Sign of the Qin

Words from "Sign of the Qin" by L.G. Bass

It would take another Starlord to save the unsuspecting earth now.

The world lay beneath him-- the scorched forest, the flooding river, and even, at a great distance, the open sea.

At the summit a graceful flock of red-crowned cranes danced in a deep blue crater lake cradled in clouds. Bowing and leaping, preening and springing into the air, they lifted their long bills and unfurled their necks, trumpeting their mating call.

The monk's heart lifted, but still he held back. The White Crane was his fighting form, but he was not yet ready to fight. He was a shadow brooding over the fate of other shadows, striving to remember all that he had once possessed and lost. He was a yeti, a wraith of the marsh, a spirit of the sea, a ghost of the snow, marching aimlessly through time. He had been scoured by the meteoric heat of a dragon's breath and had known himself in that instant to be mortal.

A heavy locket stamped with the sign of the phoenix, dangled before his eyes. He reached up to play with it, attracted by the glimmer of tiny seed pearls depicting the constellations. Taking it from around her neck, his mother slipped it over his head, tenderly placing the sign of the imperial phoenix on his tiny chest, over his heart, where it shone like a golden shield."Whatever happens little one," she whispered into his ear so that only the child could hear, "you are a prince. Never forget your heritage. May all of heaven watch over you for I cannot. Always remember that I love you. One day, perhaps you will rule, and truth and justice will once again reign supreme. Good-bye, my little Starlord."