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“That fast?” Vladimir said. “I didn’t know we’d already passed two dark ones.”

The Lama ignored Vladimir’s mock. “In order to decide if The One is the Light or the Darkness, we’ll ask both of you to stay with us for a few days, until we sort it out.”

“What if we’re the Dark?” Vladimir asked.

“The evil must be purged. But if The One is the Light, you will have our unfaltering allegiance,” the Lama said. “If there’s no darkness in your heart, you need not fear us.”

“How do you decide if The One is the Light or what?” Vladimir asked.

“We have our means,” the Lama said.

“Who gives you the right to judge?” Lucienne hissed.

“We’re the army of the Light. We exist to preserve the Light in the world.”

“Monsters always believe they’re the saviors of the world,” Lucienne replied.

“We’re not monsters. We’re Buddha’s followers,” the Lama said.

“Problem is, there are two of us. And you think whoever opened the chamber is The One,” Vladimir said. “What about the non-One? Will you promise to let her go if The One stays with you?”

The Lama hesitated for a second. “If The One agrees to stay, we’ll let his friend go.”

“This is a bad bargain,” Lucienne told Vladimir in Russian.

But Vladimir had already cried out in Tibetan. “IamThe One. Let my sidekick go. I’ll do whatever you want, after I see her leave on that aircraft we brought.”

“Don’t call me a sidekick under any circumstance,” Lucienne said. Stepping forward, she fixed her stare on the Lama. “Open the path and let us go.”

The Lama staggered back, his face distorting. When he collected himself, his eyes fell on Lucienne. “You’re The One. You have the power of persuasion.” A ghost of a smile touched his eyes this time. “I suggest you not use it again. This power consumed your energy when you drew on it.”

Lucienne’s face paled. The distance between her and the Lama had weakened her power, but the Khampa leader must have learned to resist mind compulsion. She respected him for that, but appreciated it much less that he laid bare one of her secrets in front of Vladimir. He would see her in a different light—he’d regard her as a freak if he knew about her paranormal abilities.

“You’re hallucinating, Lama,” she said coldly.

Vladimir immediately stepped before her to shield her. “You think you’re quite smart, don’t you, Khampa?” He snickered. “But you have no idea who really opened the vault. You knew an ancient item was at the Samye, and you were dying to have it, but you were clueless as to where the saint hid it, until we spelled it out for you. Until we set off the alarm.”

A dangerous light entered the Lama’s eyes. “The scroll is the holy sentinel of Tibet. Hand it back, and we’ll let both of you go.”

“He’s lying,” Lucienne said. Even if the Khampa kept his promise, she had no plans to give him the scroll. “He’d never let us go.”

“The scroll doesn’t belong to you,” Vladimir said to the leader in Tibetan. “It’s been waiting for the rightful guardian for centuries, as the prophecy said, so I came to claim it. Now get out of our way before things get ugly.”

“Not until you leave the scroll, boy. Look around you. Even a fly can’t get out,” the Lama said. “We’ll get it one way or another. If you give it back willingly, you’ll be treated as our honored guests. You have my word.”

“He’ll force us to crack the message on the scroll if he captures us,” Lucienne said. Without a warning, she pulled the beads off her braids and hurled them toward the Khampa and his warriors. He deflectedthe two whizzing beads hurtling toward him, but several monks around him weren’t as fortunate. They swayed and dropped to the ground in heaps, unconscious.

“Acupoints Meridian?” The Khampa leader looked shocked.

Lucienne smiled faintly. When she was ten, Kian enlisted a hermit who called himself Nameless to coach her. Master Nameless observed her for three months and tested her countless times before deciding she was worthy of learning the lost Meridian art that so few on earth still grasped.

“Thirty-six acupoints are lethal. They can stop the subject’s blood from flowing and damage his organs. Another seventy-two points can cause severe injuries to the subjects’ nerve plexus,” said the Lama.

“He’s quoting again. Man,” Vladimir sighed.

“Who taught you the ancient Meridian?” the Lama asked.

“You’re only lucky I haven’t aimed to kill,” Lucienne said, then threw Vladimir a look.