archibald instinctively began to pull Jockabeb to safety with his left. However, if he’d seen what was happening to the Monkey Clone’s right arm, any hope of escaping with his brother would have been immediately dashed.

It didn’t take Willow long to rearm her crossbow. May moved quickly and had her second flying dart ready to throw when the enraged Monkey Clone’s elongated arm grabbed Archibald. As the Monkey Clone pulled its new hostage back to its breast, the flashlight fell to the ground.

With Jockabeb and Robert collapsed on the ground, and with Archibald secure in its grip, the enraged, centuries-old creature snarled its final demand.

Dropping her flying dart, May translated the ultimatum with which she’d just complied. “The Monkey Clone said it would kill all three of them if we don’t put down our weapons!”

“And we’ll all be dead if I lower my crossbow,” Willow responded defiantly, looking at the mustard-colored liquid streaming from the beast’s left eye where her first arrow was lodged. Taking dead aim on the right eye that was clearly visible to her even in the dim, indirect
light coming from the flashlight lying on the ground, she prayed for a miracle.

Unbeknownst to the infuriated Monkey Clone or any of the terrified humans who were present, two spirits had entered the dungeon and were floating overhead in the darkness. One was Chinese. The other was from a long departed American Indian tribe. The two spirits had never met until moments before. Even so, they had complementary objectives.

The spirit of the Jade Emperor was there to make sure the evil clone of the Monkey King would not escape the mountain that was intended to be its prison for eternity. If the Monkey Clone did somehow get free, it would wreak havoc, the likes of which the spirit of the Jade Emperor was not prepared to accept.

The spirit of Simtu was there to fulfill the pledge it had made to its twin brother, Haktu. That sacred pledge was to keep the two brothers safe, and it had been honored in a dark grotto in the Sonoran Desert, in a small café on the coast of Haiti, under the streets of New York City, and most recently below the Arctic’s frozen tundra.

Both spirits had been watching the scene below unfold. When May dropped her weapon, they both knew it was time to act. The spirit of the Jade Emperor glanced over at the spirit of Simtu and received a nod
back. It then floated forward and pointed a finger at the Monkey Clone.

Just as the Monkey Clone was about to sink its teeth into Archibald’s neck, it felt its right arm weaken and then go slack. A bewildered look crossed its simian face as the newest hostage pulled free.

Not wasting a moment, Archibald grabbed Jockabeb’s arms and dragged him back to where the girls were standing, but not before retrieving the flashlight.

Willow hadn’t taken her eyes off her target that was once again clearly illuminated by the flashlight Archibald had trained on its bewildered face. She was ready to let the second arrow fly when she paused and asked May, “Do you want the honors, or should I finish the job?”

“I like to finish what I start,” May answered, retrieving the flying dart that was lying at her feet.

“Go for it,” Willow said, still not lowering her crossbow.

Seconds later, they all followed the fluttering red tail of the flying dart as it streaked toward the Monkey Clone’s right eye.

When the sharp tip of Ming’s ancient throwing weapon pierced the gleaming yellow cornea, the alchemist’s magic metal began to work. Slowly at first, and then more quickly, the Monkey Clone’s flesh turned to stone.

With the first part of their mission completed, the two spirits lowered their heads respectfully toward one another. Then they each drifted away. While the spirit of the Jade Emperor would return to Heaven after
performing one more task, the spirit of Simtu’s pledge could not be completed until both brothers were safely on a plane headed home.

Even though Jockabeb had a badly bruised face, disfigured ear, and was suffering from a moderate case of dehydration, he could still walk with some assistance from Willow. Robert Liu, who had been unconscious for most of the ordeal, was not so fortunate. While the three-inch gash on his forehead had stopped bleeding, the oozing gaping wound would require many stitches to close it. Like Jockabeb, he was dehydrated, had dried blood on his face, and was filthy from head to toe.

With Archibald’s help, May was finally able to revive Robert and get him unsteadily to his feet. After each member of the group took one last look at the stone statue that had once been the invincible Monkey Clone, they slowly began to make their way out of the dark dungeon. They had a great deal of difficulty getting Robert through the hole in the wall, and later through the crevice that led out of the mountain. Eventually, however, they all made it to daylight.

Once outside, while Jockabeb and Robert rested, May retrieved her backpack from the bushes. A look of relief crossed Jockabeb’s and Robert’s faces as they were each handed a water bottle. Even though the water was
still hot, neither of them complained as they took their first drink in well over twenty-four hours.

As they all prepared to make the long and difficult descent down to the ferry, they looked back once more at the crevice in the mountainside. When they did, another miraculous event took place. In fact, three miraculous events occurred in quick succession!

First, the crevice through which they’d just walked suddenly closed seamlessly right before their eyes!

When Archibald turned to his brother and said, “Wow,” he again couldn’t believe what he saw. The dark red bruises that had covered the left side of Jockabeb’s face had somehow disappeared, his brother’s mutilated ear was whole and normal looking, and Jockabeb looked as fresh and clean as if he’d just come back from a leisurely morning stroll in the park!

Seconds later, May gasped, “Oh my Lord.” To her and to everyone else’s amazement, the deep gash on Robert Liu’s forehead had somehow disappeared, as well as all other traces of his terrible ordeal. Even his thick horn-rimmed glasses had been restored. Touching his smooth forehead, and then looking at his clean clothes, Robert beamed the first smile in more than a day, almost blinding the rest of the group as the bright sunlight reflected off his gold teeth.

His work done, the spirit of the Jade Emperor bowed his head to the other spirit that hovered nearby, smiled, and then disappeared.

The hike down the stone steps was uneventful, and the group was able to catch the three o’clock ferry back to Hong Kong. While they all stood on the fantail and watched Lantau Peak fade into the distance, Archibald suggested what should and should not be said to Mrs. Chen.