Is this destiny?

Sarah is sitting on a mat and facing Master Hollow without a word spoken...

The silence was broken by rustling of the bushes from the side. It is far away, and not loud, but after three days of sitting in complete silence, senses are sharpened to react to the smallest stimulations. And Sarah could swear that those two men who emerged from the bushes spoke in Hindi.

After a short exchange of words with two disciples, two newcomers approached Sarah and Master Hollow. They bowed respectfully to Master Hollow and then one of two men faced Sarah.

"Mr. Patel sends his greetings.", the man placed a sealed waterproof folder next to Sarah and smiled amicably.

Two men bowed to Master Hollow again and walked back into the forest from where they came from.

Sarah looked at the folder and understood that Mr. Patel found whereabouts of the missing daughter. The only questions are if she is alive or dead, and if this will be enough for Master Hollow to provide his guidance.

Another question popped in Sarah\'s head: how did they know where she is? Must be from Aiden. And this is Mr. Patel, after all.

Sarah looked at Master Hollow and saw that his gaze is fixed to the place where two men disappeared.

He turned to Sarah and his gray eyes observed her for some time before he spoke in a raspy voice: "Why did you seek me?"

Sarah\'s breath hitched. He is speaking to her! Oh, after three days, the sound of his voice is like a music to her ears! Her mind was racing: \'Don\'t mess this up, don\'t mess this up…\'

"I hope to receive your guidance." Sarah was surprised that her voice is raspy as well. Probably from not talking for a long time.

"Guidance?", his eyebrows arched in surprise. "What kind of guidance?"

"I hope that you will tell me what I\'m lacking."

"Lacking… compared to what?"

Sarah found that his simple questions are tricky to answer. If she says something that triggers him, he might send her packing back. She paused while finding the words which sound right. "I have a fight ahead of me, and currently I\'m unable to win."

He frowned. "All this trouble… for wining a fight?"

"It is more than a fight. It\'s a first step to obtain my freedom."

"Freedom? What kind of freedom can you obtain by fighting?" The old man\'s eyes danced in amusement.

Sarah was confident that he enjoys his position of asking questions.

"Freedom from my family."

Master Hollow looked at Sarah and he could see that she believes in her words. This is the third day he is watching her, and he observed that she has discipline, perseverance, resolve, and respect. This is the third day of her patiently sitting and waiting for him to address her. It\'s been a long time since he met someone as young as her showing all those qualities. She passed the trial.

Master Hollow stood up and gestured toward the forest. "Show me what you have."

Sarah\'s whole face lit up. She stuffed the folder she got from Mr. Patel\'s men into her backpack and followed after Master Hollow.

After a short walk through dense foliage, they found themselves on another clearing. Tree stumps of different heights and wooden dummies show that this is the place where his disciples come to practice.

Master Hollow gestured without a specific direction, signaling her to start. He took a seat on one low stump without a word.

Sarah placed her backpack on the ground, removed her weatherproof jacket, and stretched her sore limbs before approaching the nearest practice dummy.

About one hour later Master Hollow addressed her: "What is the member of Lebedev family doing here?"

For a moment, Sarah was surprised that he figured out the background of her skills, but then she reminded herself that he is the Master. He should know things. "I don\'t want to be part of that family."

The man frowned. "Do you think that is easy to accomplish?"

"No. That is why I am here."

Master Hollow raised his arm and his four disciples appeared out of nowhere. He lifted a finger and one of his disciples approached Sarah.

Based on the stance man took, Sarah understood: she should fight against him.

They bowed to each other before rushing forward at the same time.

The disciple is swift and strong. One of the strongest opponents she ever faced before. Sarah has no problems defending or avoiding his attacks, but her attacks are also not going through. She was confused and frustrated. She is faster than he is, and her precision is top notch. How come she can\'t defeat him? Are her hits even causing any damage?

After exchanging about hundred blows, Master Hollow stopped them.

"Do you know what you are lacking now?"

Sarah shook her head and responded honestly: "No."

Master Hollow looked up, it is getting dark. "Rest now. We will try again tomorrow." He stood up and walked away.

That night, Sarah slept in one of the cabins. They gave her a cover made of some animal fur and she was happy that after few days she got a chance to lay on the bed, no matter how hard the surface was.

Everything was quiet, and Sarah did her best to focus on what happened. She showed her moves, and Master Hollow recognized them as the ones from Lebedev family. Then he asked her to spar with one of his disciples and she was unable to defeat him. Pitiful. She always thought that she is someone who can take care of herself, and her display from that afternoon was pathetic. Sarah wondered if that man held back or not.

Ah, if only Aiden is here. He has a great eye and he would be able to tell her what to tweak to get the advantage.

And if he is here, he would hold her… and her head would rest on his arm. She closed her eyes and for a second she could swear that she felt Aiden\'s chest against her back. But she knows that he is not here. Sarah exhaled and turned to stare at the ceiling while one tear silently rolled down her temple. And then another one, and another. And she was unable to stop them.

She remembered that it\'s Friday. Aiden should join Jesse at the inn soon, if he is not there already. And he will wait for her to come back to civilization.

Sarah wiped her tears with the back of her palm while telling herself to rest so that tomorrow she can give her best to get the answers she is looking for and leave this place. As soon as she does that, she can join Aiden. And he will hold her while she drifts off to sleep… maybe tomorrow.

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