Park Su lived in a mansion outside Seoul. It was large, white and modern, much to Nico's chagrin since he had hoped to see a traditional Korean fortress. The man himself awaited them in a sprawling garden behind the house and bowed in greeting. He wore a suit and a collarless button-down shirt and was younger than expected. Shorter than expected as well. Two teenage-looking boys and three girls of the same age, all taller than him, stood at attention behind him. They just inclined their head respectfully and continued standing still.
'I welcome you, Lord Mayfair, Mr Azaz, Mr Helling, Ms Novak. It is an honour'.
His English was excellent but accented in a way that made his words appear soft. Julien replied in a similar formula, and the older man inclined his head, then stopped smiling.
'I was very sorry to hear of your honoured monarch's death, ' he said.'
'Thank you', Julien said.
'Was she a relative?'
'Only very distantly. Still, I have to return home at once. My flight is in a few hours. I would have liked to spend more time here, but the circumstances do not allow it.'
'I understand. You have ceremonial obligations, I assume?'
'I do. I appreciate your understanding.'
'I am sure you have a moment for a cup of tea and to tell me how I can help you.'
They sat on low benches around a table, and the youngsters started serving tea and little cakes.
Seeing Lia's curious look, Master Su explained, 'Those are my disciples. They are practising silence and manners today.'
She smiled at him. 'Are they in need of practice?'
'Oh, very much so. Didn't the High Warlock have his methods of disciplining you when you were under his care?'
'I don't remember he ever had to. Maybe you could ask Julien about that', she said with a smile.
'I remember that differently', Julien muttered and smiled at one of the girls, who managed to keep her serious expression.
'I am sure you are both a tribute to his teachings.'
'We certainly hope so', Lia said.
Julien cleared his throat to end the pleasantries and said, 'Master Su, we have come to ask for your official permission to pursue two members of the Xiang Clan who have murdered one of our people and stolen one of our High Warlock's artefacts. They have fled to your territory and are hiding on an island across from Incheon.'
'I understand. What proof do you have, young Warlock?'
Julien got out a yellow slip of paper with red symbols encased in a shimmering Dragon Glass for protection against its magic, even though it was already used up. Master Su made a slight gesture, and the object came to him, floating in the air where he could see but did not have to touch it.
'I see. It is the worst kind of magic. A talisman against evil changed to create evil with a few brush strokes. Which ones are you accusing?'
'Jiang Xiang and Yanlin Xiang.'
'Who was the victim?'
'A Protector from the Benevento Clan in Italy. She was also a member of the European Council.'
'I am sorry to hear that. Was the stolen object something of great value?'
There was a poignant silence for a moment, then Julien said, 'The Jades of Lin.'
One of the boys gasped. His teacher gave him a stern look, then turned back to Julien with raised eyebrows.
'Some would claim that such an object belongs in the hands of Chinese witches and not a European Warlock's castle.'
Julien inclined his head respectfully. 'I do not dispute the idea as such, sir. Yet, to our knowledge, there is no witch in the Xiang Clan who is even remotely powerful enough to deal with such an object. Even if they do not intend to use it for nefarious purposes, they are bound to damage their community when it explodes in their face. Maybe literally. The High Warlock has instructed us to give the Jades to you once we retrieve them. If you are willing to accept them, of course.'
Park Su smiled. 'I see. So they can explode in my face?'
Julien looked shocked, and Nico started fidgeting.
'A Daoist master of your power and renown will surely be able to deal with such an object', Lia said.
'I thank you for your trust, young lady, and maybe I could. However, I do not wish to try. Unlike your High Warlock, I do not enjoy experimenting with such objects unless I have to.' He smiled and added, 'As I am sure he very well knows. Also, I am Korean. We have suffered Chinese Warlocks and their objects of power for millennia and think of them as bad luck. I permit peaceful Chinese witches to pass or even settle in my territory, but I did not give such permission to anyone from the Xiang Clan.'
'Sir, I do not think they settled exactly,' Nico said nervously.
'If they had committed crimes in my territory, I would know.'
'Yes, sir. But I think they are just hiding out for now. They are on an island that is disputed between your country and North Korea. If you do not mind me saying so – there are few better places to hide.'
Park Su looked at him with interest, then motioned for the oldest of his disciples to come closer. The latter bowed.
'Yeong – can you tell the powers of our guests?'
The boy looked flustered but answered readily enough, 'I can sense the young lord and lady have powers stronger than mine. You have also already addressed the young lord as a Warlock. As for Mr Helling, I would logically assume he is a Tracker since he speaks of such matters confidently. As for Mr Azaz, I cannot tell.'
'I see. Mr Azaz, would you mind giving my disciple a hint of your powers, if that is not too rude to ask?'
Jass' black eyes lit up yellow, and a tiger's shadow appeared above him.
'A Beast Master', the young man whispered in awe.
Park Su inclined his head. 'That is an incredibly rare gift, young man. You are very accomplished. That only leaves Ms Novak.'
'What would you like me to do, sir?' she asked.
'Nothing, of course. I would just like Yeong to think. If you sent people on the mission, who else would you send?'
'With all due respect, master, there is a Warlock in the group. I do not know who else is needed.'
'Let us assume he has to leave, as Lord Mayfair does.'
'Then a Spell Mage who specializes in defence may be a good choice.'
'Is a Spell Mage stronger than you, Yeong?'
The young man's eyes widened in shock, 'An Assassin?'
'I never killed anyone', Lia said, feeling utterly uncomfortable.
Park Su must have sensed her discomfort, and she was grateful as he changed the subject, 'Lord Mayfair, can you see the powers of my disciples?'
'Spell Mage, Air and Water Elementals, Soul Gazer and young master Yeong is a Protector. I am not sure the designations are the same here, but they all do you honour sir', Julien said without hesitation.
The old master nodded in acknowledgement and said, 'You have my permission to hunt for the Xiang siblings and retrieve what is arguably your High Warlock's property.'
'Thank you, sir. Should we bring the item to you afterwards?' Lia asked.
'You shall not. And no witch blood will be spilled on my soil, even if it is disputed. You cannot execute them.'
'Of course not, sir', Julien said.
'Good. With your powers, you should be able to subdue them without killing them. I do, however, have a suggestion I hope you will accept. I would like to send someone with you. It is not safe where you are going, even for you. Especially now that Lord Mayfair has to leave before you finish your mission. Please allow me to provide some help.'
Lia glanced at the disciples and made to protest, but Julien put his hand on her arm again. 'Sir, your disciples are highly skilled, but...'
'Oh, I wasn't thinking of them. I will ask an old friend if he can lend you a hand. I'll call as soon as I know further details.'
'Wan Lao will meet your companions in the hotel lobby at seven', Master Su informed them cheerfully through the speaker on Julien's phone just as they were arriving at the airport an hour later.
'Thank you, sir. How will they recognize him?'
'Trust me, you cannot miss Wan Lao. Good journey to you. Goodbye.'
'He does not trust us not to go all murder and mayhem and is therefore providing us with a watchdog', Jass grumbled.
'He has a point, though. We are completely unfamiliar with the terrain and people', Nico pointed out reasonably.
'Maybe I shouldn't leave', Julien muttered.
'We can do this, Jules', Lia said.
'I have a bad feeling about this', he replied.
'Please tell me you are just quoting Star Wars again', Jass sighed.
'I never quote Star Wars.'
'Is it too much to hope he'll send us an eccentric but wise old Kung-Fu master like in the films?' Lia asked wistfully. 'If I remember correctly, Lao is an honorific. It means something like 'teacher' or 'figure of authority'. They just put the honorific behind the surname, not in front of it. Just like they put the surname first and the first name second.'
'You have seen way too many wuxia movies', Nico informed her.
'Guilty as charged.'
'I don't even know what that is, but it sounds shifty', Jass said. 'And anyway - what do we do with the Xiang siblings? We cannot drag them back to Europe for trial, and Master Su has said nothing but not to kill them.'
'He knows they are here. If he wants to get rid of them, he has to deal them with himself. Disable them and leave them where they are. Maybe that is one of the reasons why he is sending this Wan Lao with you. I do not have to tell you to be careful, right?'
'What if Wan Lao has different ideas?' Lia inquired.
'Call me when you have spoken to him.'
'Does that mean she is appointed the new leader?' Jass asked.
'Excuse me?'
'Since you are leaving, we are now without a boss.'
'I am not your boss, Jass.'
'Yes, but we all know you are the leader. So, who is the acting captain?'
'You can be the acting captain, Jass', Lia suggested.
'No, I can't. Which one of us staying here actually has a brain for strategy and tactics?'
'What is the difference between those?' she asked.
'Exactly. I have no idea, either. That is why the people who know should be in charge.'
Nico blinked in surprise. 'I am just a minor witch, guys.'
'It is not a matter of power, but of brains', Lia pointed out.
Julien glanced at his watch and got up, saying, 'Fine. Nico, you are in charge. Congratulations.'