immortal

twilight

"This is my fastest horse," the Khan told Daylen w

"You seem to be running things in the king's absen

The Witch had returned, just as she had promised.

Daylen could see something stirring to life in Dao

"You're welcome," said Bik-Bik. "Now quit fooling

IMMORTAL TWILIGHT

The Age of Legend

XXX

Before science, before history, an era of magic existed in our world's dim past. Magic flowed freely, touching every aspect of the lives of men and women of the Name-giver races. It was an age of heroes, an age of fantastical deeds and mythical stories. It was the Age of Legend.

XXX

As the levels of magic rose, so did the dangers in the world. The rise of magic lured the Horrors from the depths of astral space—nightmarish creatures that devoured all life in their path. For four centuries, entire nations hid underground as the Horrors devastated their lands during the dark time that came to be called the Scourge.

A century ago, the people of Cathay emerged from their dragon lairs. Trolls, dwarfs, elves, orks, and humans live side by side with exotic races: the lizard-like t'skrang, the mystical storm children, and the earthen obsidimen. Fantastical creatures dwell once more in the forests and jungles. Arcane energies offer power to those willing to learn the ways of magic.

XXX

But instead of a new era of peace and prosperity, the Imperial Dynasty that had ruled over Cathay for millennia ended suddenly and without an heir, casting the shining Empire into civil war. Through noble deeds and sacrifice, the heroes of the world forge Cathay's future, arming themselves for their daunting task with powerful magical spells and treasures, while villains plot from the darkness.

This is the Age of Legend.

PROLOQUE

Silence brooded over the bloodstained field and broken bodies. Dusk ran its fiery glow across the still heaps of the dying and the slain. It was here where the large force of heroes, gathered together by the Five Guardians—the great dragon protectors of Cathay—had met and clashed with the legions of Pan the Nethermancer.

And won.

Only five figures remained amid the scatterings of limbs, weapons, armor, and corpses. Five heroes, standing above it all, still and somber, gazing about at the carnage they had helped wrought, their breathing deep and labored, their task yet unfinished.

The roar of battle still echoed in Feng Po's ears. He dragged a weary hand across his face, and his palm came away slick with blood—not his. He stared down at his sword; carved from a single piece of jade, it was an elegant weapon, one that he had carried into battle for many years.

Feng Po was a Sword Dancer adept of great renown: he had adventured far and wide across Cathay; he was the undefeated champion of the Temple of the Four Winds tourney; he had faced ancient terrors and terrific foes; and yet, as he stared at the red, sinking sun, he doubted he would ever see it set again.

He cast his gaze at his four companions. They were Jin Wang, the elf and fellow Sword Dancer, and once Feng Po's greatest rival until, a short two years ago, they were forced to join forces to defeat a common enemy; Mai the Lotus, a young human woman and accomplished Wizard of Nan-Gu; Duso the Warrior, a powerfully built ork called the Dragon Fist by some; and Kai, the human Scholar from the Tower of Secrets.

They were the last of the adepts assembled by the Five Guardians to destroy Pan and his dark minions, who had terrorized Cathay over the past five years, burning, destroying, and killing any who opposed them. These dark forces had rampaged largely unopposed, and those who did have the courage to resist them were easily swept aside. But then Pan made a fatal error: he had killed the great dragon Shuou, and this terrible sacrilege could not go unavenged by the Five Guardians.

The heroes were chosen, drawn from far and wide, and tasked by the great dragons to put an end to this evil. After nearly two years of chasing Pan and his minions across the empire, the heroes finally drove them out of their final hiding place and forced a confrontation here, on this field, where the tall green grass now waved slick and red below a sky that was already alive with circling vultures.

The bulk of Pan's army had been filled with untrained cultists who worshipped the Nethermancer as a Passion. They threw themselves at the heroes in fanatical waves until their bodies stacked in small mounds, and still they fought on, dying with Pan's Name on their lips.

Feng Po had cleaved left and right, his jade saber finding a target with each stroke, his body performing the Dance of the Steel Wind, his adept magic moving his feet and guiding his movements. He had not seen the signal that was given to unleash Pan's monstrous creatures and powerful adepts, all of which had been held in reserve. The terrible wave crashed into the heroes' exposed flanks. From the corpse of the mighty dragon Shuou, Pan had crafted powerful magical weapons, and with these his agents unleashed their dark magic upon them. Heroes fell by the score.

But onward they fought, through the late afternoon and into the evening, and eventually Pan's great host was broken, and the Nethermancer fled with his top lieutenants, abandoning his minions to their fate while fleeing to the tall, looming peak of Mount Shan-Shi, high in the foreboding Demon Gate Mountains.

It was to that tall peak that the gazes of the five remaining heroes were drawn. They knew what had to be done. Their battle was not yet complete. Without a word they looked at one another, and in their eyes they bore the grim determination that Feng Po himself felt. He gave the others a weary nod and wry smile and flicked his saber with a flare, shedding a spray of red before snapping it home in its scabbard.

Together, the five heroes sprinted towards the mountains, leaving the vultures to their feast. Onward they ran, their well-trained muscles carrying them closer and closer to the hilly slopes, the only sounds their footfalls and steady breathing. Far up into the forested hills they rose, stopping occasionally for Duso to track their enemies.

Far past the hour when nightfall swept down upon them, they came upon the base of a tall black cliff. It rose at a steep pitch, but the five experienced adepts flew up it like Cathayan mountain cats, the clear black sky above them littered with burning white stars, illuminating every hand and foothold. When they reached the top, they silently crept over the rim and found themselves before the head of a giant demon.

At least, it looked like a demon; carved into the side of the rocky mountain was a gaping maw, terrible and ancient, leading into a wall of dense, black shadows. Feng Po recognized it for what it was. He had explored the ruined temples of the yen'hi'ji before— the dark race of shape shifters that had once ruled over the world. Though long abandoned, the temples were always home to vile and sickly things, creatures that shrank from the light and devoured warmth. It did not surprise him that Pan would choose such a place in which to live.

He looked to his companions. Though they bore the same grim determination, he could sense the fear lurking just beneath it. The temples of the yen'hi'ji were cursed, it was told, and to set foot inside was to doom not only oneself but also one's family.

But it was time to shed such superstitions. Their quarry was inside, and they had to destroy him at all costs. "Beyond this portal," he spoke, gathering his courage, "lies death, perhaps for all of us." The others said nothing, so he continued, "But before that happens, we must make sure that death takes Pan as well."

He waited for each of them to nod before turning and plunging into the shadows. His companions followed close behind, and as they crept forward, the shadows slowly lifted, and they found themselves in a high-vaulted chamber of dark gray stone. A soft amber light shed by large crystals set into the walls pulsed gently as if to some unheard heartbeat. Across the circular floor rose a wide flight of steps to a bronze door, carved with images of all the horrors found in creation.

Wary of traps, the adepts hugged the walls, spreading out in two uneven lines and avoiding the open floor while they made their way cautiously to the other side of the chamber. They had made it halfway when a vile shape rose between them. It lifted from the stone like a greasy smoke, drifting much too quickly to be natural, coalescing into wispy tendrils extending from a fleshy, bulbous center. It solidified, and with it came a rotten stench, and when it moved it sounded like a nest of angry vipers.

The heroes moved to circle it, keeping just out of reach of its many tentacles, which seemed to rise out from every angle, weaving slowly like serpents. The creature's skin began to secrete an oily fluid, yellow, like a thin layer of pus, and when a drop fell to the floor, it hissed and marred the stone. Its tentacles began to whip about in a frenzy, spraying yellow droplets in all directions.

The adepts sprang back, though they could not avoid all of it, and where the liquid hit, it burned. Mai the Lotus was the first to act; she wove the threads to an arcane spell and thrust her arms out toward the monster. From her palms leapt a wave of green energy, formed into the likeness of a convocation of eagles. The shimmering images swarmed about the creature, letting out their great cries, diving and clawing.

Kai the Scholar moved next. In his hands he held his Moon Staff, the weapon of the Scholars. Five feet in length and carved from wood, it broadened at the top into a platform, above which hovered a soft, glowing orb of pure energy. Kai thrust it forward, and a beam of radiant light flew from the orb and streaked through the air, scorching the creature's oily tissue.

Duso the Dragon Fist moved in with a battle cry, twirling his great yue—a hefty battle-axe—and cleaved through a tentacle, whereupon it dropped and spasmed wildly upon the floor. Feng Po and Jin Wang were next, together performing the Dance of Yen and Yeng, their sabers working in concert, slicing flesh and tendril.

The dark creature seemed to feel no pain. Its blood, as black as a starless night sky, ran down its sides like tar, oozing from a dozen cuts, and yet it still fought on. One of its tentacles whipped around Kai the Scholar's calf, the yellow pus burning through the light clothing and into his leg, and then it yanked, pulling him off of his feet. He landed on his back with a cry of pain, his Moon Staff knocked from his grasp.

Feng Po dove for the fallen Scholar, but a thick tendril caught him in the midsection and sent him flying across the floor, knocking the wind out of him. As he fought to suck in a breath, he was dimly aware of Kai's terrified screams. But then, overwhelming it all, was a roar from Duso, who leapt high into the air, bringing his

yue down upon the thing's quivering body. The blade bit hard, sinking through muscle, burying deep and finding whatever passed for the creature's heart. Though no mouth was evident, the creature gave a wailing cry and then lay still, its tentacles falling slack.

Jin Wang helped Kai to his feet, and the Scholar stood, shaking off the tendril and leaning heavily on his Moon Staff for support. Each of them was injured, but there was no time to rest.

"Pity," said a voice, low and menacing. "That was Pan's last pet. He will be vexed."

Spinning, they saw that the bronze door had been opened, and filling the frame was a massive troll clad in dark, green-scaled armor from neck to toe. In his fist he held a tiger claw saber, a long pole-arm with a wide, curved blade at one end.

It was Jung; Feng Po recognized Pan's chief lieutenant. The scales of his armor were made from the slain dragon, Shuou, and it was no doubt enchanted, granting him power and protection. The weary heroes spread out in a semi-circle, advancing slowly. Jung sniffed. He was unimpressed.

The troll took casual steps down to the floor, eyeing each of them in turn, a smug smile carried by his lips.

"So it is just the five of you, then?" He asked.

"It is more than enough," Jin Wang retorted, to which the troll only laughed.

"Little elf," he sneered, "the day is already lost. You cannot hope to stop my master."

"Your master will soon be judged by Twoo," spoke Kai the Scholar, who was continuing to maneuver around the troll's flank. Jung noticed but paid no heed, only grasping his pole-arm with both of his large hands and raising it in front of his chest in a ready position.

"Then let it begin." With a bestial roar, Jung threw himself at Jin Wang. The elf was surprised by the troll's speed; he stumbled back, his blade barely blocking the furious strokes of his attacker. Driven backwards by the furious assault, his heel hit a small ledge, and he toppled onto his back. But before Jung could deliver the fatal blow, Mai the Lotus, who had been silently weaving a spell, cast a mass of brightly colored threads of magical energy forward, which wrapped tightly around Jung's torso, pinning his arms down at his sides.

Duso, sensing a kill, threw himself forward, bringing his great yue about in a deadly arc. But even when bound, Jung was dangerous. He ducked beneath the swipe of the blade, and with a tremendous effort, snapped the magical bonds that held him. Duso, whose blade had found nothing but empty air, stumbled off balance. Jung took advantage and swept his pole-arm up into the ork's exposed belly. Jung's blade came away with a great red spray, and he spun just in time to deflect an attack by Feng Po.

Behind Jung, Duso's great frame seemed to sag and diminish, and he crumpled to the floor. His eyes dimmed, and with a final, shuddering breath, the mighty Warrior lay forever quiet, like a still mountain.

Seeing Duso's death, Kai yelled in rage and threw forth a golden beam from his staff. It struck Jung high in the back, just between the shoulder blades, but if it affected him, he did not show it, his armor absorbing most of the damage.

Both Feng Po and Jin Wang swarmed around the large Warrior, dancing in and out, their blades flicking out like serpents' tongues, though they could not find a gap in the troll's armor. Jung's eyes burned fiercely, and it was clear he was growing frustrated as his opponents kept leaping out of range, easily dodging his counter attacks.

"Sit still!" he cursed. "Fight me! FIGHT ME!"

Mai cast another spell at him: reaching down, she touched the stone floor with her palm, and radiant astral energy rippled out from her, striking the troll's feet and washing up his body. Again, his armor absorbed most of the magical energy, but some of it got through, and Jung staggered. It was enough time for the heroes to seize the initiative.

With renewed effort, Feng Po and Jin Wang launched themselves at Jung, and Kai threw another sizzling beam at him, this time avoiding the enchanted armor and striking him in the face. Jung yelled out in startled pain and anger as the beam scorched the skin off of his right cheek. He stumbled, just as Jin Wang launched a terrific blow; his blade found a seam just below Jung's left armpit, and it came out a deep red.

The heroes stopped, eyeing the lieutenant warily. The troll grimaced, made an effort to lift his weapon, and then let it fall from his loose fingers.

"You think you have won," he snorted contemptuously. "But I have fulfilled my task." And with that, Jung's last breath escaped him, and he collapsed heavily onto the floor.

Heeding the troll's last words, Feng Po turned to the others and spoke, "We must hurry." Casting one last look at their fallen comrade, they turned and ran through the open portal. Down a narrow passageway they went, their earlier weariness vanished, replaced by the single-minded notion of slaying Pan and doing away with his evil once and for all.

The passage opened into a great cavern that rose to a lofty domed ceiling and fell away into a deep, almost unnatural blackness. The narrow stone floor upon which they ran continued out above this gulf, bereft of a rail, into the center of the void, where it widened into a large circular platform. And on this platform knelt Pan the Nethermancer.

From about his shoulders fell a robe of deep blue silk. His pale human face, devoid completely of any hair and as white as dead flesh, was turned downward, and he stared at what looked like a large stone egg covered in markings. It had a flat bottom on which it rested. Pan was uttering an incantation, and the markings seemed to flare with an unholy light in response. His voice ushered forth like a deep and terrible wave, and as he spoke, his silk robe stirred from an unseen wind. He worked his pale hands above it, and a flaming light spread gently from palm to palm.

The heroes moved forward, silently, hoping to catch him unaware. Feng Po eyed the shadowy ceiling with trepidation; long ago, this was a sleeping chamber for the yen'hi'ji, who, while in their natural form of giant, humanoid bats, would cling to the rock with their clawed feet, hanging upside down in gentle repose. He half expected one to swoop down upon them—a remnant of childhood fears.

"That's far enough." Pan ceased his incantation and gazed up at them. A nameless breeze, grisly and terrible, washed across them.

The Nethermancer rose to his feet, holding a long, gnarled, black staff carved from dragon bone and charred from flame. Below him, the markings on the stone egg no longer glowed, and whatever dark spell he was performing was either complete or it had been interrupted. Feng Po hoped it was the latter.

"So," his voice seemed to rise from the deep pit, echoing throughout the chamber with a menacing resonance. "It has come to this then."

"Lay down your staff, magician," Kai the Scholar demanded, raising his voice to a commanding pitch, though it did little to match Pan's powerful tone.

"I think not, Kai." When the Scholar hesitated, Pan smiled, and continued, "Yes, I know who you are. And you, Mai. And you, Jin Wang. And you, the mighty Feng Po. I know you all."

"Are we supposed to be impressed?" spat Jin Wang. Feng Po could sense his friend's impetuousness. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the elf's fist flexing around the decoratively wrapped hilt of his saber.

"No," Pan's voice was low like thunder, "you only have to die."

When he uttered the last word, he pointed his charred staff at the group, and from its tip a great wave of fire roared outward in a fanning arc. With nowhere to run on the narrow ledge, Feng Po threw himself to the ground, preparing himself for the withering blast of flame.

But the flame did not reach them; Kai stepped forward, holding out his Moon Staff. The radiant orb pulled the fire into itself, though the effort was clearly straining the Scholar, whose face, beaded with glistening droplets of sweat, grimaced with concentration. Pan, on the other hand, showed no signs of effort or fatigue. A small smile crept onto his face as he watched the Scholar struggling to maintain control.

Then, just as quickly, the fire stopped, the air around them smoldering and superheated. Kai fell to a knee and, suddenly, fired a tremendous bolt of energy from his Moon Staff, using the magic he had just absorbed to power it. It took Pan off guard; he raised his own staff to block, but the power of the strike knocked it from his hands. It flew to the ground, skittering and smoking.

"Attack!" Feng Po yelled and charged forward, trusting the others to follow suit.

Pan looked back at his staff, but it was too far to reach before the heroes would be upon him. Instead, the dark Nethermancer lifted his hand, and from his outstretched fingers flew a twisting black streak of energy. It was not aimed at Feng Po, and if it had been, the Sword Dancer would surely have perished. Instead, it streaked past his head and struck Mai the Lotus in the chest. She screamed, a mingling of terror and anguish. Black lines spread across her skin like hardening veins. Her legs crumbled beneath her from her weight, and when Feng Po glanced back, he saw that they had withered to cinders. When she reached out to catch herself from her fall, her arms crumbled, and the rest of her body followed, until only a large clump of gray ash remained.

And then Feng Po and Jin Wang were upon the Nethermancer, their weapons flicking out, aiming for his soft body...but finding only shadow. Pan was gone, vanished. Feng Po looked back to Kai, who still sat on one knee, trying to gain his breath.

"My friend," called Feng Po to the Scholar, "use your astral sight to see where the fiend has gone."

Before Kai had a chance to assist, however, a low laugh echoed in the darkness. Feng Po and Jin Wang stood back to back, raising their blades.

"Do you see anything?" whispered Feng Po over his shoulder.

"No," spoke the other, "nothing but blackness—," the sound of snapping bones cut him off.

Feng Po spun around and saw his friend collapse, screaming in agony, his thigh bone sticking out at a grisly angle through his ripped limb. His right forearm broke next, brutally snapped by an unseen force.

"What is happening?!" Feng Po screamed.

"It is his dark magic! Beware!" responded Kai, approaching slowly, using his staff as a cane.

Jin Wang's blood emptied from his leg in a great rush; it took only a few moments for his life to leave him, and Feng Po was helpless but to watch as his friend died.

"Show yourself, Nethermancer!" Feng Po screamed, his mind frantically searching for a dance he could perform, one that would help in his situation.

"I can kill you any time I like," Pan's disembodied voice floated out of the darkness. "My dear Sword Dancer, how can you perform one of your dances against an opponent you cannot see?"

Feng Po looked down at the abandoned egg of stone.

"Did you mean to leave your prize undefended, magician?" He asked, and brought his jade saber down with both hands...

"NO!!!" Pan appeared suddenly between him and the egg, and instead of cleaving stone, Feng Po's saber cleaved through Pan's collarbone, driving him to his knees.

Dark blood bubbled out of the wound and the Nethermancer's mouth, and when he grinned up at Feng Po, the Sword Dancer saw that his teeth were stained a deep red.

"It is done, then," coughed Pan. "Blood magic requires a sacrifice, noble one. And my blood is most potent."

Pan shivered and fell lifelessly to the floor. As soon as his corpse hit the cold stones, the markings on the egg flared a brilliant, blinding red and then were dark, and stillness regained the chamber.

Kai hobbled over and sat down heavily.

"It is over," he said.

Feng Po nodded, though he was not so sure. He slid his saber back in its scabbard and knelt down in front of the strange stone egg. He traced one of the markings with a finger, surprised to find that it was warm to the touch.

"Who is that?"

The alarm in Kai's voice caused Feng Po to instinctively grab the hilt of his weapon. He twisted on the ball of his foot, following the Scholar's gaze...and then he realized that the battle was not over when his eyes fell upon.

Daylen Jagaro set the scroll aside with a frown, unable to recognize the next Cathayan character. He had been learning how to read the Cathayan language slowly over the past year. Daylen was always good at learning how to speak new languages—he spoke several—but learning how to read and write a new language always came with more difficulty, and Cathayan was no exception. In fact, he believed that in all of his travels, it was the hardest language he had yet encountered.

Of course, a lot of that may have had something to do with his tutor, the Cathayan ferret Bik-Bik, who was, to put it mildly, less than encouraging.

"I've known blind people less illiterate than you," the flippant rodent would often quip, usually right before heaving a weary sigh, his patience exhausted for the day.

Daylen was reluctant to wake his companion, who was fast asleep in his pack that lay on the bench next to him. It was night, and he sat in the common room of an inn called the Foreigner's Rest. He was in the town of Huxi, near the eastern border of the kingdom of Shan Dei, the Land of Earth. The proprietor had changed the Name to make his establishment more appealing to the large influx of Therans that had recently arrived.

Shan Dei was the only one of the five kingdoms to allow foreigners to maintain a military presence on its soil—and a terrific presence it was. The famed Thunder Legion, led by the renowned Theran general Kyrak, had arrived to help the king in his troubles with the gar, the fierce nomadic warriors whose land lay just over the border to the East.

Several of the legionnaires sat at a nearby table, playing a game of dice. It was hard for Daylen to concentrate over their boisterous gambling. Looking at them, he could easily imagine why they were the most dominant military force in the world. They were lean and hard, some wearing hardened leather and others chain mail, their sheathed broadswords lying across the table or leaning against the nearby wall. Most of them were scarred from countless battles, and Daylen could tell just by looking at their eyes that killing came as naturally to them as darkness came to night.

He had seen Theran soldiers before. As a merchant, he had traveled all across the empire, and it felt like there was no place left in the world that had not been trod flat by their sandaled feet. In his home province of Barsaive, the Therans were at a stalemate with the various nations there, and as a rule of thumb, Barsaivians disliked the imperialistic power. And yet, here in this foreign land, there was a strange comfort to their presence—a touch of home, perhaps.

A servant set down a cup of ale—western ale—that Daylen had ordered. In addition to the Name change, the proprietor had also changed the menu to accommodate western palettes. It had been a long time since Daylen had enjoyed anything other than tea, and he was looking forward to it.

He took a drink, savoring the twinge of nostalgia, and looked again at the scroll. It was old—very old. He had purchased it from another merchant, who apparently did not know, or care, about its worth. But to Daylen, it was a prize. He was cataloguing as much information as he could in his journal about Cathay: its history, culture, politics, and anything else he could learn. He had long ago given up his dreams of being rich and powerful, but what was surprising was that he found he did not care about those lost dreams.

Instead, Daylen was content with exploring the ancient land, attempting to understand the Cathayans' ways. He was still a merchant at heart, though his efforts were now focused on expanding routes to areas in the most need, those affected most by the civil war that ravaged the five kingdoms. He sent messages back to his contacts in Barsaive and beyond, but only to those who he knew would accept such low-profit contracts, either through a sense of philanthropy or for the novelty of gaining access to the Far East. For himself, Daylen made just enough to survive, with which he was content, though Bik-Bik was far from pleased with the frugal lifestyle.

It had been just over a year since Daylen had faced down the Dark Warrior atop the blasted slopes of Mount Tihan, sealing the ancient evil back in its eternal prison. Since that time, he had traveled back through the kingdom of Shui Dei, the Land of Water, adventuring with the brash—and often drunk—braggart, Li Bao the human Warrior, and then onto For Dei, the Land of Fire, with Fay the Sorcerer, visiting the fabled Sapphire Tower in the capital of Hon Wu, after which he explored the Golden Desert, riding the high backs of slow-moving camels with the Kur.

But this was the first time he had ever visited the northwestern kingdom of Shan Dei. The western influence—and corruption—was evident nearly as soon as he crossed the border. In the first town in which he stopped, he attended a growing trend in the kingdom: a bout featuring the sport of pugilism, in which two fighters entered a ring and pummeled each other into submission with their fists. From what he had gathered, the sport's popularity was already catching on in the provinces.

What was even more disturbing was that the Theran practice of slavery was catching on in Shan Dei as well. Slavery was not unheard of in the five kingdoms, but the usual Cathayan attitude towards it was completely different than in the West. Typically, slavery was a form of repayment for some debt, or something more akin to permanent servitude rather than ownership. But the Therans treated their slaves as a farmer treated his cattle: as objects, meant for labor, pleasure, or magical experimentation. The average Theran gave no more thought to his slaves than he did to his furniture, and this callous attitude was spreading throughout Shan Dei, with auction blocks springing up in every town large enough to support a slave market.

Daylen cast these thoughts aside as he studied the Cathayan character. He was not sure he had ever encountered it before. He could already imagine Bik-Bik's taunts when he asked him what it meant. But then an idea occurred to him.

"Excuse me?" he called out to a young Cathayan woman who was passing nearby. She turned to him, and Daylen immediately recognized his mistake: she was a prostitute. The kingdom of Shan Dei had them in nearly every town; a vast network of brothels all owned and operated by a powerful madam Named Xiao. The prostitutes especially liked westerners, who seemed to always have coin for their services.

She glided over with a seductive smile on her lips, her every movement suggesting passion and pleasure. Makeup decorated her face, and she wore a tight-fitting silk robe that hugged her feminine curves. Her heady perfume traveled far ahead of her.

Before he could stop her, she sat down on his lap and draped one of her slender, bare arms around his neck.

"Do you desire company?" she asked, her voice as smooth as her skin.

"I, uh...," Daylen shifted uncomfortably, searching his mind for the proper etiquette he might use to gently extricate himself from the misunderstanding.

The prostitute leaned in, her painted lips brushing his ear, and breathed, "I like you gwei-lo. You are much better lovers than Cathayan men." Her warm breath sent electricity down his neck, and he couldn't help but shiver. Gwei-lo was the Cathayan word for the pale foreign men, and roughly translated it meant "white devil." It was certainly no term of endearment; it referred to most westerners' skin color, which was pale like a corpse. He certainly had never heard it used seductively before.

Daylen was suddenly aware that he had not known a woman's touch since he had arrived in Cathay, and the nearness of this soft, warm woman was very distracting. However, in the back of his mind floated the image of another Cathayan woman-one whose bright, green eyes had long ago plundered his heart.

"Ahem," a voice startled them both.

"Oh no," thought Daylen.

Looking down, he saw that Bik-Bik, now fully awake, had crawled halfway out of his pack and was staring up at him, eyes full of judgment.

"Did your ferret just speak?" asked the prostitute. Daylen quickly changed the subject.

"Look, this was a misunderstanding; I thought you were a waitress."

"I can be anything you want me to be," she purred in response, nuzzling his neck.

"Uh...L..I'm broke!" he finally blurted out. "I have no money!" There was a triumph in his voice at having found a foolproof excuse, yelling it as if he were declaring the best news in the world.

The prostitute stiffened and leaned back so she might look at his face. With a snort of disgust and a look of contempt, she brusquely walked away, heading to the table of rowdy Theran soldiers.

Daylen sighed in relief. When he looked back at Bik-Bik, he saw that his furry companion was still staring at him.

"It's not what it looked like," he said defensively.

Bik-Bik frowned.

"It wasn't! I was going to ask her what this character meant—,"

Bik-Bik snorted and hopped up onto the table.

"You're still reading that thing?" he asked.

"Well I got stuck—," Daylen began, but Bik-Bik interrupted him with a weary sigh.

"Which one?" he asked, and Daylen pointed.

"That means mistress," he said in a bored voice.

Mistress?

Daylen read the next character...

Pan's mistress...

He rubbed his chin. He did not know that Pan had a mistress. He had heard the tale of Pan told by many Troubadours throughout the five kingdoms; the vile Nethermancer was a sort of boogie man, a great villain from their history. Never once had he heard it told that he had a mistress.

He looked again at the scroll, noting the obvious signs of its great age. He wondered if he had stumbled upon something greatly significant; something that would illuminate a very important part of Cathay's history.

"What is that?" asked Bik-Bik, drawing Daylen out of his musings. He was sniffing at Daylen's cup of ale. "It smells horrible."

"Do you mind?" Daylen moved the cup. He did not much care for Bik-Bik's nose being in his ale.

"I'm hungry," said the ferret.

"Then eat something," responded the merchant, motioning to the pack.

"Trail rations?" moaned Bik-Bik, "You're kidding, right?"

Daylen shook his head and took another drink from his cup.

"We're in an inn. All I can smell is the food. I want something fresh, not more dry, stale rations."

"I'm sorry Bik-Bik, but we're running low on silver. I didn't order any food, either. We could barely afford a room for the night."

"Oh, but you could order one of Madam Xiao's ladies of the night?"

"I told you, it wasn't like that! That was a misunderstanding."

"I'm sure."

It was Daylen's turn for a weary sigh.

"The point is, we need to save our money, otherwise we won't have anything to eat in a few days."

Daylen let that settle the matter, ignoring Bik-Bik's petulant sigh and gazing instead back at the scroll. He was fascinated by the legends of Feng Po and Kai the Scholar, the two heroes who had brought down the vile Pan. He knew from the tales that Feng Po went on to marry one of the great dragon Luung's daughters. Not a real daughter, of course, but one of Luung's slaves, whom he considered his children. Daylen recalled his own meeting with the imposing, red-scaled dragon and shuddered at the thought of such a courting process.

Kai the Scholar went on to become one of the Eight Immortals of the Tower of Secrets, a position of great respect and dignity— and responsibility and power. Daylen had been to the Tower of Secrets before, during his adventures with Su Shen the Daughter of Heaven and Bei the jade obsidiman.

He wondered how the two of them were.or if they even still lived. They led dangerous lives in a dangerous land. He liked to think they still lived, though he knew that their occupations made that doubtful. The Daughters of Heaven wandered everywhere throughout the five kingdoms, protecting and healing the weak, injured, and sick, and they often found themselves between the innocent and those who would do them harm. The obsidimen of the Jade Brotherhood also journeyed throughout the five kingdoms for the interests of the empire, and they often found themselves battling equally dangerous foes. Still, he did not abandon all optimism; the three of them had faced Death several times together and managed to somehow cheat him of his prize.

Of course, they had Bik-Bik to thank for one of those times: a daring escape from the ki mao of the Jungle of Endless Wandering. That was when he had first met the acerbic Cathayan ferret; he could not have guessed the wild adventures the two would experience together over the next year.

He looked down to see if Bik-Bik had settled for the rations and was surprised when the ferret was nowhere in sight. Daylen grabbed the pack to see if he had crawled back inside—sometimes Bik-Bik would go back to sleep when he was irritated, which was often—but he was not there. He looked around, under the table, on the floor, but he was nowhere in sight. A certain familiar dread stirred in the pit of his stomach; he could only imagine what kind of trouble the little pain would bring back with him.

Then, as if to save his imagination the trouble, Bik-Bik appeared, crawling across the floor back towards him and carrying a belt pouch in his tiny mouth—and he was returning from the direction of the table of Theran soldiers.

Daylen's heart froze.

"Where did you get that?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

Bik-Bik hopped back up onto the bench and let the simple cloth pouch, weighed down with coin, drop from his mouth.

"Now we can afford me a decent meal," was his answer. Daylen thought he could detect a certain triumph in his voice.

"Did you steal that from those Therans?" It was hard for Daylen to keep the alarm from his voice, at which Bik-Bik scoffed.

"Those dumb westerners wouldn't notice it if I stole their big toes. They're too drunk!"

"This isn't funny!" Daylen hissed, "You're going to get us into a lot of trouble!"

"Would you relax and order me something to eat? Ooh, and something to drink, too. But none of that dreadful liquid you have in your cup; it smells like monkey pi—," a looming shadow cut the ferret off.

Daylen, ever so slowly, twisted his gaze upward.

An ork, tall, strong, and armored, towered above him, flanked by two others. Beyond them stood the rest of the Therans, drunk, angry, and with weapons in hand.

The room had grown quiet, and the merchant looked feebly around the room for help, but the other patrons were not so foolish as to intercede. And even the bartender seemed more interested in what would happen than to protect a customer who'd only ordered an ale and had already paid for his room.

"That is quite a trick you taught your pet," the ork sneered in Theran.

"No—!" Daylen began, but the ork grabbed him by his collar with two fists and hauled him to his feet. The Theran pulled him close to his face; so close that Daylen could see the stains on his tusks and smell the sourness on his breath.

"A Barsaivian, are you?" The ork looked him over like he was inspecting a piece of meat. "You should have stayed home."

He was drunk, and apparently being stolen from had triggered his gahad. Or maybe violence just came naturally to him; but whatever the reason, these men would be hard, if not impossible, to talk out of doing something Daylen would not find pleasant.

"Look friend," he began, "This is just a misunderstanding. I got that ferret from a thief, for payment he owed me, and I didn't realize he had been taught that. I'm a merchant! A respectable one at that; let me make things right and buy you a drink." He tried to keep the panic from his voice, knowing that nothing set a mob off faster than the smell of fear.

"Hmph," snorted the ork, "You barbarians are a stupid lot." Daylen found the moniker ironic, considering the situation, but his comrades appreciated the insult with cruel laughs. "So it might be that you're telling the truth. Maybe instead we'll just make ourselves some stew!"

And quicker than Daylen would have thought possible, the ork let go of his collar with one hand and seized Bik-Bik, lifting him squirming to his face.

"I don't mind a good rat stew every now and again!" the soldier laughed.

"Rat? You're calling me a rat? You know, you really ought to look in a mirror before you call someone that." Bik-Bik retorted, startling everyone. Before they could react, he used his special talent and transformed himself into a dagger, positioned so the soldier was gripping the blade instead of the handle.

Without thinking, Daylen gripped the hilt and tugged it free, the blade slicing through the ork's fingers and palm. The Theran screamed in pain and rage, gripping his wrist above the ruined hand. The other soldiers were too stunned at the sight of this cowardly merchant's violent action to respond right away, and Daylen used the moment to scoop up his scroll and pack.

"Kill him!" roared the ork, reaching for his own dagger at his belt.

The soldiers surged forward, calling for blood, and Daylen ran, shoving furniture, and the patrons upon it, out of his way.

The inn was crowded, and he could not find his way to the front door, encountering tables, benches, people, or angry soldiers at every turn.

The Therans spread out, forming a circle about him, brandishing their broadswords menacingly, throwing promises of vengeance. The nearest launched forward, leading with his sword, and Daylen scrambled up a table out of reach, scattering plates and cups. They swarmed around him like wolves, howling and barking, and then one of them, a large troll, gripped the end of the table and lifted, heaving it end over end.

Daylen let out a cry and pitched backwards through the air, his arms flailing madly. He crashed through the large front window in a shower of broken glass and tumbled into the dirt road, where he lay for a moment, catching his wind.

"Run you idiot!" Bik-Bik, who had turned back into his regular form, screamed while hopping frantically up and down on top of his head.

Daylen scrambled to his feet, nearly causing Bik-Bik to fall until the rodent's tiny claws found purchase on his scalp.

"Ow!" the merchant protested.

"RUN!"

The door to the inn burst open and out flooded the Therans, their weapons and armor gleaming wickedly in the starlight. Daylen was already at a dead sprint. He turned the nearest corner and made it no farther than a few dashes before his foot caught on a large bin on the side of the road where some careless merchant had stored his chickens for the evening. He sprawled forward onto his chest—why did there always have to be so many crates in Cathayan cities?—and the bin flew open. Dozens of chickens dashed for freedom, flapping madly out into the road. As he gathered himself up, several of his pursuers rounded the corner but found themselves tripped up by the wildly squawking poultry.

Daylen made good use of the distraction and ducked down a side avenue. Soon he was crossing through shaded alleys, trying his best to avoid the open roads.

"Split up!" he heard one of them yell somewhere behind him.

"This is just like old times!" Daylen heard Bik-Bik reminisce.

Old times indeed; though not old times with him. Daylen had heard all of the stories about Bik-Bik and his old companion, the legendary Thief adept Ping. He wondered if Ping had ever felt like drowning the furry little troublemaker, too. And this was not precisely like old times, since Ping was an adept, trained to be much more efficient at getting himself out of such dire situations, while Daylen was not.

"Just had to have something to eat, didn't you," he muttered in response.

"This never would have happened if you weren't so stingy!"

"I'm not stingy! I told you—" Daylen, who had been rushing headlong down alleys, suddenly found himself in a dead end.

When he spun around, he saw that the entrance was blocked by three burly figures. The center one looked all too familiar: the ork. Daylen was trapped.

"Climb the walls!" cried Bik-Bik, resuming his frantic hopping on top of Daylen's head.

"I can't climb!" The roofs of the buildings were too high; there were several empty crates in the alley that he might be able to stack, but there was no way he could before the Therans reached him.

They advanced menacingly, the ork slightly in the lead. He held his dagger in his uninjured hand, and a cruel smile filled with barely contained anticipation twisted his face.

"I'm going to enjoy this," breathed the ork. Then, to his two comrades, "I'll handle this."

Daylen pressed his back to the wall.

"Go on Bik-Bik," he said, "get out of here. Save yourself."

"Yeah, okay." He felt the Cathayan ferret leap off of his head. "Good luck!"

Daylen sighed, unsurprised at Bik-Bik's eagerness to leave him to his fate. He began formulating an argument, hoping to at least to be able to persuade them not to kill him, when a shape fell from the rooftops behind the men. The figure landed with a soft thump, and the three soldiers spun at the sound. A hooded cloak wrapped tightly about the figure, the hood thrown up to conceal the face in darkness. The figure was lean and athletic, and stood calm and poised.

"Who are y—" began the ork, when one of the figure's arms shot forward, driving an open palm into his jaw. The ork collapsed, boneless and without a sound.

The other two cried out in anger and rushed to attack, but moving with the speed of a cat, the figure lashed out with foot and fist, easily slipping and dodging their attacks, which looked clumsy by comparison. Within a heartbeat, the two soldiers joined their leader, unconscious on the cobbled ground.

Daylen was whispering a thankful prayer to the Passions for getting him out of that mess when the figure stalked down the alley towards him.

"And please don't let this be a psychotic killer," he added.

As if sensing his fears, the figure threw back its cloak, and Daylen was staring at a pair of emerald green eyes.

"Su Shen!" he whispered.

"Daylen Jagaro," replied the Daughter of Heaven. "I have been looking for you."

Daylen was surprised—and flattered. "Well," he said with a smile, "you've found me."

"And me!" cried Bik-Bik, appearing from behind a stack of crates.

Su Shen acknowledged the ferret with a slight nod, and to Daylen she said, "I need your help."

That really surprised him. "My help?" She nodded. "It is Bei. He is in danger."

They set out immediately, putting as much distance between themselves and the city as they could before settling down for the night. The following morning they continued their journey just as dawn lit the sky, heading east, across a tall grassland devoid of any road or trade route. For the first two hours, Bik-Bik complained bitterly about Daylen's failure to seize the money pouch that he had gone through all the trouble of "liberating" from the drunken ork.

"The least you could have done was grab it," the ferret was saying, "Ping would have grabbed it."

"Ping would have been the one who stole it in the first place," replied Daylen, frowning.

"Either way, we would have had a pouch full of silver, that's all I'm saying."

Daylen wished that's all he would say, but after exhausting that topic, Bik-Bik began complaining about the weather, which was uncharacteristically chilly. The sky was cold and gray, and the wind whipped across Daylen's face, sending icy needles into his flesh. Su Shen fell back into her characteristic self just as Daylen remembered: quiet and single-minded, her eyes fixed on the gray horizon. The wind ripped through her long, black hair, which flowed like dark flames behind her.

The night before, she had explained that Bei had set out into the Land of the Gar two months ago, on his own, chasing a lead regarding the Shadowed—the secret society whose sole mission was to bring down the five kingdoms and release the Dark Warrior from his eternal prison. She did not know what the lead entailed, and Daylen could sense that she wore the guilt heavily for letting him go alone.

"I could not go with him, for my duties took me elsewhere. He was supposed to meet me two weeks ago in Shan Dei," she had told him, "and when he did not, I knew he was in danger. I decided to set out after him, but then I heard tales of the western merchant and his talking ferret, so I first sought you out."

Daylen had smiled at that, flattered and humbled, though he felt like a fraud. He had the feeling that Su Shen saw him as a useful ally; after all, they had faced down the Shadowed together, and he had defeated the Dark Warrior, but he still did not have the heart of an adventurer. He did not know what kind of help he could truly be if they found themselves in trouble, other than perhaps serving as an additional, distracting target.

"I thought the Shadowed were destroyed?" Daylen had asked sometime later. "Didn't we defeat them?" Su Shen had shaken her head but kept her eyes on the horizon. "We destroyed only the one cell. The Shadowed's network is vast. As long as the yen'hi'ji exist, the Shadowed will exist."

Now, ignoring Bik-Bik's rambling, Daylen remembered the large, humanoid bat-like creatures and shivered. He hoped to never run across any of them again. Though, because of the yen'hi'jis' shape shifting abilities, a person could run into them and not even know it, believing instead he was talking to a friend or loved one.

A disturbing thought suddenly occurred to Daylen, and he cast a suspicious gaze at his guide. Su Shen marched forward in steady strides. Where was she leading him?

"Paranoia is not like you, merchant," he thought to himself, discarding the ridiculous theory.

Her hooded cloak whipped behind her like a cape, revealing her tight-fitting leather armor that hugged her slim waist and curvy hips. Daylen's eyes lingered on her feminine shape as his mind went back to the night when he had accidentally stumbled upon her bathing in a moonlit pool in the Jungle of Endless Wandering; Bei had caught him in that most compromising situation. Daylen chuckled softly at the memory, even as a fresh wave of embarrassment rushed to his face. He hoped the obsidiman was okay.

The waist-high grass bowed before the wind, and as they waded through it, Daylen let his hands glide across the sticky blades. By the evening of the first day, they crossed the border, leaving the kingdom of Shan Dei for the wild steppes of the gar. The tall, waving grass fell away to shorter blades that hugged their ankles. The steppes stretched away from them into a vast emptiness. The plains were wide and long as if they had been rolled flat, and in the far, far distance Daylen could see gently sloping hills covered in various grasses; bright greens with large swipes of browns.

Daylen stared out at the immense horizon warily. There were dozens of gar tribes in this forbidding landscape, and all of them had a fierce reputation. They raided across their borders into the kingdoms of Shan Dei and Feng Dei, sweeping out of the steppes like a violent storm atop their mounts, laying waste to merchant caravans, villages, towns, and any military contingent sent to stop them. Then, just as quickly, they vanished like the wind back into their land, where they also fought one another.

The gar had not always been savage nomads, however. Once, long ago, the gar had been a part of Cathay, an indigenous people of a vastly different reputation. They had been a race dedicated to science, art, music, and magical theory, holding positions of prestige and power throughout the empire. They had a condensed population in the city of Su-Sha, along the windswept coast of the Emerald Sea. It was because of this geographic location that the gar would be banished from the empire...

When the Therans had first made contact with Cathay, they had judged the ancient land as inferior and ripe for conquest. Their ambassadors met with the gar in secret, and, ever the pragmatic academics, the gar judged the Therans as too powerful to defeat, so they allowed the foreign power to smuggle troops into the city via ships. From Su-Sha, the Therans had a staging point from which to invade the heartland.

After the eventual defeat of the Therans, the emperor threw his wrath at the duplicitous gar and banished all of them, guilty or not, from all across Cathay to the harsh north, where it was believed they would surely perish. But they did not perish; instead, they used their inherent pragmatism to survive, and over the centuries became the proud noble warriors they are today, as savage as the landscape they were forced to call home. A deep-seated hatred for the five kingdoms remained in their hearts, and it was well known that any Cathayan foolish enough to enter their land and be caught would be lucky to find a quick death.

When Daylen had first heard the stories of the Land of the Gar, he remembered thinking that he would never have to worry about it, because he never planned on going into that dangerous land...and yet here he was, marching into the jaws of death, with only a Daughter of Heaven at his side and a Cathayan ferret on his shoulder.

Su Shen, he saw, was an even more experienced adept than when he had last seen her. The leather-and-jade bracer she had strapped to her left wrist—the badge of the Daughter of Heaven— now had eight pearls set into it rather than six. The pearls were set into a pattern, a little over halfway complete, of a phoenix, the majestic bird with healing powers and the legendary creator of her Discipline. Daylen knew that each Daughter set her pearls into a unique pattern of her own choosing, and the amount of pearls represented her status. These pearls were awarded at the Tower of Secrets, where the Daughters of Heaven and Scholars lived, studied, and trained.

At her left hip she still carried a dew of the lotus sword—a long, slender blade with colorful golden tassels hanging from the pommel. However, the sword hanging in her scabbard was a new blade. Daylen noted the decorations set into the hilt; it was of far better quality and craftsmanship. As a merchant, he was trained to notice the details.

They moved mostly in silence—interrupted only when Bik-Bik found something fresh to complain about—on into the night. When they finally made camp, they could not risk building a fire, for fear of attracting the gar or some terrible beast—of which it was told there were many different kinds to be found in these flat, endless steppes.

The following day the clouds lifted and by mid-morning the sun was beating fiercely down upon them. They took to wearing their hoods up; though it was warm, it kept their heads shielded. Daylen had taken to wearing traveler's garb—a hooded cloak, loose-fitting breeches, and shirt of cotton—rather than his old, expensive silk robe of Cathayan design. He had given that torn thing to a beggar in Shui Dei, an ex-soldier who had fallen on hard times thanks to a run in with a Horror, if his story were to be believed.

For three days they thus traveled, and though Daylen had confidence in the Daughter's leadership, anxiety began to gnaw at him like some hungry creature loose in his belly. Sometimes she backtracked, other times taking them through a zigzagging pattern across miles and miles of the endless grasslands. He could not tell if she were lost, attempting to shake pursuers, or searching for something. On the fourth day, just when Daylen thought his impatience was going to get the best of him, Su Shen dropped suddenly to a knee, face bowed toward the grass.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to see over her shoulder.

"Please say it's that lumbering obsidiman so we can go back," yawned Bik-Bik, who had been napping in Daylen's pack.

"No," said Su Shen, turning her head slightly. The edge of her hood partially concealed her features, but Daylen could see one green eye staring back at him. "But it is his mark. He came this way."

She looked out across the steppes to the North. "And he is not alone." She plucked something up from the grass, and Daylen saw that she held a dagger—Bei's dagger. "He left it here for me to find."

"Why would he do that?" Daylen wondered aloud.

"There is only one reason he would do so. He has been captured."

"How can you be sure?" Daylen did not like the sound of that one bit.

"There was a gar camp here," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"How do you know that?" he asked, bewildered.

Su Shen stood and swept her eyes about them. Daylen followed her gaze and for the first time saw the circular impressions in the grass where the hundreds of tents had been and the marred earth where their vast herds had grazed. He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head, disappointed with himself; he had been so worried about the gar and other dangers that he was not paying attention to his surroundings at all. Such a rookie mistake.

"How did you know to look here?" He asked after a moment.

Su Shen led them after the gars' tracks as she answered. "I know the migrations of many of the gar tribes, and I knew which tribe he was after. We are in the right area for this time of year. We should be upon them soon."

"Terrific," muttered Bik-Bik sarcastically. "That's just what I wanted to hear." Daylen nodded, for once completely agreeing with his furry companion.

CHAPTER 3

They found the gar camp on the evening of the sixth day, about three miles from a low rise of hills. The sun had sunk to their backs, and they waited until it had fallen below the horizon before dragging themselves across the grass and up a low rise. Daylen ignored the strange clicking insects that sat on the short blades, though Bik-Bik, who rode on his back, discovered a delightful new sport of swatting them as they passed.

Down below, near a watering hole from which camels and horses sipped, sprawled a vast city of hides and woven grass. Daylen could see their grazing herds in the distance, and about the camp were perhaps four or five hundred men, women, children, and slaves. Scattered campfires spread out unevenly, from the distance appearing like small balls of orange flames floating on a dark sea.

"This is the Blood of the Heavens tribe," whispered Su Shen. "Bei is somewhere down there."

"Why was he searching for this tribe?" Daylen asked, wondering what they had to do with the Shadowed.

Su Shen shook her head. "He was not. He must have run into this tribe while searching for the other."

"He's probably already dead," offered Bik-Bik, sounding almost hopeful. "And going down there will only get us killed, too."

Su Shen ignored him. "The gar tribes are rarely active at night," she continued, "Soon the camp will sleep, leaving only a handful of sentries to watch for danger. That is when we will move."

Sentries? Daylen took a calming breath, hoping she meant to sneak past them rather than fight. He had seen her fight many times and knew that any sentries posted would hardly be a match for her, but it only took one to sound an alarm, and suddenly they would be facing an army.

An hour passed, and the camp wound slowly down, with figures vanishing into their tents. The plentiful fires burned low, and that is when Su Shen motioned for them with a wave of her hand to move. Quickly they ventured down the slope, hunched over to make themselves smaller. They skirted the perimeter of the camp, maintaining a safe distance, far out of the light of the last few remaining fires.

Daylen was not sure what she was looking for; how did she hope to find Bei amidst all of these tents? He wanted to ask but felt it was best to not make a sound. He thanked himself for not making any noise a moment later when a sentry appeared from behind a tent. Su Shen threw herself flat on her belly, and Daylen quickly followed suit.

The sentry did not notice them. As he passed, Daylen saw that he was an elf, as were all of the gar. It was a wild country in which they lived, and the elf's appearance looked it, too. He had long hair and a long braided beard— of which Daylen had heard the gar were quite fond. About the gar's legs were leather breeches. His sinewy muscles were visible through the thin shirt he wore, and even by starlight Daylen could see that his skin was a deep reddish-brown. In one hand he carried a gar war bow—a powerful and deadly weapon, if the stories were true. It was a composite bow— which allowed the gar to fire it from horseback without the benefit of stirrups—about four or five feet in length. It was multilayered, constructed from birch or bamboo, and the horns and tendons from animals found in the countryside. All of it was held together by a glue made from hides and fish bladders. The bow was greatly coveted in the five kingdoms, where they were extremely rare, and in the hands of the gar, it was a terrifying weapon, capable of delivering death up to three hundred yards or more. On the sentry's back hung a quiver containing enough arrows to feather Daylen, Su Shen, and Bik-Bik several times over.

They waited until the sentry was out of sight before continuing forward. When they rounded the far corner of the camp, they saw Bei. Just on the outskirts sat a ring of wooden poles, planted into the earth like trees. He sat on the ground, his hands bound around the pole behind him. His chin rested on his massive chest, and it was impossible to tell if he merely slept or was dead. His illustrious white jade skin, shot through with shades of green, looked somehow dull and muted.

Tied two poles over was another prisoner, this one a gar. He was young, perhaps thirteen or fourteen. His head was likewise bowed, and he was naked from the waist up. Fresh bruises and cuts could be seen across his dark flesh. Both prisoners had been severely beaten, and recently.

Su Shen and Daylen crept forward, silently. Or at least, what Daylen thought was silently; when they neared, Bei lifted his head slightly, though it seemed to pain him when he did so.

"Bei, it's me," whispered Su Shen while laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Bei murmured something in response, though it was clear that he was just barely hanging onto consciousness. Su Shen placed her other hand on him and shut her eyes, summoning her powers. Daughters of Heaven were renowned healers, using their adept magic to cure wounds, poisons, and diseases; even bringing the recently dead back to life. Daylen watched as the color returned to Bei's rocky flesh, and then his head snapped up, his eyes wide and alert.

"Su Shen?" he whispered in his deep, resonant voice. "You found me. I did not think you would."

Su Shen gave a lopsided grin while she worked his bonds with her dagger. "Truly, old friend? Do I inspire such a low amount of confidence?"

Bei snorted, which Daylen took for a laugh.

When Bei's bonds came free, Su Shen said, "And I brought another friend, as well."

Bei, rubbing his tender wrists, twisted his large frame, and when he saw Daylen, his face split into his wide, familiar grin.

"Daylen!" he cried in a hushed whisper, seeming pleased. "I did not expect to see you in this hostile land."

"Me neither," agreed Daylen, smiling in return. The immediate dangers felt momentarily forgotten as Daylen recalled how much he rather liked his large ally.

"Yeah, me neither," said Bik-Bik.

For the first time, Bei noticed the ferret sitting on Daylen's shoulder and said, "Ah. I see he has somehow not managed to get you killed yet."

"No, not yet," Daylen laughed.

Bik-Bik rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's right, blame the ferret for everything. Don't thank him for risking his life to come to save you or anything."

Bei rose to his full height of seven feet and stared down at the mouthy rodent. Bik-Bik blinked up at him.

"Thank you," the obsidiman finally said, bowing slightly.

"Well, that's more like it."

Su Shen flipped Bei's dagger with a slight motion of her wrist, catching it by the blade and offering him the hilt. When he grasped it, she said, "We must hurry." But just then, a low moan escaped the other prisoner's chapped lips.

"Please," whispered the boy, his voice raw and hoarse, "please, untie me." He spoke Cathayan with a thick accent Daylen had not heard before.

For a moment, no one spoke, and Daylen saw the two experienced adepts share a concerned look.

Then Su Shen asked, "Who is he?"

Bei shrugged his massive shoulders. "He was already a prisoner when they took me. He is gar, that much is clear. Probably of a different tribe."

"Baras," the boy said weakly, overhearing them. "My Name is Baras."

Su Shen moved towards his tied wrists, freeing her own dagger from its sheath.

"Su Shen, you must hurry. A sentry passes twice an hour, and the next one is due soon." Bei scanned the nearby tents, alert for danger.

The Daughter of Heaven did not respond, only set to slicing through the thick rope that held the boy to the pole. His hands came free, but he was too weak to stand on his own. Su Shen laid her open palms on his chest, once again summoning her magic, and within a few moments, the boy who called himself Baras was well enough to walk.

"We must steal a mount!" Baras insisted as Su Shen helped him to his feet.

"Are you a fool, boy?" Bei growled in a harsh whisper, reaching him in two great strides. "Now move!"

When the boy looked to ignore him, Bei grabbed him roughly by the back of his neck and heaved with his mighty arm, sending him stumbling forward into Daylen.

"Move!" he commanded in a voice that made Daylen jump even though it was not directed at him.

The five of them sneaked away from the camp, heading towards the low hills three miles away. They stood at the base of the hills a half hour later, when they heard excited shouts from behind. Spinning, they could make out a dozen riders in the moonlight, thundering across the steppes towards them, about half a mile back.

"We will have to make a stand," said Su Shen, grasping the hilt of her slender blade that still rested in its scabbard. "There are only a dozen of them."

"But I have no weapon other than my dagger, and I am still weak from my captivity," Daylen could detect no fear in Bei's voice, but rather mere calculation. He was a Warrior, after all, and a Warrior was not nearly as effective without his weapon. Daylen thought briefly about Bei's old weapon, his great two-bladed sword that had been destroyed. He wished the great Warrior had it now.

Fleeing sounded like a fine option to the merchant; though the sky was littered with stars, it was dark, and tracking them would be a near impossible feat—unless the pursuers were adepts.

"This way, up the hills," the boy said, sounding unconcerned. He scrambled up the slope, almost as if he were eager to reach the top. Su Shen and Bei paused but then exchanged shrugs and started up after him.

"Yes, let's follow the gar child to escape from the gar," said Bik-Bik. "As smart as ever, they are."

"Do you have a better idea?" Daylen asked, almost hoping he did.

Bik-Bik craned his furry little neck and looked back at the rapidly gaining riders.

"Up the hill it is," he conceded with a heavy sigh.

Daylen, his legs already weary from days of traveling, had a hard time keeping up. His thighs burned, and his dampening clothes clung to his back. By the time they reached the top, the riders were already swarming up the base of the slope.

"We can't outrun them," panted Daylen.

"We won't need to," said the boy. He turned his face to the sky and let out a bizarre cry. A challenge? A plea to the Passions? Daylen could not tell. Su Shen and Bei just watched; there was no need to silence him, as it was clear that their pursuers knew exactly where they were anyway.

Far down the slope, the riders hesitated. The lead rider motioned angrily, and after what was no doubt more than a few threats, they resumed their charge.

"Get behind us," said Su Shen, sliding her sword free from its scabbard. Its keen edges winked menacingly in the moonlight.

She and Bei crouched just at the top of the hill. Daylen did not think it would come to hand-to-hand combat; with their war bows, the gar would be able to pick them off from a safe distance, and with no woods or suitable cover, Daylen feared they were all as good as dead.

Several sharp twangs behind them caused them all to jump and spin around. Daylen was only dimly aware of the whistling the arrows made as they cut through the blackness, followed by the screams of men and horses down the slope. He was too busy studying the mounted riders before him, at the top of the hill. They were gar, war bows in hand, perhaps twenty in all. The boy who called himself Baras had ceased his bizarre wailing and was watching them, a proud smile on his face.

The gar released arrow after arrow into the night. Daylen looked back down the slope and saw that only two riders remained, galloping away from the hill as fast as their mounts could carry them. The rest were dark, still shapes scattered along the slope.

When it was over, they turned back towards the gar, who watched them stoically from atop their tall steeds. Su Shen stepped forward with her weapon raised, sweeping an angry glare across them, though they seemed unimpressed.

Baras stepped forward next and said something to the riders in his native tongue. When he was finished, the lead rider bowed his head and turned his mount, and they slowly cantered away.

"Come, you will be my guests," Baras said to them.

"Who are you?" asked Daylen, suspecting there was more to this boy than he had first supposed.

"I am Baras, son of Shahatai Khan, ruler of the Golden Phoenix tribe."

The Golden Phoenix tribe was camped just over ten miles beyond the hills, along the shores of an immense, still lake. If Daylen thought the camp of the Blood of the Heavens tribe was a vast city, then the Golden Phoenix tribe's was an empire. The tall, dome-shaped tents spread out over miles, stretching out so wide that, in the uncertainty of night, the camp looked like it marched well beyond the horizon. Daylen learned that the tribe contained more than thirty thousand gar, with over fifteen thousand able-bodied fighters. Most of them were from conquered tribes that Shahatai Khan had absorbed into his own. It reminded Daylen of the troll sky raider moots back home in Barsaive. Found in the treacherous Twilight Peaks, the crystal raider moots were each composed of several different troll tribes, banded together for mutual protection and benefit. He found it interesting that here, thousands of miles away, a similar cultural phenomenon existed. He would have to make a note of it in his journal.

They were taken to a large, empty tent constructed from hides, where they were told to stay until called for.

"Do not leave this tent," warned Baras. "If you are discovered in the camp, you will be mistaken for enemies." The boy's tone made it clear what the consequences for that would be. Then he and the other gar vanished, letting the heavy fur flap that passed for a door fall closed behind them.

The gar had not searched them or taken their weapons, but Daylen still felt like a prisoner. He hoped that saving the son of a khan carried some weight in gar culture, otherwise he feared what the khan's reaction to their presence would be.

"We should get some rest," suggested Su Shen, who stretched out on the flattened grass and closed her eyes.

Bei seemed to agree, and as he lay down on his back, fingers laced behind his head, Daylen wondered how it was so easy for people who faced constant danger to fall asleep so readily. Bik-Bik did not seem to mind either, though that hardly surprised him; the Cathayan ferret was always sleeping.

The merchant tossed and turned for some time, his racing thoughts holding sleep at bay, and then the next thing he knew, it was morning and they were being summoned. They were led across the camp, past the grim eyes of the gar, who packed in on either side of the winding path to get a closer look at the foreigners.

They stopped before a raised platform built from wood, constructed to be easily assembled and disassembled again so as to accommodate the gars' nomadic lifestyle. Sitting atop of it in a large, intricately carved wooden throne sat a man whose status of authority could not be missed. Though the man was sitting, Daylen could tell that Shahatai Khan was a tall figure, and much younger than he would have imagined, perhaps in his early thirties at the oldest. Over his lean and muscular frame he wore a long robe of dark purple silk that fell down past his knees, cinched tight and held together on his right side by five clasps of silver. The long, thin sleeves flared out at the wrist in decorative golden trim, and the robe was tied around his slender waist with a broad golden sash that wrapped from navel to sternum. His hair fell in dark braids from his scalp, and his thick mustache and beard were oiled and slick. He sat motionless, as still as calm waters, his almond-shaped eyes gazing down upon them in appraisal.

To his right, in a much shorter throne and yet no less extravagant, sat his son, the boy Baras. To his left stood those whom Daylen presumed to be his wives, ten young women of various ages. Unlike their male counterparts, they appeared docile, dressed in fine clothing and jewelry.

Just behind Shahatai's throne stood an old woman. Bent and wrinkled, she wore various talismans and fetishes, marking her as the khan's Shaman. Her eyes watched them from just above the back of his throne, narrowed and alert, studying.

"So," said the khan, his accent much smoother than Baras', his voice deep. "My son tells me you saved him from the Blood of the Heavens."

It was Bei who replied, "These are my friends. They saved both me and your son."

The khan looked at Su Shen and Daylen, and the merchant was surprised to find that Su Shen did not return his stare, but rather looked at her feet when the khan's eyes fell upon her.

When Shahatai looked at him, Daylen nodded, unsure of what to say.

"You have my thanks," spoke the khan. "You will be the guests of the Golden Phoenix, with all the rights and privileges of any free gar."

Daylen, smiling, looked to his comrades to see if they shared his relief, but found that Su Shen still stared at her feet, and Bei was not even looking at the khan, but rather beyond the stage. His mouth was open as if he wanted to speak, but then it snapped shut. Daylen looked to see what had captured the obsidiman's attention, and he saw a small crowd of slaves near the stage, most likely the khan's.

One of them stood out: a young Cathayan girl, no older than eleven summers. She stood in a cowed silence, taking up as little space as possible, as if she wished to hug herself into a tiny little ball noticed by no one. She had long black hair, like many Cathayan girls, but it was her eyes that drew Daylen's attention. Her eyes were as golden as the sun.

Daylen looked again at Bei. It was clear the Warrior recognized her. He was about to say something to him when he realized the khan was waiting for a response.

"Um," he began, composing himself and meeting the khan's gaze, "thank you. We are most humbled and honored." He bowed in the Cathayan style, hoping the gar still recognized the sign of respect. Shahatai bowed his head in return, and Daylen decided that they did indeed.

Someone laughed from the crowd and spat something in gar, which Daylen did not understand. Twisting his neck, Daylen saw the commenter nearby. He was young, in his early twenties, strong and just as tall as the khan. Unlike most gar, his face was smooth, though he kept his hair long and braided like the others. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, and around him stood several of his companions who shared his haughty demeanor.

"What did he say?" Daylen whispered to Su Shen and Bei, hoping one of them spoke gar.

"So the son of the mighty Shahatai Khan leaves for his rite of manhood, and instead of returning with a mount, he returns with foreigners," Su Shen translated for him.

Several gar in the crowd had tittered, but most had not. The khan merely glanced at him passively, unperturbed by his outburst. Daylen found it surprising, expecting the khan to order the impudent gar's wagging tongue cut from his head.

"So is this how it is to be, then?" The young gar continued, looking about the faces in the crowd. "Are we to allow those who have dishonored themselves by failing to complete their rite of manhood to return without a mount? Or is this only how we treat the sons of khans?"

Shahatai Khan leaned back casually in his throne and spoke calmly, "No Qadan, we do not, for my son is not dishonored, nor is he yet a man grown, for he has failed to claim a mount. He will leave again in three days, and next time will not return until he has found a mount."

Qadan scoffed and waved his hand at the khan in disgust. "So your son gets a second chance; is that it, mighty Shahatai? Any other gar who had returned without a mount would have been exiled. Do you play favorites because he is of your own blood?"

The boy's insistence to capture a mount before they fled the enemy camp suddenly made sense to Daylen.

"Any gar boy who survives in an enemy tribe's clutches, escapes, and participates in the death of his enemies will be allowed a second chance, Qadan,"the khan replied easily, to which many in the crowd murmured their agreement. It was clear that most of the onlookers were proud of their young prince. Sensing this, Qadan decided to end his argument. He looked at Daylen and the others coldly and then turned and stalked away, shoving people roughly out of his path, his companions following.

"Inkhe," the khan motioned to his Shaman. She stepped around from behind the throne and clapped her hands together three times, signaling the end of the public meeting.

The khan stood and, followed by his many wives and slaves, departed the stage, vanishing into the camp. Inkhe, the Shaman, took one last lingering look on the foreigners, and then departed as well. With the meeting over, the crowd of gar began to disperse, though, just like their Shaman, they each got in one last, careful look at their new foreign guests.

"My father seems to have taken a liking to you," said Baras. The boy had not left with his father's retinue. He approached with a smile on his face, clearly pleased.

"What makes you say that?" wondered Daylen, hoping it was true.

"He didn't have you drawn and quartered, as is customary for foreigners."

Daylen swallowed hard. "I see."

"Shucks, that would have been fun to see," mused Bik-Bik. Daylen could never tell if he was kidding.

"Tonight you will be my guests at our table for the evening," Baras went on. "Until then, stay clear of Qadan and his men. They will most likely try to do you harm."

Alarm shot through Daylen's brain. "Why? What did we do?"

"It is not what you did, it is who you are. More to the point, my father has shown you mercy, and he hates my father."

"I don't understand. How can one be so openly hostile towards the khan and not be killed?" Where Daylen came from, that was called treason, and it was always dealt with most harshly.

"Because my father has to wait for Qadan to openly challenge him," replied the boy.

"But why?"

It was Bei who explained, "Because he would appear weak."

Baras nodded. "Your obsidiman friend is correct. If my father were to respond with violence, it would be viewed that he feared challenges to his authority. This would lose the confidence of the tribes who have already joined us.

"Qadan himself is the only remaining son of a defeated khan whose tribe has since been absorbed into our own—a khan who died in the battle that marked their defeat. Qadan is a powerful fighter in his own right, and it is clear that he believes he should be our leader rather than my father, but he does not have enough followers to yet challenge the khan; if he were to win now, he would be immediately challenged by every able-bodied fighter in our tribe."

Daylen nodded, understanding. Then he asked, "Do you think your father could defeat Qadan if he were challenged?"

Baras' chest swelled with pride. "No one can defeat my father."

Daylen smiled; every son thought that of his father. Even Daylen had once believed that of his own late father, and that man could not have fought his way past a blind, crippled monkey.

"So for now," Baras went on, "stay out of trouble. And remember, tonight you are my guests!" With that the boy departed, leaving the foreigners alone.

When he was out of earshot, Bei turned to Su Shen and said, "I saw her. The one I seek."

Su Shen cocked her head. "You are searching for someone? That is what brought you here?"

Bei nodded. "The girl. The girl with golden eyes."

"Her?" Daylen had already forgotten about the little slave girl. "Why are you looking for her?"

"Because the Shadowed are looking for her. I know not why."

"Who is she?"

Bei gave a massive shrug. "I only know that she was taken during a raid from a village along the frontier of Feng Dei three months past. When I learned that the Shadowed have been searching for her, I set out immediately with the intention of finding her before they did."

"Well you found her, now let's go back," suggested Bik-Bik.

Su Shen frowned deeply. "We must discover what their purpose with the girl is. We will discuss it with the khan tonight at dinner. Until then, we should remain in our tent and stay out of sight." Bei nodded, and they turned to leave.

"Wait," Daylen did not want to go back to the tent, "I wish to learn more about their culture. This is a unique opportunity."

Su Shen only looked at him, as if considering. "I promise I'll stay away from Qadan," he gave his most winning smile.

"Don't worry," assured Bik-Bik, "I'll make sure he stays out of trouble."

Su Shen raised an eyebrow. Bei shook his large, stony head. "Very well," she finally conceded. "Return before nightfall."

Throughout the morning and afternoon Daylen wandered about the camp, and for the most part was well received. He was surprised, and delighted, by the number of gar who spoke Cathayan. He learned that, though they viewed the five kingdoms as mortal enemies, this did not prevent them from trading with merchants for resources, especially to gain steel for weapons. Daylen would have figured this to be illegal throughout the five kingdoms since the gar were exiles—and sworn enemies to boot—but preventing a Cathayan merchant from seeking out profit could be harder than preventing the sun from rising each morning.

He learned much about the gars' way of life. He watched the herders tend to great flocks of sheep, goats, cows, camels, and horses; watched bowyers boiling extracts of fish bladders with which to make glue; watched boys as young as three practice riding horses that stood twice their height.

He listened to many tales of Shahatai Khan; it was widely believed among the tribe that Shahatai Khan was destined to conquer all of the gar, and, with his great host, sweep south and conquer the five kingdoms. The khan's reputation began when he was only ten years old, when he set out on his own Rite of Manhood. He had returned to his people atop a poh, one of the fiercest predators found in the Land of the Gar.

Daylen was led by a group of excited children to where the poh reclined outside of the khan's palace-tent. To Daylen, it looked somewhat like a unicorn, though its mouth was filled with the teeth of a carnivore, and instead of hooves, its legs ended in the great paws of a lion. It stared lazily at the children, who dared one another to get near the beast.

One of them, an older boy of seven or eight, got within two yards of it when it let out a great roar. The children screamed in delight and scattered, laughing at each other's cowardice.

"I definitely want one of those," said Bik-Bik, approvingly.

Dusk arrived, etching the sky in flame, and Daylen returned to the tent. The evening was warm, and Daylen was surprised to find it much cooler inside. Su Shen was meditating, and Bei was lying on his back, relaxing. The Daughter of Heaven opened her eyes when she heard Daylen enter.

"Daylen Jagaro," she said, "did you satisfy your curiosity?"

"I did." He sat down, opening his journal to jot down a few final notes. "They're a fascinating people."

"They're enemies of the empire," she corrected him. "They cannot be trusted."

Daylen was surprised. "That's a rather narrow view, isn't it?"

"The gar are responsible for the deaths of many Cathayans," her voice carried the self-righteousness that Daylen had forgotten about.

"Well the last time I checked, Cathayans aren't exactly guilt free, either," he was referring to the War of Wu Xing, the five-way civil war that had been ripping at the empire over the last century, had caused countless deaths, and would no doubt cause countless more.

"The gar have sworn to one day burn the empire to the ground and dance in its ashes," she insisted.

"Well," said Daylen, snapping his journal shut, "let's just hope the Cathayans don't beat them to it."

Su Shen's eyes narrowed, clearly frustrated by the ignorant westerner, but she said nothing further.

"You two kids are so cute," said Bik-Bik, while nibbling on some rations he had pulled from Daylen's pack.

Bei snickered. Both Su Shen and Daylen looked at him, and the obsidiman quickly dropped his grin and shut his eyes again.

They were summoned an hour later and led through the camp to a twenty foot long table that sat underneath the open sky. A high backed chair rested at the far end, at which sat the khan. Baras sat to his right and Inkhe the Shaman to his immediate left, with his ten wives past her. Beyond the table, busy with their duties, were the khan's many slaves. For a moment Daylen spied the young girl with golden eyes, and when he did, he saw that she was looking at him. As soon as their eyes met, she looked away, as quickly as a hand withdrawing from an open flame, her head bowed.

"She has probably never seen a Westerner before," Daylen figured. He wondered if she found him as novel as he found her golden eyes.

Many other gar tribesmen sat about the table—the khan's top lieutenants. Daylen was surprised to find that one of these men was Qadan, whose expression made it clear that he found the idea of foreigners sitting at the khan's table objectionable.

Daylen quickly discovered that there was no table etiquette to speak of. Slaves brought dishes of food: thick, dripping sausages; strangely brewed grass stews; bowls of wild rice with diced lamb; and a thick, white, sour-tasting alcoholic beverage that they called airag. Daylen had to fight down a wave of nausea that rose up his throat when he learned it was made from fermented mare's milk.

The meal began with no preamble, with everyone grabbing what they wanted, tossing down sloppy piles of food onto their simple wooden plates. Bik-Bik sat on the table in front of Daylen, tearing into a large chunk of cheese, content as he ever could be.

Halfway into the meal, an older, gray-haired warrior sitting next to Daylen Named Khulan looked to the merchant and asked, "So what is it that brought you to our land?" At first he thought he meant to Cathay, but then he realized the warrior was referring to all of them.

Daylen looked at Bei as he spoke, "It was our friend here. We were looking for him."

"The obsidiman got himself captured. Just like the khan's son," said Qadan in Cathayan, flashing a mocking grin as he tore into a greasy sausage.

The older warrior looked at Qadan for a moment, a polite smile on his face, though Daylen could sense his irritation with the younger gar. Then he turned to Baras.

"How was it, young prince, that you managed to escape?" Khulan asked.

Qadan sneered, answering for him, "The foreigners saved him. He owes his life to them. We already know this story."

Khulan ignored him, and said to Baras, "Please, tell us."

Baras nodded. "I had spotted our scouts earlier that day, up on the hill. I knew our tribe was close. Bound as I was, I could not alert them to my presence. When our guests freed me, I led them up the hill, knowing that unlike most other tribes, our scouts patrol even during the night. When our pursuers neared, I called out to our tribesmen, knowing that they would outnumber our enemy. Only two of our pursuers live now to tell the tale."

There were murmurs of approval down the table.

"Luck," spat Qadan, taking another bite from his sausage.

"We old timers say that luck is the residue of design," said Khulan.

"People who live far past their prime often say foolish things," Qadan retorted. Khulan's eyes narrowed dangerously, though his polite smile never left his lips.

"It was clever and resourceful," spoke the Shaman, her voice as wrinkled as her skin. More murmurs of agreement rippled down the table. Qadan, finding himself outnumbered once again, fell silent with a sullen glare toward the old gar woman.

"What was it then that brought you out of the five kingdoms?" The khan changed the subject, addressing Bei.

The obsidiman, who had been guzzling a large cup of airag, set it down with a hearty smack of his lips and drew the back of his hand across his mouth.

"I am glad you asked, for we have a favor to ask of you."

"Oh?" The khan seemed intrigued. "Did you venture into my land to ask me a favor?"

"Not exactly," responded Bei, "but you have something we came for."

The khan leaned forward over his plate. "And what is that?"

"One of your slaves."

The khan laughed. "You came all this way for a slave?"

"Your raiders took her from a border village three months ago. It is the young girl with golden eyes."

Daylen noticed Qadan stiffen ever so slightly and set down his half-eaten sausage.

"Why?" continued the khan, seeming curious. "Is she a relative of yours?"

"No, but she is important to us."

Shahatai leaned back in his chair, considering the obsidiman's request, and then he shrugged indifferently. "So be it; you may have one of my slaves. She is my gift to you, for your efforts in freeing my son."

"Bah!" Qadan blurted out. "I challenge you for the girl!"

For a moment, Daylen thought Qadan had formerly challenged the khan, but it slowly dawned on him that all eyes were pointed his way.

"What, me?"

"Your obsidiman friend cannot ride a mount, so I challenge you instead!" Qadan pointed a slender finger at him.

Daylen was confused. "I don't understand...?"

"Any free gar may challenge another to a horse race for the right to a slave," explained the khan, who stared at him expectantly.

"But why me? Su Shen here is a much stronger rider—," he began, but Khulan cut him off.

"A woman? No; women are not allowed to participate in the races." The older warrior laughed at the thought and tossed a small piece of lamb into his mouth, smacking his lips as he chewed.

Daylen looked to Su Shen, expecting her to angrily object, but instead she merely stared at him with the same awaiting look that the others were giving him.

Finally he spoke, "But I have no mount."

"Don't look at me," said Bik-Bik through a mouthful of cheese.

"You can use one of my mounts!" offered the khan. Qadan glowered with smoldering eyes but said nothing.

"I.I would be honored," Daylen had no choice but to accept.

The table erupted into excited cheers. Khulan heartily slapped Daylen's back.

"This is exciting!" he said with a gusty laugh. "Drink up!"

He filled Daylen's cup with more airag, and Daylen, not wanting to be rude, choked down more of the foul beverage.

"I will fill you in with all that you need to know!" Khulan went on. "By morning, you will be able to take on the Passion Maah himself in a race!"

While the other warriors at the table began placing bets, Qadan stood. He stared at Daylen, his eyes burning icily.

"When the sun rises, we race," his voice carried a subtle menace that Daylen cared for not at all.

"We'll be there!" cried Bik-Bik, taking a savage bite from his block of cheese.

Qadan spun on his heel and left the table.

Su Shen looked at Daylen. "We are counting on you to win this race. If Qadan wins the girl, we will never get her."

Daylen nodded numbly. How did he always manage to get himself into these situations? He gave her a reassuring smile. It was just a horse race. How hard could it be?

He stayed up late with Khulan, knocking back cup after cup of airag while the old warrior told him of the gar and their ways, explaining that if he hoped to win the race he would first have to understand his opponent.

By the time he fell asleep, Daylen's head was thick and his stomach was heavy, and the sunlight that fell upon his face when Su Shen lifted the tent flap the next morning felt like a bright flame that bore straight through to his brain. The warm air that rushed inside the tent carried with it the strong odor of horse dung from the thousands that lived in the camp. A fresh wave of nausea struck Daylen and he bolted upright, though he managed to somehow choke it back. He vowed to never again even look at another cup of airag. Another wave of nausea hit him.

He vowed to never again think about a cup of airag.

They were led outside the camp by an excited Baras, where it seemed every man, woman, child, and slave of the tribe had gathered. Horses were an integral part of gar life, and races were loved by all. Children between the ages of five and ten normally raced. Their light weight allowed the horses to run much faster, and it was excellent training for young warriors. Watching two adults was a rare treat. Bets were placed, with Qadan clearly the crowd's favorite to win.

They stopped before the khan, where he stood holding the reins of a large white steed. Khulan and the khan's wives and slaves were gathered around. Among the slaves stood the young girl with golden eyes, her face turned downward, avoiding the glances of all. Daylen wondered if she realized her fate was being decided with this race, and if she did, if she even cared. In Barsaive, individuality and self-determination were concepts most Name-givers were not only aware of but vehemently demanded. The same may not be true for most Cathayans. In a land with a population easily five times that of Barsaive, individuality might be a moot concept.

"This is my fastest horse," the Khan told Daylen with a proud smile. "All you will have to do is hold on. It will do the rest."

Daylen was about to ask what its Name was when he remembered that the gar did not Name their mounts; they were merely tools, like a bow or a knife. Showing such attachment to an animal was a sign of weakness in the gars' eyes.

Nearby, Qadan sat on his own horse, a dark brown thing that looked as mean as its rider. He was tended by his loyal followers, all of whom threw the occasional venomous glance Daylen's way. Confidence sat on that horse with him, and in Qadan's confidence Daylen's doubts and worries drew strength.

"Qadan is a dangerous opponent," the merchant twisted at the sound of the Shaman's old, weathered voice. She stood behind him, staring past him toward his opponent.

"Well thanks for that," said Daylen, his hangover now completely forgotten and replaced with dread. Inkhe looked at him and smiled, revealing a mostly toothless mouth.

"Do not take his challenge personally, white one," she said. "Qadan has grown more and more aggressive over these past few months, gathering more and more followers. This is just another maneuver against Shahatai. If he wins this race, our khan will lose face in the eyes of some, and more will view Qadan as the stronger leader and join his camp."

Something occurred to Daylen then. He looked over at the young girl with golden eyes and asked the Shaman, "You say that he has grown more aggressive recently? How recently?"

Inkhe shrugged her bony shoulders. "He has always disliked the khan, but over the past few months he has grown more aggressive."

"How many months would you say exactly?"

"Perhaps three," she answered.

Three months...

"Do you think Qadan could beat the khan in a horse race?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No one could beat Shahatai in a race, for Shahatai has the only poh, a beast that only he can ride and that is much faster than our horses."

Daylen considered the information.

"What is it?" The Shaman asked. Daylen shook his head.

"Nothing," he lied. "Just thinking."

He ignored her suspicious stare and looked again at Qadan. Could he be after the slave for reasons other than to dishonor Shahatai? Or was it mere coincidence that he has grown more aggressive since the arrival of the girl? He recalled again the ability of the yen'hi'ji to shape change. He moved to tell Su Shen and Bei his suspicions when a horn blast signaled the riders to take their places.

"Remember," Shahatai said, "just hold on, and the horse will take care of the rest."

"Right," Daylen mumbled, climbing into the saddle, which was more difficult than usual for him as there were no stirrups.

"Try not to fall off!" called Bik-Bik from Bei's shoulder, to where he had moved himself before Daylen had mounted.

"Is there no end to your good advice, little friend?" Daylen quipped, trying to calm his nerves.

"Hey, if you fall off that horse you won't think it was such stupid advice, trust me," Bik-Bik shot back.

"Are you sure you can do this?" asked Su Shen, appearing doubtful.

"A little late to change my mind, isn't it?" Daylen asked, offering an easy smile and trying to sound confident.

The riders moved their mounts to the starting line, though Daylen needed help. Bei grabbed his reins and led him to the starting position. The crowd laughed, and Qadan flashed a mocking grin. Daylen tried his best to appear dignified.

The steppes stretched away before them like a vast green sea. Several hundred yards down the flat expanse he could see a small yellow flag attached to a pole planted in the ground, whipping in the wind.

"Now all you do is ride down, grab the flag, and ride back." Khulan was saying. "Simple."

"Wait...I have to grab the flag? I thought all I had to do was hold onto the horse!"

"Well you have to grab the flag," said Khulan in a way that made Daylen think it should have been obvious. "Whoever returns with the flag first wins."

"Don't worry," reassured the Khan. "My horse will take you straight to it. It knows what to do."

Qadan laughed. "You will be lucky if you make it one hundred paces before falling off that horse, round eye."

"Don't listen to him," said Khulan, casting a hard glare at Qadan, who sniffed contemptuously but looked away. Then the old warrior leaned in and said, "But it is best to hold on—tightly."

Daylen listened to him and wrapped his hands around the reins even tighter. Everyone stepped away, and a hush slowly settled over the crowd, their excited chatter replaced with anticipation. Silence gained the cool morning air, and Daylen's heart was a drum pounding in his ears.

The horn blasted—and Daylen's horse nearly flew out from beneath him. The wide grassy steppes rushed towards him, and the crowd erupted into a roar of cheers, whistles, and applause, though Daylen was barely aware of it above the sound of his mount's hooves tearing across the earth. He bounced wildly in his saddle, and was forced to lean forward over the horse's neck to keep his balance. He stared, wide-eyed at the grass as it rushed beneath him. He hazarded a glance back over his shoulder and saw that he outpaced Qadan by at least twenty yards. The khan's horse was as fast as he had claimed.

The wind roared past his ears as the horse thundered toward the flag. As the pole drew nearer and nearer, Qadan fell behind farther and farther.

"I'm going to win this thing!" Daylen thought, shouting with exhilaration, his fear slowly melting away and replaced by the exciting thrill that accompanies danger.

The horse seemed to respond to his enthusiasm, and the last few yards went by in the blink of an eye. The horse wheeled tightly around the pole, never losing its stride, and Daylen snatched the little yellow flag with ease.

His mount completed the turn, and he was flying back toward the finish line. He laughed triumphantly when he saw that Qadan was not even close to the pole yet—but it faltered and died when Qadan steered his horse directly at him, a savage anger clearly alive in his eyes.

Daylen tugged desperately on the reins, trying to veer out of the way, but it was too late. Qadan reached out and grabbed Daylen's collar, yanking him roughly from the saddle as he passed. Daylen flew backwards, the reins torn from his grasp, and landed hard, his shoulder taking most of the jarring impact. His forward momentum had been so great that he tumbled across the grass for several dozen yards before finally flopping to a halt, facedown in the grass. Pain shot through his shoulder and ribs, and every breath was an agonizing lance in his side.

"Give me that flag!" he heard Qadan roar from somewhere above him. Surely the race was over? Qadan had cheated, hadn't he?

He heard the gar dismount, and the grass crunch beneath his footsteps. Daylen could feel the flag that he still gripped in his right hand. He could not let him have it. He had to win—Su Shen and Bei were counting on him.

With his good arm, he raised himself to his knees. Where was his horse? He craned his neck, and the sun was a great, bright ball in his face. Then Qadan was there, blocking its blinding rays, and in its place was a fist. It smashed across Daylen's jaw, and the ground once again rushed up to meet him. Daylen was thankful the ground was not made of stone when the back of his head bounced off of it.

"I said give it to me!" Qadan hissed through his teeth.

Pain was Daylen's new mistress, and she demanded that he lie still. Qadan kicked at his foot angrily. Daylen was content to let him kick at it all day, so long as that was all he kicked.

The merchant's vision swam, and when he tried to lift his head it felt heavy and thick, like a great weight was pulling it back to the earth. Qadan stood over him, staring down at the prize that he still clutched in his right hand. Qadan reached down for it. Daylen gripped it more tightly.

Just then, a large figure loomed into view; a powerful neigh told Daylen it was the Khan's horse. It surged forward, lifting onto its hind legs and kicking at Qadan with its forelegs. The gar fell back, raising an arm feebly before him. One of the hooves caught him in the elbow, and the other clapped against his forehead. Qadan fell with an angry curse, holding his injured head.

Daylen stared up stupidly at his mount, smiling.

"Good boy," he slurred. The horse bit his collar and started dragging him backwards, alarming every one of his fresh injuries.

"Okay, okay! Please stop!" He grabbed the creature's reins with his good hand and pulled himself painfully to his feet.

Qadan started to rise, curses falling from his lips, but fell down again quickly when the horse moved at him threateningly. Daylen struggled into the saddle, his breathing a painful labor. After he got his leg over, he pawed around for the reins but could not find them.

"What the...where's...?" he mumbled, when the horse took off in a gallop—backwards!

Or rather, he was on the horse backwards. Terrified he would fall again, he gripped the horse's tail for dear life. Every bounce sent a flare of red agony through his ribs. He gritted his teeth so hard that it felt like they were going to crack. He sucked in short, thin breaths, moaning painfully with each equally short exhale.

There was a low roar, like a strong wind during a storm, that grew steadily louder and louder as it approached, and then the horse slowed and stopped, and he was being helped out of the saddle by a pair of strong arms, and he realized the roar was the collective cheering of the crowd. He had won, and now if he could just not move forever, he would be all right.

"Bei," he murmured, holding up the flag triumphantly. "Flag."

"Yes, Daylen. You did it," the obsidiman laid him gently onto his back on the soft grass.

Su Shen was there, her slender hands resting lightly on his chest. A soothing comfort spread through him, numbing his pain, allowing his concentration and awareness to return. He sat up.

Bik-Bik ran up his chest and resumed his regular spot on Daylen's shoulder.

"You should have taken my advice and not fallen," he said. "Nobody ever listens to me."

"I'll be sure to take you more seriously next time," laughed Daylen, just as exhilarated at his pain being gone as he was at winning. Bei offered a hand and helped him to his feet.

"I knew you would win! You have the heart of a gar!" It was Khulan who congratulated him, smiling widely. Daylen grinned sheepishly as others began congratulating him as well.

"Cheater!" A roar cut through the din.

They looked to see Qadan galloping towards them. He pulled hard on the reins when he neared, never taking his eyes off of Daylen.

"Cheater!" he repeated.

A hot temper flared up inside the merchant, fueled by the adrenaline and wave of confidence he was riding from his victory.

"Cheater?" he yelled back. "I'm not the one who pulled me from my horse! You're the one who cheated!"

"That is how the race is done, outlander!" Qadan cursed. "But you, you merely rode the horse! It did all of the work! You and the khan conspired against me! You are cheaters!"

A tense silence gathered over the crowd. The khan stepped forward, a small, satisfied grin barely noticeable on his lips. It was the moment he had been waiting for, Daylen suddenly realized; the khan had hoped to provoke him into making such a mistake. Qadan had publicly insulted the khan's honor.

"You call me a cheater, Qadan? I ask that you take it back."

The trap had been sprung, and Qadan knew it.

The gar's face tensed, and his jaw clenched. He stared down at the khan from atop his horse, his lips pressed so tightly together that they were white. For Daylen had learned of the gars' ways from Khulan the night before, and he knew that to take back such an insult was a sign of cowardice. Qadan could not do so without losing face.

"No," defied Qadan in a low whisper. "I will not take it back."

Now the khan's grin widened, and the sight of it sent chills down Daylen's spine. There was a promise of murder in that smile.

"Good," said the khan in a low, menacing voice. "Good."

They squared off on the same field that had held the race, Qadan atop his horse and Shahatai on his fierce poh. Each held a short, curved saber, with which he promised to kill the other.

The crowd erupted into another frenzied round of betting. The odds were close; Shahatai was the khan, undefeated warrior and leader of the Golden Phoenix tribe, but Qadan was younger, and he, too, was undefeated. Daylen worried what it would mean if Qadan won, and his mind wandered again to his earlier theory.

"I think Qadan is a yen'hi'ji," he whispered to Su Shen and Bei.

Su Shen frowned. "Why?"

"Just something Inkhe said," he started to explain, when the familiar horn blast signaled the start of the duel.

The crowd ceased their betting, and all eyes moved toward the combatants. Both riders spurred their mounts into motion, their fierce cries matching the excited screams of the onlookers. As they flew across the wide, green plain toward one another, Daylen tore his eyes away and looked at Baras. The boy's face was a mask of calm. In the boy's mind the outcome was already decided: his father would win. But for Daylen, the tension continued to climb as the mounts grew closer and closer, their riders' sabers flashing in the sunlight, twirling in wide circles above their heads.

The gar were deadly with saber and bow, Khulan had explained to Daylen. They much preferred the bow, as killing from a distance was always safer, but in a duel such as this, with the entire camp looking on, one wanted to kill his opponent in close quarters, to demonstrate his complete physical mastery over him. This was not a regular duel, one where surprise and chicanery was to be expected and even accepted, but a duel for the leadership of the tribe. For this, one's strength could not be questioned.

Daylen had heard stories about Qadan the day before. Though not as numerous as the stories of Shahatai, they were as widely spoken. One stood out in particular: during a battle with an enemy tribe, Qadan was dismounted and surrounded by three enemies. With but his saber to protect him, he cut down all three of the enemy gar, suffering only superficial injuries himself. Daylen wondered how the khan's saber skills compared.

He did not have to wait long to find out. The mounts met on the immense open plain, and for a moment it looked to Daylen like they would collide, but they did not. Each warrior swung a savage backhanded blow at the other, the stroke beginning on the far side of his body and slicing through the air in a wide arc, aimed for the other's face. The steel fangs collided, each blocking the other's murderous strike, and across the steppes they rang loud, clear, and frightening.

Before the sabers could part, in one impossibly fast movement, Shahatai reached with his free hand beneath his own sword arm and seized Qadan's outstretched wrist, just below the hand that held the saber. Then, in one synchronistic motion, he dragged Qadan's sword arm down while turning his own blade over and delivering a savage forehanded blow. The steel sliced neatly through Qadan's throat, sending the head spinning wildly in tight circles through the air to bounce once off the ground before rolling to a lumbering end.

Qadan's body was held in place in his saddle by the khan, who still gripped his opponent's wrist. A dark fountain of blood pumped out of the stump of his neck and poured in great rivers down his chest and back, running like sheets of rain off of the saddle. The saber fell from the corpse's limp fingers, and Daylen thought he could hear the light thump when it hit the ground.

Shahatai let the arm fall limp. The body sat upright for only an instant before tipping drunkenly and spilling from its seat. Calmly, the victor gathered up the reins of the other mount, claiming the horse as his own, and began trotting casually back to the onlookers.

There was a long moment of silence. The entire exchange, from the moment each rider had swung his saber to the moment the head bounced off the grass, lasted but the blink of an eye.

And then a roar of approval shook the crowd, and a chant slowly caught on, gaining weight like a gathering storm: "Shahatai! Shahatai! Shahatai!"

Daylen stared at the fallen body of Qadan, where it had been left for scavengers. The body had not transformed into a yen'hi'ji. He had been wrong; Qadan had been human after all.

A sudden thought darted through his mind. He swept the crowd with his gaze, but his eyes could not find her.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Who?" asked Bik-Bik from his shoulder.

"The girl!"

At those words, Su Shen and Bei joined the search. Alarm slowly settled in.

"Shahatai!" Bei's voice rumbled like an earthquake. The khan looked at the obsidiman, confused by his obvious anger, and dismounted from his poh.

"What is it?"

"The girl you promised us—she is gone!"

The khan looked around for himself to confirm what he was being told.

"Inkhe, where—," he began, but quickly realized that his Shaman was gone as well.

"Where is my Shaman?" he demanded. "Slave, bring me my bow!"

A slave rushed forward with head bowed, holding out bow and quiver. Shahatai snatched both and nocked an arrow. Using his adept magic, he tracked the Shaman's path through the crowd, which parted before him.

They made it to the edge of camp, the entire tribe rushing after them, when they finally found her. Far out in the field was the old woman, running with the child in her arms.

"INKHE!" The khan's voice was powerful, and Inkhe spun at the sound of her Name. Only it was not her Name.

The yen'hi'ji took its true form; great black wings, around ten feet long, unfurled and flapped once. The small, frail gar woman grew and expanded, great muscles tearing through her clothes. The thin cords holding her various trinkets and fetishes snapped, and they fell into small piles about her. Black she turned—black as the creature's heart—as she twisted and expanded into a giant, humanoid bat, around ten feet in height. The creature let out an awful and piercing screech and beat its huge wings. It lifted into the sky, its wings pulling it further and further away from the ground, an immense black shape against a great blue ocean.

The khan was momentarily stunned by the sight of his Shaman's transformation, but he quickly shook it off. He lifted his gar bow, drew the feathered shaft back to his ear, and loosed. The arrow, guided by the khan's magic, sliced through the air, up and up and up, arcing toward the beast as it gained the sky. The wooden shaft vanished into the creature's thick, black fur, deep through tissue and bone, and into the creature's heart. It let out a terrifying and horrific wail and plummeted back to the earth, landing in a crumpled black heap.

Before the monster had even hit the ground, Su Shen and Bei were already in a dead sprint towards it.

"Wait for me!" Daylen called, chasing after them, aware that the entire gar tribe was chasing behind him.

"Wait for me?" Bik-Bik repeated dubiously. "Yeah that's right; I forgot that you're the mighty, big-crazy-bat-monster slayer."

When they arrived, they found the yen'hi'ji silent and unmov-ing. Loud gasps and mutterings rippled across the crowd, who gathered about the beast. One of its great black wings had fallen over its face, and when Su Shen carefully moved it with the tip of her sword, they found the girl staring up at them with wide, golden eyes. She was unhurt, having landed on the creature's thick, muscular chest, though she trembled terribly.

"What is it?" asked the khan, standing over the creature. A look of disgust washed over his face as he prodded the dead thing with his foot.

"A vile beast. One you are well rid of," answered Bei.

Su Shen knelt before the girl and held out her hand.

"It's okay," she said with a soft smile. The girl reached out gingerly, and Su Shen pulled her gently to her feet.

"If that beast wanted the girl," said Shahatai, "then take her. We do not want her here."

The girl looked frightened and confused, but Su Shen stroked her tangled hair straight and said in a soothing voice, "Don't worry. We'll take care of you."

Su Shen, Bei, Daylen, and Bik-Bik, along with the young slave girl, left the Land of the Gar that very day. They traveled westwards, and within a week they were back in the Kingdom of Shan Dei.

Before they departed from Shahatai Khan and the tribe of the Golden Phoenix, they had discovered the real Shaman Inkhe in her tent. She was bound, and had been badly beaten, but Su Shen was able to heal her, assuring the great khan that she would live.

After resting, Inkhe had told them that the beast had come upon her while she slept in her tent a mere week before they found her. The yen'hi'ji had kept her alive for information—impersonating the khan's Shaman was not an easy task, fortunately enough for the real Inkhe.

"The yen'hi'ji must have seen an opportunity, with the entire camp distracted by the race and then the duel," Daylen had deduced. "It fed me misinformation to further its chances for escape with the girl."

The girl. That is what they called her, for she did not speak; only stared at the adventurers with wide eyes full of awareness. She ate when given food and drank when given water, but to questions, she merely stared, as if afraid to answer. Daylen suspected that speaking may have earned her the back of someone's hand one too many times for her to trust her voice any longer.

Su Shen took a special liking to her. Every night, the Daughter of Heaven would sit behind her and brush her long, dark hair while humming various folk songs, chosen for their soothing melodies. After she was done, they would curl up together, with Su Shen's arm draped protectively over the child, who would stare with her golden eyes into the gentle flames of the campfire until she drifted slowly off to sleep.

When they arrived in Shan Dei, Daylen used much of his remaining silver to purchase passage aboard the Gray Swallow, an airship bound for western Feng Dei, the Land of Air, to a town near the rugged foothills of the Dragon Spine Mountains, the great, soaring range that ran north and south through Cathay for over two thousand miles. It was in a valley located in that great mountain range that was their destination: the fabled Tower of Secrets.

"We will take her to the Tower of Secrets," Su Shen had said, to which Bei nodded his agreement. "The Scholars will be able to determine her purpose, if anyone can. They should be able to discover what the Shadowed want with her."

They spoke in whispers after the girl had fallen asleep. When Daylen looked back at her, he saw that she was twitching fitfully, plagued by unpleasant dreams. She calmed when Su Shen sat down and gently stroked her hair.

During the trip aboard the Gray Swallow, the girl stared out over the rail of the ship at the passing clouds, her eyes wide with wonder. Daylen smiled, remembering his first thrilling experience aboard one of the magical flying vessels when he was just a child back in Barsaive with his father.

Daylen sighed; he had not thought about his father in a long time. He wondered, if his father were still alive, if he would be proud of all Daylen had done, or if he would merely judge him for not yet acquiring a small fortune. Daylen liked to think the former, but he could not believe it with any confidence. He had spent his life trying to live up to what he thought his family would have wanted him to be, and he had never been happy. He liked to think that he was no longer a slave to such self-destructive desires; he had faced them down when he was forced to confront the Ka-Li dragon, but there were times when avarice returned to his heart, and he was only able to overcome the desires with much difficulty.

He glanced over at Su Shen and the girl, who stood side by side, staring out into the sky. There were more important things in life, he now knew.

After the airship arrived in Feng Dei, they set out immediately for a well-traveled mountain pass that cut through the range and led into the eastern half of the kingdom. Once through the pass, they would travel south to the valley where the Tower of Secrets rested. That afternoon they stopped just off to the side of the well-worn trade road on which they had been traveling to rest in a small grove. They picked a strange green fruit from the trees that grew there and Su Shen assured them it was safe to eat. The girl took a large bite of the fruit Su Shen handed to her, and Daylen could not help but laugh at her sour frown. The girl looked at him then, at the sound of his laugh.

"Sorry," he apologized, not wanting her to think he was laughing at her. But then the girl did a most unusual thing: she laughed.

"It's sour," she said, giggling.

Su Shen and Bei stopped and stared, amazed.

"Yes," agreed Su Shen, offering an encouraging smile, "it is sour."

The girl nodded and took another bite, her face pinching together. Bei laughed out loud, his deep voice scaring a flock of birds from a nearby tree into flight.

"Very sour!" said the girl, shaking her fists in a peculiar way, as if she could physically chase away the tartness. Daylen took another bite from his fruit and could not help but wince himself, though it was nice to have fresh fruit.

"So what's so funny?" asked Bik-Bik, who sat on a nearby rock while nibbling at some of the fruit.

"Nothing, Bik-Bik," said Daylen. "But she spoke." He motioned to the girl. "This is a big moment." He smiled at the girl, who smiled shyly in return.

"Big deal," said Bik-Bik. "I talk all the time."

"Isn't that the unfortunate truth," sighed Daylen, taking another bite.

The girl crawled forward on her hands and knees toward Bik-Bik, who paused to watch her approach.

"What?" the ferret asked her.

"What are you?" she inquired, seeming delighted.

Bik-Bik heaved a great, bored sigh. "I'm a Cathayan ferret."

"I've never seen a ferret that could talk," said the girl.

"How do you know? You seem quite boring, to me. Maybe they just didn't want to talk to you." Bik-Bik speculated before returning his attentions to his fruit.

She reached out tentatively, as if to stroke him. "Do you bite?"

"Only small children."

The girl must have found the rodent's threat amusing, as she only giggled and began petting him.

"Hey now, what are.?" Bik-Bik began to object, but his words trailed off and his long, furry body slowly sank flat, his eyelids drooping lazily.

"Ah.," he purred.

"You're cute," the girl decided.

"Yeah," Bik-Bik agreed, his mouth hanging open in pleasure.

Su Shen moved and sat down cross legged next to her.

"What is your Name?" she asked.

"Chi-Len," said the girl, continuing to pet Bik-Bik, who started to drool a little.

"Well Chi-Len, I am Su Shen, and this is Bei, and that is Daylen Jagaro."

"I know. And this is Bik-Bik."

"That's me," said Bik-Bik, in case anyone missed it.

"Well it's good to meet you, Chi-Len," Su Shen went on. "Do you know where we are going?"

"To somewhere called the Tower of Secrets," the girl Named Chi-Len answered. She continued to give long strokes down Bik-Bik's back, a delighted smile on her face.

"Do you know why?"

Chi-Len shrugged.

Su Shen took a moment, choosing her next words carefully.

"Chi-Len, do you know if anyone is searching for you?"

The girl shrugged again, her attention still focused on Bik-Bik. "I don't think so," she answered.

"In your village," Su Shen continued, "was there anything. special about your family?"

The girl stopped in mid-stroke, her smile faltering.

"Hey!" objected Bik-Bik, his eyes snapping open to see what the hold up was. Chi-Len resumed her petting, her smile returning as if snapping out of a trance. Bik-Bik slowly closed his eyes again once he was sure the petting would continue uninterrupted.

"Do you not want to talk about your village?" asked Su Shen gently.

After another moment, the girl answered. "My village is dead. The gar killed them."

Su Shen offered a sad smile of condolence. "I'm sorry, Chi-Len." The girl said nothing.

There was a strange scab on Daylen's fruit, which he picked at absentmindedly with his finger while listening. It was clear that if the girl was somehow special, she was unaware of it. He took another bite, considering the matter as he chewed. The last time they had faced the Shadowed, the cultists had been after the Gong of the Dark Warrior, an ancient artifact they used to release their master from his eternal prison. That was their ultimate goal, as far as Daylen understood it; the yen'hi'ji worshipped the Dark Warrior, and apparently there were more misguided, fatalistic Name-givers who were seduced by their beliefs, joining them in their quest. But what could this little girl have to do with that?

He watched her petting Bik-Bik, his eyes drawn to hers, to those soft golden orbs. He had never seen any Name-giver with golden eyes before. Whatever her purpose, he was certain her eyes were the key to discovering what it was.

After their rest, they continued to the mountains, reaching them by nightfall. The winding mountain pass stretched for many miles, and forts sprang up at even intervals along its length, manned by the soldiers of Feng Dei. The forts had inns built into them to accommodate the many merchants and travelers that used the mountain pass, and it was in these inns that they spent their nights, wary of the mountain predators and bandits that sometimes swept down out of the tall peaks to prey on travelers.

Once on the other side, they stopped in the town of Huan-Di, which lay in the shadows of the rugged, snow-capped peaks, and by the time they reached the walled settlement, the sun had already sunk behind them. The night brought with it a gentle darkness broken by the soft glow of the moon.

They stepped through the simple wooden gate leading into the town, heading for an inn. Later, Daylen would not be able to recall what caused him to turn his head toward a nearby rooftop— whether it had been a subtle noise or simply an intuition—but when he looked, for just a moment he thought he saw a shadowy shape hugging the peaked roof, gazing at them with a pair of sinister, red eyes. He had looked only in passing, and his eyes had touched upon the figure only briefly, faster than his brain could register what he had seen. He snapped his gaze back, but by then the image was gone, and only a lonely rooftop remained.

He would also not be able to recall clearly why he had not told Su Shen and Bei what he had thought he had seen at that time; perhaps he dismissed it as a trick of his eyes, which had grown thick with road-traveled weariness. All he would be able to clearly recall is how much he was looking forward to that inn, the warm meal, and the even warmer bed.

The inn in question was called the Sleeping Dragon and was filled with various merchants and their bodyguards, for they had arrived during Huan-Di's seasonal market fair, and farmers and merchants from around the countryside had come to the town to barter, buy, and sell their goods in the bazaar. Daylen had been to more than a few such market fairs, and the business was always conducted during the day. During the nights, the inns swelled with customers, and more often than not, that is when the more illicit bargaining took place.

The customers spared them casual glances but did not seem overly interested in a Daughter of Heaven, a jade obsidiman, a foreigner, a ferret, and a young girl with golden eyes. Greed was on their minds, Daylen knew, not curiosity. He was thankful; glad for once to not be under the stare of so many creeping eyes.

A young human serving girl took their orders. Daylen was running low on silver, but luckily Su Shen and Bei had some coin and offered to pay for their meals and rooms. That was a nice change of pace, the merchant decided.

As his knotted muscles settled into the hard wooden frame of his chair, Daylen took a sip of his steaming tea and sighed. Bik-Bik hopped off of his shoulder onto the table.

"I want toju," he declared.

"You will eat what is brought," said Bei, who sat on the floor, for the chairs were unable to support his immense weight.

"That's it, I want money of my own," the ferret demanded. "I'm tired of you guys ordering the cheapest thing on the menu."

"And where would you carry it?" wondered Bei.

"Oh, he manages," said Daylen, recalling with a shudder the angry Therans back in Shan Dei.

Then to Bik-Bik he added, "Don't you get any more ideas."

"No, of course not." Bik-Bik mumbled, "I wouldn't want to ruin our perfect record of fantastically bad ideas, or anything."

Their food arrived a short while later on several trays, balanced expertly by the serving girl. Daylen's stomach responded noisily to the many aromas. He was reaching for a fresh bowl of rice when the aromas turned sour. He wrinkled his nose, tipping the bowl to get a better look inside. The rice had a thick webbing of green mold across the top.

"What.?" he began, when around them, patrons started spraying mouthfuls of tea and retching up their food.

The offensive smell of sudden, oppressive rot filled the common room. Patrons threw themselves to their feet in surprised disgust, a chorus of revulsion rippling throughout the room.

"I told you we should have ordered the tofu," said Bik-Bik smugly, still staring at the rotten food with a frustrated shake of his head.

Su Shen and Bei seemed only momentarily disgusted. The experienced adepts gazed around the room warily, hands reaching for their sheathed weapons.

A damp cold seemed to settle into Daylen's bones. He was not the only one who felt it; the room hushed, everyone glancing nervously about, trying to pinpoint their sudden unease. The light seemed to dim, and from the shadowy corners, beyond the glare of the copper lamps hanging from the room's many wooden pillars, emerged tall shapes. Men in dark, hooded robes that fell to the floor, their faces concealed in blackness, materialized from the shadows. Their pale hands gripped twisted black staffs that stood as tall as they, and looked just as sinister. They stood like wraiths, motionless and menacing, surrounding the common room.

A tense silence followed, broken finally by one of the merchants. He was a fat ork, wrapped in richly colored robes. He threw his chair back and stood, an air of privileged arrogance as thick as his perfume surrounding him. The four armed guards that accompanied him also stood, swords in hand, and it was clear the mercenaries gave him confidence.

He pointed a thick, jeweled finger at the nearest shape and said, "Did you spoil my food with some cheap magician's trick?"

The figure did not respond, causing the ork to grow even angrier. His chest swelled and his hands trembled. He took a threatening step forward, yelling, "You had best answer me!"

The figure did answer, though not with words. It drew its free hand back and then tossed it forward, and from its hand materialized a spear, formed from swirling shadow. The spear punched through the ork's chest and out of his back.

Panic erupted. The ork's guards charged, weapons raised and death cries spilling from their mouths while their master stared down stupidly at his chest, sinking to his knees as his life slowly bled away.

"Nethermonks!" Bei cursed, leaping to his feet and pulling out his dagger. Su Shen grabbed the girl and pulled her protectively behind her.

Daylen scooped Bik-Bik up from the table.

"Here we go again," said the ferret as he vanished inside Daylen's pack.

Daylen watched one of the guards swing a sword at the neth-ermonk's head. Before the sword blade could reach the dark figure, the bones in the guard's forearm snapped in half from some dark spell, as if his arm had collided with an unseen vertical rod and bent around it. He fell with a great cry, his arm flopping, useless, and the nethermonk sprang over him, beating the other guards' swords aside with its black staff and delivering savage blows, shattering teeth and bones with every strike.

The occupants of the inn tripped over each other as they flooded out the door, spilling out into the road. Bei ran forward and threw his dagger at the nethermonk that was busy laying into the dead merchant's guards. The blade twirled end over end, flying toward the darkness beneath the nethermonk's hood, but the foul creature slapped it easily aside with its staff, sending it flinging point first, quivering, into the wall.

However, the dagger was but a diversion. Bei bent down for one of the fallen guard's swords, just as the nethermonk aimed a blow for his head. The obsidiman ducked and rolled, rising with a murderous stroke. The sword plunged up into the nether-monk's chest and it fell soundlessly, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"Get out, now!" Bei yelled over his shoulder, lunging for the next one.

"Come on!" yelled Su Shen, leading the girl out of the inn.

Daylen moved to follow, but something tugged on his leg. He looked down to find his shadow staring up at him, gripping his leg. Its mouth opened into a twisted demonic grin and released a hideous, shrill cry—a mock of laughter.

"Just go! Go without me!" he hollered when Su Shen looked back. She nodded grimly and rushed out the door, gripping the girl's hand tightly.

Daylen kicked and struggled with his shadow, but he could not free himself from its grip.

"Look out!" cried Bik-Bik, terror in his little voice.

Daylen looked up and saw the nethermonks gliding, unhurried, across the room towards him. Then Bei's large arm scooped the merchant up and tugged mightily, tearing him free from his shadow, and together they stumbled out the door into the street.

Terror reigned outdoors just as it had within. Bodies, twisted and terrible, lay everywhere. Terrified townsfolk ran in all direction from the nethermonks, who glided with a calm menace, hurling deadly spells.

Daylen witnessed a small group of soldiers from the town's garrison surround a nethermonk, spears held out before them. The nethermonk reached with its free hand beneath its hood and dragged its long, black nails across its hidden face. Confusion settled over the soldiers, and when they looked at one another, their faces coiled into fright; they launched at their fellow soldiers, driving their spears into each other's bellies, through each other's backs, and deep into each other's faces. While they panicked and slew one another, the nethermonk slid away, searching for new victims.

Daylen followed Su Shen and Bei, who weaved through the panicked citizens. Before them, the path suddenly cleared, revealing a huge figure in the middle of the road. He was a giant of a man, with a shaven head, tremendous shoulders, and a neck as thick as a bull's. He was naked to his hips, and in his hands he carried a rage of thunder staff, a great warhammer of a size as intimidating as its wielder.

"It can't be.!" gasped Daylen.

"Is that.?" Bik-Bik poked his head out of Daylen's pack, cocking it to the side, studying the giant. "I bit that man!"

Daylen recalled the man, falling from the Wandering Mountains of Cathay. to his death? He could not have survived that fall. could he?

"You!" Bei growled, recognizing him as well. "I watched you die!"

The man stepped boldly forward. "I am Yen-Li the Undying, and I have come for the girl!"

Chi-Len cowered behind Su Shen.

"If you try to touch her you'll taste my blade!" swore the Daughter of Heaven, gracefully twirling her sword and aiming its slender tip at her foe.

Yen-Li the Undying laughed, gusty and powerful. "I have already tasted death, slut. Now it is your turn!"

The giant charged, bringing his warhammer up and over his head, then down at Su Shen with a mighty roar. She dove out of the way with the child in her arms. The hammer's head smashed into the dirt road, punching a hole into the tightly packed earth.

Before Yen-Li could raise his weapon for another attack, Bei stomped down on the shaft, tearing it from his grasp. Yen-Li ducked the obsidiman's lethal stroke and tackled him around his waist, dragging him to the ground.

"Daylen! Protect the child!"

Daylen rushed and grabbed the girl's hand, and Su Shen moved to help Bei, who managed to throw the giant off of him.

Yen-Li rolled and grabbed his weapon, and both of the giants gained their feet at the same time. He squared off with Su Shen and Bei, grinning savagely.

"I'm going to enjoy this," he said, flexing his great muscles.

Before he could move to attack, Su Shen twirled her sword about herself in an exotic martial dance. The golden tassels hanging from the pommel seemed to flicker and shine, and the movements caused Yen-Li to blink and stumble.

"You bitch!" he roared, swinging madly. The heavy warhammer lumbered through the air, and Su Shen leapt easily out of the way.

Nearby, a nethermonk stretched its hand out toward a soldier who charged screaming towards it, weapon leveled at its chest. From its palm a shower of brightly colored sparks flew, engulfing him, leaving a charred and contorted corpse behind. The neth-ermonk then turned its attention towards Su Shen and Bei.

Daylen saw it and yelled out a warning, but he was too late. The nethermonk stretched out his hand, and Bei froze. Yen-Li grinned wickedly. The nethermonk began miming fighting, using its dark staff as if it were a sword. Bei lurched and spun awkwardly toward Su Shen, swinging his weapon.

"I.I can't help myself!" he yelled, swinging his blade at her face. She parried and hopped back. Yen-Li charged in, and then Su Shen was dodging both of them, ducking, parrying, and rolling between the two, narrowly avoiding one murderous stroke after the other.

"Daylen!" she called, leaning back just in time to scarcely avoid the tip of Bei's sword as it whistled by her face. "The nethermonk! Stop him!"

Daylen looked at the being with dread.

"What does she mean, stop him?" asked Bik-Bik.

"I'll be right back; don't go anywhere!" Daylen told the girl. She stared up at him fearfully, gripping his hand tightly.

"It will be okay!" He gently pulled his hand free, his heart breaking at the sight of the absolute fear visible on her face.

"What are you going to do?" Bik-Bik went on. "Invite it to a pot of tea?"

Daylen ignored him and charged, screaming at the top of his lungs, trying his best to imitate the screams he heard Bei give when charging into battle, though it came out high and shrill.

"This isn't a good idea!" screamed Bik-Bik, ducking back into the pack.

Daylen dove heard first, tackling the nethermonk and interrupting the spell. They tumbled to the ground, rolling across the road, and when they finally stopped, Daylen found himself on the bottom. The nethermonk's hood had been thrown back, and Daylen found that a new dimension had been added to his fear.

The nethermonk's flesh was putrid and white, like that of a corpse. Not a single hair grew from that sickly cold flesh that stank of death. Sloppy, dark threads bound its lips and eyelids shut. Though its eyes were sewn closed, it still stared down at Daylen; he could jeel its eyes on him.

Then it gripped his face, and waves of agony coursed through Daylen's being. He opened his mouth to scream, but the pain froze his voice. Terrible spasms wracked his stomach and rippled outward, causing cramps to spring to life in his arms and legs, one after another, all the way down to his fingers and toes.

He squeezed his eyes shut against the torture, and all he could see was the red flare in his brain. Pain was his world. He tried to escape, to think of something else, to fight against it, but it ruled over him, squeezing every last ounce of delicious anguish from its subject. He was aware of nothing else; pain was all there was and all that had ever been.

And then, after what felt like an eternity, it was over. The pain vanished as suddenly as it had arrived, leaving behind no lingering effects, only the haunting memory.

The nethermonk was gone. They were all gone. The streets were littered with the dead and the wounded. Bei was standing, breathing heavily, over Su Shen, who sat slumped on her knees, a deep, aching sadness etched into her features.

The girl was gone.

XXX

They moved like vague shadows along the wooded shores. Shores that had long been weathered and broken by waves smashing upon the great rocks that pushed up through the surf like great gray teeth.

They slid silently among the trees, their presence frightening fierce nocturnal predators that normally ruled over these coastal forests. The animals could sense that there was nothing natural about these cloaked men who smelled of death, and so they slunk silently away, growling and wary.

Yen-Li the Undying carried the girl with golden eyes in one massive arm. His master would be pleased.

"Where are you taking me?" the girl asked. She sounded unafraid.

Yen-Li stared down at her, and even in the darkness he could see her golden eyes. His vision was sharper in the dark.

"You know what we want." he answered, gazing back at the ghostly woods.

"My friends will come for me," she said, sounding confident.

He laughed.

"They cannot track us. They have no magic that compares with that of the nethermonks."

"They are resourceful," she said. "And you cannot get what you want from me."

He looked at her again. She stared passively at him in return.

"We shall see."

Yen-Li the Undying and the nethermonks had spirited away with the girl using powerful magic, leaving Su Shen unable to track them. She wasted no time, hurrying out of Huan-Di immediately and heading back into the Dragon Spine Mountains, with Bei, Daylen, and Bik-Bik in tow. She did not even stay to attend the wounded, which Daylen found surprising; that was her duty as a Daughter of Heaven. But she was so distraught over the girl's kidnapping that she did not even give the injured citizens a second glance, ignoring their pain-filled cries.

"Where are we going?" Daylen asked as the town fell out of sight behind them.

"We are going to find Chi-Len," was all the Daughter of Heaven would say. She was ahead of the group, her legs carrying her forward in great, leaping strides. She would not pause to rest, pushing onward throughout the night. High into the forested hills they climbed, their way lit by the torches Su Shen carried in her pack.

The adepts were having an easy time of the hike, but Daylen's lungs and thighs burned so awfully that it was all he could do to stay upright. They finally stopped just before dawn.

"We will rest for two hours," said Su Shen. "We will need our strength for the climb in the morning."

"Climb?" Daylen moaned, collapsing onto his side.

He fell into a deep, dreamless sleep within moments, and the next thing he was aware of was being dragged painfully out of the depths of his comfort by Bei, who was roughly shaking him by the shoulder. Daylen sat up before he was fully aware of where he was or what was going on.

"Daylen, get up," said the Warrior, offering him a drink from his water skin. "We leave in five minutes."

For the first half hour or so, Daylen felt charged and refreshed. The air was crisp and clean, and the delicate chirping of the birds put a smile on his face, allowing him to momentarily forget the urgency of their mission, and how frightened poor Chi-Len must have been.

But his weariness soon caught up with him. His exhaustion discomforted him so greatly that he doubted he would be able to fall asleep even if they stopped. In an effort to keep his mind active, Daylen told Su Shen and Bei about the shadowy figure he had seen atop the roof the night before, when they had first entered Huan-Di.

"A shadow hunter," said Bei. "A spirit tracker summoned with nethermantic magic."

"I wasn't sure if it was actually something or just a trick of the shadows," said the merchant, feeling guilty.

"What's done is done," said Su Shen.

The ascent grew more steep and treacherous. Around midday, Daylen's nose began to bleed.

"It is from the elevation," Su Shen told him, handing him a torn cloth to hold to his face. "The air is thinner up here, but it will pass."

A couple of hours later they found what they had come for: a nest, easily ten feet in diameter, constructed from a tangle of tree branches and filled with several pale eggs, each nearly four feet long and two and a half feet wide.

"What is this? Why are we here?" Daylen asked, a sinking dread settling into his belly. His eyes scanned the wide blue skies. "What beast laid these?" he asked in a whisper, fearing his question would summon the creature.

"It is called a jun. A great winged bird of immense size," said Bei, climbing into the nest, seemingly unworried.

"Okay. But why are we here?"

"We need an egg," was Bei's matter-of-fact response. The brawny obsidiman hoisted one up onto the rim of the nest. "Daylen, hold this while I climb over."

"Um.all right," Daylen rested his hands against the egg. The shell was much rougher than he imagined it would be, and overall much lighter. Bei threw himself gracefully over the edge of the nest and relieved the merchant of the egg.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem. So why again do we need this egg?"

"You'll see." Bei bent his knees and cupped the oversized egg from the bottom. When he stood, he had to peek around it to see where he was going.

They maneuvered down a narrow ledge, perhaps only five feet wide, that dropped into a wide chasm on their right and lifted into a sheer face on their left. They scarcely traveled one hundred yards before they heard the terrific screech echoing off of the cold stone cliffs.

"We need to go faster," said Bei, unbothered, to Su Shen, who was in the lead.

"What was that?" asked Daylen in alarm, as he followed the others. He looked back over his shoulder toward the source of the screech.

"Let me hazard a guess," said Bik-Bik from his shoulder. "The mother?"

"That would be my guess as well," Bei huffed while lugging the egg at a quicker pace.

"Well what are we going to do?" Daylen tried not to sound panicked, though he wished they would move quicker so he could accommodate his strong urge to run.

"Run," was Su Shen's simple answer.

Easier said than done.

"And here comes mommy," Bik-Bik sighed.

Without slowing, Daylen twisted to see the great black bird swooping out of the sky. Twelve feet long with a wingspan of twice that size, the furious mother jun arrived in a swirling rush of wind, beating its vast wings and clawing for Daylen with its talons, which were easily the size of small sabers.

The merchant ducked, crying out, "Help!"

"That's good!" Bei called back. "Keep it busy, we're almost there!"

"Keep it busy?!"

The jun lashed out with its beak. Daylen ducked, and the strike meant for his face instead tore a chunk out of the stone above him.

"By the hand of Dis!" he swore, scrambling away on his hands and knees.

They rounded a bend in the path, and Daylen almost wept with relief when he saw Su Shen and Bei ducking into a short cave that was only five feet tall—much too short and narrow for the jun to follow.

He could feel the bird's great claws brush his back as he dove in after them. It flapped madly, squawking and shoving its face as far as it could after him. He kicked frantically, crawling backwards beyond the reach of the daylight that filtered past the mass of black feathers, putting himself deep into the darkness.

"Where are we?" Bik-Bik asked. The way his voice echoed told Daylen that they were in some sort of vast chamber.

"Who dares enter the lair of the mighty Hong!" A voice boomed from the darkness, deep and threatening.

"Well that answers that," Bik-Bik said to himself.

"It is Su Shen!"

There was a brief pause before, "Did you bring the required payment?" Though not as threatening as before, the voice was still loud and powerful.

"Yes!" Bei answered, and Daylen could hear the obsidiman setting the egg onto the cavern floor.

Light flooded into being, revealing a large cavern, richly decorated with various Cathayan tapestries, vases, and rugs. Tall bookshelves climbed the walls, filled with stacks upon stacks of dusty scrolls and tomes.

"This must be a dragon's lair," Daylen thought, just as a voice spoke.

"Excellent! I have not had a jun's egg in a very long time. Come, I just finished making a pot of dragon lotus tea!"

Daylen followed the voice, which had transformed to be somehow aged and feeble sounding, to its source where he saw an old male dwarf standing in the center of the chamber holding a teapot and smiling warmly.

And that is how Daylen met Hong the dwarf.

Hong was no dragon, Daylen learned, but merely a reclusive magician with a love of eggs. The dwarf fried up the jun egg and handed everyone a fluffy, steaming plate along with a cup of tea.

"And for your Cathayan ferret, I have some tofu cubes!" Hong declared with a wide grin.

"Oh! Well I don't mind if I do!" hooted Bik-Bik, helping himself to the soft, spongy cubes.

"The dragon lotus tea is good for the digestion," Hong told them all while pouring himself a second cup.

"It's very good," Daylen thanked him.

"It is very good!" the old man agreed. "And good for your body!"

After his belly was full, a terrible drowsiness settled over Daylen, his overnight march finally overwhelming him.

Hong noticed his drooping eyes and said, "Go ahead and sleep, I need time to prepare, anyway."

Su Shen nodded, and Daylen for the first time noticed how weary the Daughter of Heaven looked. She stretched out onto her side, folding one arm beneath her head as a pillow. He had a sudden, aching urge to curl up beside her.

But instead he asked, "Wait; prepare what?"

"Hong is the best diviner in all of Cathay," Bei told him as he laid himself down. "He will find Chi-Len."

Hong smiled, agreeing with the assessment. Daylen nodded, yawning deeply. That was good. He laid himself down on the cavern floor as well, surprised to find how warm and comfortable it was. He wondered if maybe there was a great fire underneath the mountain, warming it for the elves who lived there. That is where King Neden lived, down there with the dancing elves, which was weird, because Neden was a dwarf. He had never seen Neden himself. he wondered if he was related to Hong.

Thus his thoughts continued to slip further and further into the realm of nonsense, and soon he was adrift in a sea of dreams.

When he awoke, it was sudden and at once. One moment he was unaware of reality, and the next he was fully awake. His head was clear, and he felt like he had just slept for a day and a half.

He sat up and looked around. Su Shen and Bei were stirring as well, and Bik-Bik stood up on his paws and stretched.

"How long were we asleep?" he asked.

"For one hour," answered the dwarf, returning from deeper within the cave. A small jar made of green glass rested in his wrinkled hands. Dried purple flower petals spilled out of the top.

"One hour? That can't be right." Daylen scratched his head.

"The dragon lotus tea, when taken on a full stomach, reduces the amount of sleep one needs in order to feel refreshed," the old man explained, seeming quite pleased. He sat down and began sprinkling the flower petals into a pot of boiling water that hung suspended over a low fire.

"This should not take too long," he said. "I am preparing the final component for my spell."

"We are most grateful," said Su Shen. "We are searching for a young girl. She was taken from us."

"Oh, sounds most serious," said Hong, stirring the contents of the pot with a long wooden spoon. "Who is this girl?"

"She is wanted by the Shadowed," said Bei. "We rescued her from the Land of the Gar."

Hong nodded slowly, in cadence with the stirring of the water. "I see. And it is the Shadowed who took her?"

"Yes. They attacked us with the help of nethermonks," Su Shen's face dropped at the memory.

"What are nethermonks doing working with the Shadowed?" Hong inquired, seeming interested in this news.

"We are unsure," answered Bei.

"Who are the nethermonks?" Daylen asked, recalling the horrid cloaked figures with dread.

"What are the nethermonks," Hong corrected him. The old dwarf's face contorted into an expression of distaste, as if he had just tasted something bitter. "They are twisted creatures that were once Name-givers until they sold their souls for dark and forbidden powers."

"Nethermancy isn't forbidden," said Daylen, almost defensively. He had known Nethermancers back in Barsaive. They had an unfair reputation, he thought. They explored the mysteries of the nether realms, trafficked with spirits, and had undead servants, but it did not necessarily make them evil. Back home, his elven friend Sorcha, a Nethermancer from Urupa, was one of the most delightful people he knew. However, the nethermonks were not Nethermancers, though they both used nethermantic magic.

"No, it is not their magic that makes them twisted and evil," said Hong, withdrawing his spoon from his brew and tapping it on the pot's edge to knock off any lingering liquid. "It is the manner in which they acquire it."

"And how is that?" It was Bik-Bik who asked; the ferret had a morbid fascination with dark magic. "Do they get it from Horrors?"

Hong laughed, setting aside the wooden spoon.

"If it were only so revolting as that," he said. "Now, let's see if I made this brew correctly."

The old dwarf dipped a bronze ladle into the broth and filled his tea cup. He lifted it to his face with both hands and deeply inhaled the rising steam through his nose. His face screwed up and twitched almost violently... and then he let out a tremendous sneeze.

"Ugh, that always happens!" he said, sniffling, and then brought the cup to his lips, swallowing all of its contents in one gulp.

His eyes and lips pinched shut, as if the brew had a mighty kick. After a long moment he exhaled mightily, his face turning a deep red. One eye peeked open.

"Where did you lose the girl?" he asked.

Su Shen said, "Not far from here. In the town of Huan-Di."

Hong nodded. "It is fortunate that it happened so close to my home."

"Yes," Su Shen agreed. "It was the will of the Passions."

Bik-Bik snorted. "Well if it was the will of the Passions, then maybe they want the Shadowed to have her," he said. The ferret blinked innocently at the harsh stares he drew. "What? That makes sense, right?"

Hong continued, "How long ago was she taken?"

"Just last night."

Hong shut his eye and grew quiet. His head twitched repeatedly, and then he tilted it to the side, as if listening for something.

"How old is this child?" He asked.

"About eleven or twelve."

"And she is gar?"

"No, Cathayan."

Hong frowned, as if it were an effort to adjust to the new information.

After another moment, he asked, "Are there any distinguishing marks on the girl? A scar? Birthmark?"

"She has golden eyes."

Hong nodded in approval. "That will do."

There was silence in the great cavern as Hong concentrated. When he spoke, his voice ushered forth in an awkward, stumbling rhythm.

"I see her. She is with. cloaked men. nethermonks. and. a giant.."

"Yen-Li," scowled Bei.

"They are approaching a great walled city on the shore. It lies on the edge of a steep cliff. There is a vast network of docks filled with ships in a giant cove below the city.."

"Min Yan! They are at Min Yan!" Su Shen's voice carried triumph with it. She threw herself to her feet and began gathering up her things.

Hong opened his eyes and blinked several times as if awakening from a long nap.

"Did I find her?" he asked with a curious interest.

"Yes old friend," said Su Shen, throwing her slender arms around the stocky dwarf in a great big hug. "Thank you."

"Oh!" The dwarf laughed, hugging her tenderly back. "That is good! I am glad I could help."

"So we're leaving again?" whined Bik-Bik.

"What are you complaining about?" Daylen chided. "It's not like you have to actually do any walking."

Bik-Bik shrugged. "Yeah, but I like it here."

Daylen shook his head and sighed. Min Yan was the capital of Feng Dei, and it was nearly one thousand miles away, on the tip of the Zen Yan peninsula. No doubt Su Shen would insist on taking an airship, but they still had to climb down the mountain and reach civilization before they could do that.

"You must beware, Su Shen," said the old magician. "The nethermonks are powerful."

"We faced many of them and survived," Bei said with the kind of confidence that came easily to Warriors.

"Yes," Hong agreed, "but that is because they only wanted the girl. When you try to take her from them, their full attentions— and powers—will be focused on you."

The memory of his encounter with the nethermonks, and the incapacitating pain that had come with it, flashed through Daylen's mind. He was not looking forward to facing them again.

"Do not worry," Su Shen assured the dwarf. "We will save the girl and return her to the Tower of Secrets. We have faced greater foes."

Hong nodded, and Daylen detected a shared history among the three adepts.

"Well in the meantime," said the magician, "you should wait until the jun forgets about her egg."

"We cannot wait," said Su Shen firmly.

"Well, then be extra careful when leaving the mountain. A mother jun is fierce when protecting her eggs. I know that all too well!"

So did Daylen. He sort of felt sorry for the giant bird; she was just a mother protecting her young, after all. But he knew that if the bird attacked again on their way down the mountain, his newfound empathy for the creature would vanish just as quickly as the idea of saying something nice did when such a rare thing entered Bik-Bik's thoughts.

"The next time we visit," said Bei, "we will bring you two eggs!"

Hong was visibly excited by his promise. "Well I hope you return soon then!"

Daylen made a mental note to be absent for the next trip up the mountain.

"And for you, little ferret," the dwarf grinned, "I will make extra tofu!"

"I like this guy," Bik-Bik approved with a nod.

Their trip down the mountain went without incident. The jun had already left, giving up her egg for lost. They decided not to return to Huan-Di, as the chaos of the attack would no doubt be fresh in people's minds. Instead they would travel south, to the capital. The first city to which they came had airship docks, and they persuaded a captain ferrying cargo to the Zen Yan peninsula to take them on, even though he at first claimed he had no room. Daylen was surprised that, when the captain was unimpressed by the Daughter of Heaven and jade obsidiman's urgent business, Su Shen did not grow impatient and self-righteous, but instead offered to pay him twice his normal occupant fee.

Down in their room, she began pacing, which, for some reason, made Daylen nervous.

"Don't worry," Daylen said to her, summoning his most reassuring voice. "We'll find her."

Su Shen only nodded, her green eyes burning fiercely. Daylen wished he could hold her and tell her that everything would be all right. He heaved an inward sigh. He thought of Chi-Len and the fear she must be going through and felt anger twist in the pit of his stomach. He felt anger at his helplessness. More than wanting to comfort Su Shen, he suddenly wanted to make the Shadowed pay for what they had done.

Vengeance was a new desire for Daylen, but once he realized it smothered his fear and doubt, he decided he liked it.

The surf washed gently across the sandy beach. Daylen watched the seagulls flap against the salty breeze that blew in off the Emerald Sea. A mile ahead of them, the sandy shore gradually wore away and was replaced with rocky, bronze cliffs that rose steadily higher. At the peak, one hundred feet above the rolling green waves, sat Min Yan, the capital of Feng Dei.

Daylen could see the tall, peaked buildings rising above the twenty-five-foot-high granite wall that ran around the city. As they grew closer, he spotted the legendary pearls that were set at even intervals along the wall's top. Each pearl was a brilliant, luminescent white and seemed to blaze from an internal flame in the mid-morning sun. Each was the size of a grown troll's head and easily worth a small fortune. Daylen could only imagine how large the oysters from which they were taken must have been.

However, the pearls were not a mere decoration or statement of wealth and power; they were the city's main line of defense. Daylen had heard the stories about the lightning bolts the pearls were capable of hurling at invaders, and his imagination envisioned what that must look like as he climbed the well-worn road leading to the tall city gates.

This was the second time Daylen had been to the eastern coast of Cathay, though the first to this capital. He did not care for the smells that rolled in off the shore, which were a revolting blend of salt and shellfish. He did not know how the people could stand it, though he supposed one would grow used to it after a while.

When they arrived at the tall city walls they found the iron gates shut. This puzzled the merchant, for most cities only closed their gates at night, if they closed them at all.

"Gatekeeper!" Bei yelled up at the walls in his powerful voice. When there was no response, he rapped his giant fist on the tall iron door, sending a resounding clang throughout the morning air.

A moment later, a head appeared over the ramparts.

"Go away!" called the soldier. "The city of Min Yan is quarantined due to a plague!"

Before the man's face could once again vanish behind the cren-ellations, Su Shen called up, "I am a Daughter of Heaven! I can help heal the sick!"

The man stared down at her like she was crazy, but then said, "If you enter, you cannot again leave until the plague has run its course! We cannot risk the spread of contamination throughout the kingdom!"

"I understand!" Su Shen's voice grew stern. "Now open the gate!"

The soldier hollered a command to someone out of view, and from the other side of the portal they could hear the giant crossbeam lifting, and then the gate doors swung slowly inwards with a great groan. Once the opening was wide enough to walk through, Su Shen rushed forward, taking great strides, and Bei and Daylen hurried to keep up.

On the other side they found a deserted city—or at least, so it seemed. Aside from the dozen or so soldiers who pushed the ponderous doors closed behind them and dropped the large crossbeam back into place, they found very few people.

Close to the gate, barrels sat stacked one upon another after being unloaded from a nearby warehouse. Daylen knew that many of the warehouses in the city had sloping tunnels dug below them, leading down into the earth to the great, natural cove beneath the city. It was in this cove where the city's docks were located. The merchants unloaded their cargo and brought it up to the many warehouses, where it was stored and eventually sold to buyers. Why the barrels were being unloaded here, by the gate, was a mystery.

"What's going on?" Daylen asked one of the guards, motioning to the growing stack of barrels.

"The lord has ordered fresh water to be delivered to the city."

The lord? Fresh water?

Daylen watched the sweaty dockworkers—large obsidimen and trolls chosen for their strength—lug the numerous barrels in a steady stream from the open warehouse. Each of the barrels had an emblem of a sparrow painted on its side in black.

Daylen cocked his head. The emblem looked familiar somehow. and then it hit him.

He began walking toward the warehouse, his eyes scanning for something familiar.

"Daylen Jagaro, where are you going?" asked Su Shen with a slight hint of impatience in her voice.

"To get some answers."

Inside, he found him. The red-scaled t'skrang stood, clicking his beak-like nose in the familiar idiosyncratic habit: Tsa-Hung, the right-hand man of Ning-Xa, the powerful merchant lord of Feng Dei and owner of the treasure ship, the Mighty Sparrow.

The t'skrang stood with his hands on his hips, his long tail swishing silently back and forth behind him as he oversaw the dockworkers. He caught Daylen approaching out of the corner of his eye and twisted his crested head. It was clear that he at once recognized the Barsaivian merchant.

"Daylen Jagaro!" the t'skrang said, bowing in greeting.

Daylen returned the bow, making certain to dip just as low, and said, "Tsa-Hung, it is good to see you again."

The t'skrang nodded his head in reciprocal fashion. "As it is with you. What brings you to this cursed place? There is a plague among the citizens; you should not be here, it is not safe."

Before Daylen could answer, Tsa-Hung looked beyond him and spied his companions. His beaked face seemed to widen with his astonishment.

"You travel with a Daughter of Heaven and a jade obsidiman?" There was no disguising the awe in his voice.

"Oh, right. yes. This is Su Shen and Bei." Then to them he said, "This is Tsa-Hung, administrator to Ning-Xa of the Mighty Sparrow."

Tsa-Hung bowed deeply. Su Shen and Bei nodded their heads.

"It is an honor," said the t'skrang with a voice long trained in etiquette.

"What about me?" demanded Bik-Bik.

Tsa-Hung's eyes widened further. "You also have a Cathayan ferret!"

"Have?" Bik-Bik bristled. "He does not own me. I am not some cheap pet."

"My most humble apologies." Tsa-Hung bowed again. "Please, forgive this foolish t'skrang's ignorance."

Bik-Bik did not answer right away, apparently taking satisfaction in letting Tsa-Hung grovel a moment longer. "Very well," he finally replied, in a way that made Daylen think he was trying to impersonate a noble lord. Daylen tried not to laugh.

Tsa-Hung rose from his bow and said to Daylen, "You travel with fascinating companions Daylen Jagaro, but you did not answer my question: what are you doing in Min Yan during such a dangerous time?"

Daylen looked to Su Shen, afraid to give out too much information. She nodded her consent.

"We are looking for a young girl. A young girl with golden eyes."

Tsa-Hung frowned. "A girl with golden eyes? Human?"

"Yes. Have you seen such a girl?" Daylen asked, although he could already tell he had not.

"No, Daylen Jagaro, I have never seen a human girl, or boy for that matter, with gold-colored eyes. That is most peculiar. I am most certain I would have remembered if I had ever encountered such an unusual person."

Daylen nodded. "I thought as much. But my real question, and the reason I came over here, is what are you doing here?"

"My master is here," was Tsa-Hung's simple answer.

"But why? You said it yourself: there is a plague in this city."

"Why, we bring fresh water!" Tsa-Hung motioned to the many barrels being brought up from beneath the city.

It was Daylen's turn to frown. "Fresh water? I don't understand?"

"I am surprised you have not heard of what is happening here already," spoke Tsa-Hung, a look of sadness passing over his features. "The plague struck three weeks past. It is believed that it began in the city's water source, in the nearby river that feeds the crops. But after it was ingested—by the food it helped grow or straight from the river—people grew ill, and then it began to pass from person to person. Many hundreds have already died, and thousands more are gravely ill."

"That does not make sense," Su Shen objected. "I have never heard of a sickness that travels in such a way."

Tsa-Hung gazed at her evenly. "It is whispered by some that dark magic is the cause of this plague."

"The Shadowed," Daylen thought but did not say. He was not sure how much Su Shen and Bei would want to reveal, so he kept his theory to himself.

"When my master heard of the tragedy," Tsa-Hung continued, "he rushed the Mighty Sparrow here with as much fresh water as he could gather. He sits there now, docked below the city in the cove."

"More like rushed to the city when he realized how much money could be earned," Daylen figured to himself. Still, whether the motivation was humanitarian or pecuniary, Ning-Xa's water would no doubt help save countless people from dehydration.

"He's here now?" Daylen asked, to which Tsa-Hung nodded. "I would like to speak with him."

"It can be arranged." Tsa-Hung bowed.

Daylen turned to Su Shen and Bei. "Ning-Xa is rich and powerful and knows many people; he may be able to help."

"You speak with him," said Su Shen in agreement. "We will not go far. I plan on investigating the city further."

"I won't be long," Daylen promised.

Tsa-Hung led him deep into the bowels of the earth, down a steadily declining corridor that zigzagged beneath the city. The corridor was wide, easily fifteen feet across, spacious enough for carts and beasts of burden to pass each other going up and down its tremendous length.

The way was lit by large fluttering torches spaced evenly down the walls, held in place by decorative iron sconces. The walls themselves were painted with brightly colored murals depicting the various heroes and stories of Min Yan and of greater Feng Dei. Daylen passed legendary generals leading vast hosts against enemy forces, legendary admirals sending enemy ships to the bottom of the Emerald Sea, and legendary heroes battling monstrous Horrors and reviled villains.

The air was warm and humid, and as they neared the end of the passage, the walls began to glisten with condensation. Finally, they stepped out into a vast, lofty cove that stretched nearly one thousand yards across and just as deep. Far across from them, a cavern opened to the outside world where the ocean crawled away into the horizon. The sunlight pouring through the opening contrasted so greatly with the dim interior of the cove that it appeared as a great white ball, its bottom submerged in the clear green waters. Above it was raised an enormous iron portcullis that could be lowered to block the entrance, preventing ships from entering or leaving.

A wide dock ran out over the deep waters just in front of them, where a dozen ships were docked, including the Mighty Sparrow. The great treasure ship was easily the largest ship in the cove, and most likely the largest ship in the entire kingdom. It loomed like a giant over the docks, its nine masts covered in brightly colored flags that were believed to bring the ship good luck. Sitting at just over one hundred and thirty yards in length and nearly seventy yards in width, the Mighty Sparrow was crewed by four hundred Name-givers: cooks, serving girls, and Troubadours for the many galleries; butchers to prepare fresh meat; Elementalists to tend the gardens and fresh water supplies that existed in the lowest holds; brokers and merchants to facilitate Ning-Xa with his many transactions and investments; highly trained sailors all throughout the decks; and a small army of mercenaries to maintain order and impose the merchant lord's will. The treasure ship was truly a self-sufficient, floating city, and Ning-Xa was its sovereign.

Daylen had never seen the Mighty Sparrow in the water before; all treasure ships—of which there were perhaps only a handful in all of Cathay—were airships, but he knew that the vessels were just as capable of sailing on water if the need called for it. The last time he had seen the tall ship, he had just sailed in it above Tiet Dei, and it had been right before he met Su Shen and Bei for the first time, changing his life forever.

Soldiers were manning the docks, allowing only select people to enter the city while making certain no one attempted to leave without authorization. They moved to inspect Daylen and Tsa-Hung when their footfalls fell heavily across the wooden planks, but stopped when they recognized the t'skrang, whose deep red scales made him unmistakable as Ning-Xa's right-hand man.

Behind them, along the same wall from which they had appeared, Daylen saw dozens of other passages vanishing up into the moist rock, leading back into various other warehouses spread throughout the city. Large Cathayan characters etched into the stone near each portal indicated the districts to which they led. Daylen recognized some of them: grains, livestock, furs. These told incoming merchants which ramp to take so their goods would arrive in the appropriate warehouses. Each warehouse, Daylen knew, had a tax minister who inspected, catalogued, and appropriately taxed every last bit of cargo.

Likewise, there was a small wooden building on the docks where the Master of the Port resided. He was in charge of taxing any ship that docked in the cove. To sell one's goods in a city as large as Min Yan, one had to have sufficient capital to first purchase it, transport it, and then store it. However, it was extremely likely one would find merchants or traders willing to take the goods off one's hands for the inflated price. The larger population always equaled higher demand.

In most large cities, the warehouses were owned and operated by the merchant guilds, but here in Min Yan they were owned by Sen Ma, the king. The guilds still controlled the various trades in the city, however, and any merchant, tradesman, or artisan hoping to operate within the walls would first have to join, which brought with it heavy dues. Still, the mutual protection of the guild made it worthwhile, and once a merchant was a guild member, he was able to apply for loans for future investments or purchase insurance for his goods.

Daylen figured that a merchant lord like Ning-Xa, with his vast network of investments, was more than likely a member of all of the city's guilds, and probably held a seat on each of their councils. This would be not only true for Min Yan and every other major city in the kingdom, but, most likely, for every major city throughout Cathay.

Daylen followed Tsa-Hung as he walked up a loading ramp that ran up from the dock to the uppermost deck of the Mighty

Sparrow. It had been over a year since he had been on the ship, but the sights, sounds, and smells brought him back to that moment, as if he had just left. He could not prevent the creeping tension from entering his belly, nor could he prevent his palms from sweating.

"Why am I so nervous?" he wondered. It was not like he was trying to impress Ning-Xa this time; he had nothing to lose. Old habits were hard to break, he supposed. He knew the merchant lord would already be waiting for them—Tsa-Hung had sent a runner to alert him of their arrival.

He continued to follow as the t'skrang led him down into the ship, along the familiar journey past various lounges, eating galleries, and guest rooms, and finally, after several minutes, to a wide, opulent chamber that he knew to be where Ning-Xa greeted his guests. It was richly decorated, with a deep, plush rug covering the floor, decorative scrolls falling from the walls, and incense smoke hanging heavily in the air. It was just as Daylen remembered it.

At the far end of the room, just behind a low table carved from a dark wood, sat Ning-Xa. He was a human, dressed in a richly colored robe of silk, fair of skin, and with lean features. He wore a carefully trimmed mustache and beard that did not touch his cheeks, styled and oiled to be thin and slick, falling in three points below his face. Beneath a short square cap that sat on his head, a long, black, braided ponytail fell down across his left shoulder to lie on his chest. Behind him, two glass doors stood closed, beyond which was a wide balcony from which the merchant lord could enjoy whatever view presented itself that day.

Tsa-Hung bowed to his master and departed. Ning-Xa fixed his sight on Daylen, a polite smile resting easily on his face, though it did not seem to be reflected in his almond-shaped eyes.

"Daylen Jagaro," he said. "Please, have a seat."

Daylen bowed and complied, sitting on the brightly colored floor cushions that were carefully arranged across the table from the merchant lord.

"Thank you for seeing me," said Daylen, noting that Ning-Xa did not offer him any of the various fruit that sat in deep wooden bowls upon his table.

"I would not turn you away," said Ning-Xa, and then he pointed a slender finger at Daylen's shoulder and said, "Who is your companion?"

Daylen had forgotten about Bik-Bik, even though he sat on his shoulder; the normally fussy little ferret had been so uncharacteristically still and quiet.

"This is Bik-Bik, a Cathayan ferret."

Ning-Xa raised one eyebrow. "Truly?"

"Indeed," Bik-Bik spoke up. "My Name is Bik-Bik."

Ning-Xa leaned forward ever so slightly, ignoring the ferret's glib response. Daylen could tell that the merchant lord was greatly interested, though the subtle motion would have been lost on most people. Ning-Xa was very disciplined, able to mask his desires and emotions, which was very helpful in his line of work.

"Well met, Bik-Bik." Ning-Xa's voice was soft and smooth, practiced over many years to be at once confident and unthreatening.

"Sure," said the ferret, characteristically irreverent and unimpressed with the whole affair.

Ning-Xa smiled slightly and then returned his attention to Daylen. "So what is it that I can help you with today?" he asked.

Daylen could sense Ning-Xa's thinly veiled contempt; he must still be angry over their broken contract. The idea of bringing it up and apologizing passed briefly through his mind, but he quickly dismissed the idea, deciding instead to try a different tactic. "I am traveling with two other companions," he began. "A Daughter of Heaven and a jade obsidiman. They are in the city, awaiting my return."

He paused ever so briefly to study Ning-Xa's reaction. The merchant lord's eyebrows rose faintly at the news, but no other reaction was discernible.

Daylen continued, "We are searching for a young human girl. She has eyes the color of gold."

The reaction to this last news elicited a much more visible response. Ning-Xa's breath paused for only the briefest of moments, but in that moment he seemed to tense. Daylen cocked his head. "You know something?"

Ning-Xa's eyes had fallen to his table, as if considering, but at Daylen's question they rose again and he flashed a disarming smile. "It's just something I heard," he said. "I am sure it is nothing."

"No, please," Daylen's words spilled out too eagerly, unchecked and undisciplined, "If you know something.."

His words trailed off when he saw the corners of Ning-Xa's mouth twitch upward. Had the merchant lord just bluffed him to find out how much this information was truly worth?

"Daylen Jagaro." Ning-Xa raised his hands innocently, showing his palms. "I am sure it is nothing, but you have my word: if I hear anything of a girl with golden eyes, I will of course tell you immediately. I always endeavor to do all that I can to assist servants of the empire, and, of course, old friends such as yourself." Ning-Xa spoke with words of honey.

Daylen relaxed, knowing that he spoke the truth. he just worried at what price the information would come.

"Well," said Daylen, "I thank you."

"Of course. Was there anything else I could help you with today?"

Daylen nodded. "Yes, actually. Do you have any information about this plague?"

Ning-Xa related the story to him as Tsa-Hung had done, adding at the end, "These are my countrymen; I am more than glad to help them," to add to the believability that he was here on a humanitarian mission, which Daylen still did not believe. A merchant as powerful as Ning-Xa did not gain his position by being a humanitarian.

"Who is the lord that ordered this fresh water? Where is the king?"

"Lord Chin Zan sent the word out that the city required fresh water. King Sen Ma is visiting the nation of Jih'Po, and Lord Chin Zan was here visiting the capital when the plague struck. He has taken over administration duties in the king's absence."

Daylen knew that the king of Feng Dei was often away, visiting the island nation of Jih'Po that sat just to the East of the Zen Yan peninsula. It was an autonomous nation, separate from Cathay, populated with a people whose ancestors had once lived in the empire but over the ages developed their own culture and language. However, Daylen had heard that the land was facing similar troubles to those from which Cathay suffered, as the various daimyos fought each other for control of the island.

"Will the king be returning soon?" he asked.

Ning-Xa shook his head. "It is unlikely. The king will stay away as long as the plague remains." Then he added, "The other nobles and merchants in the city are not happy about it."

Daylen understood. Many of Feng Dei's nobles openly grumbled about how much time Sen Ma spent in the foreign land.

"Where are all of the people in the city?" Daylen changed the subject. "When we arrived, the streets appeared nearly deserted."

"The people are afraid," said Ning-Xa, sympathetically, "and who can blame them? Nobody wants to leave their homes for fear of contracting the epidemic. Only hunger and thirst drive them from behind their doors, and even then only for a short time."

Daylen nodded, understanding. He wondered if Su Shen and Bei had discovered anything up in the city; it would be harder with everyone secluding themselves and afraid to open their doors. He stood. "I need to get back to my companions now."

Ning-Xa stood as well. "Well, I will let you know the moment I discover anything at all about your missing girl."

Daylen bowed. "Thank you."

Ning-Xa bowed as well, though not returning the bow as low.

"I saw you eyeing them earlier," the merchant lord said as Daylen turned to leave. He was motioning to the fruit on his table. "Please, take one with you."

Daylen stared at the fruit; he recognized the various kinds that were proudly displayed in the bowls. They were rare delicacies, found only on the tropical islands that rested in the Emerald Sea, far to the South.

"No thank you," he said with a tight-lipped smile.

With that, he took his leave.

XXX

"This is Yu Lei and Shen Tu," Su Shen told Daylen when he returned.

Yu Lei and Shen Tu were Daughters of Heaven, like herself. Yu Lei was an elf, and she was the master, with ten pearls set into her jade bracer. Shen Tu was a young dwarf, Yu Lei's apprentice, with but one pearl earned.

The two Daughters bowed in greeting.

"They have been here since the beginning of the plague and have yet to discover what is causing it," Su Shen finished.

"It resists our magic. It is as if it is fueled by something," said Yu Lei.

"Magic," said Bei, grimly. The Daughters nodded.

"But from where? From whom?" Daylen asked. They did not have an answer.

"What about your merchant friend?" Bei asked. "Did he have any answers?"

Daylen shook his head. "He promised to alert me at once if he learns anything. What about you?"

"We have only found soldiers," Su Shen told him. He could hear the disappointment in her voice. "None have seen her."

"We will keep an eye out for her as well," Yu Lei promised. Su Shen looked grateful. The Daughters clasped each other's hands and bowed, lightly touching their foreheads together. It was a peculiar and almost ritualistic farewell, which Daylen presumed to be unique among Daughters of Heaven. After their brief embrace, Yu Lei and her apprentice set off into the city to continue their mission of healing the sick and attempting to discover a cure.

"Well there's someone who's not a soldier," said Bik-Bik suddenly.

The group spun, and far down the lonely road they saw a man, human, staring at them. He wore a long gray robe, as tattered and unkempt as his wild gray hair and long gray beard. He leaned on a long wooden staff, worn almost completely white with age.

Upon seeing him, a feeling of dread crawled up Daylen's spine. "Who is that?" he muttered, almost to himself.

"Let's find out," said Bei, bounding down the street. "Hey! I would like to speak with you!" yelled the obsidiman in his fierce, deep voice.

The old man moved, calmly, and vanished down a side road. Bei growled and took off at a run. The others rushed to keep up.

"Hey!"

Down the street their feet carried them, in pursuit of a man for no other reason than he was a curiosity within a mystery. They rounded the corner and nearly collided with a patrol of soldiers. The looks on the soldiers' faces seemed to suggest that they were confused as to why they were running so wildly through the city streets.

"A man, in a gray robe, did you see him?" Bei demanded of the nearest one.

"Um." the soldier was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure. "No. We saw no such man. In fact, we have been sent to look for you." The soldier indicated all of them.

"Why?" asked Su Shen cautiously.

"It is Lord Chin Zan, honored Daughter. He wishes to see you."

They were led through one of the city's two bazaars, and onward toward the royal palace, which rose from the center of the city, tall and magnificent, surrounded by a twenty-foot-high wall capped with magically enchanted pearls, similar to those sitting along the city's outer wall.

Several Guardians of Cathay, their white sashes marking them as members of the Order of the Crane, watched them as they passed through the heavily guarded gate. They tossed somber nods at Su Shen and Bei, recognizing their distinctive orders.

Daylen felt miniature while climbing the wide flight of steps, fashioned from brilliant white stone, that led to the palace. At the top, two immense wooden doors, dyed a deep red and etched with elegant golden designs, stood splendid and imposing. A group of soldiers pulled them open, revealing a vast, airy hall lined in polished marble. A white rug ran down the center, and they traveled down it with their escorts. Daylen felt an echo of his past avarices tugging at the back of his mind as his eyes crawled across the various oil paintings, the delicate vases atop marble pedestals, and the many life-like statues. Even Bik-Bik let out a tiny gasp of awe at the sight of such lavish wealth.

Eventually they came to a large study, where Lord Chin Zan was waiting. He was a lean man, lounging on silk cushions like some sort of great jungle cat reclining in the sun. Rich garments draped over his slight figure. His straight black hair was parted in the middle and fell down to his shoulders, framing his young, smooth face. His features were soft, almost feminine, punctuated by a sly grin that crossed his features when he saw them enter. He stood and moved gracefully across the room to a large table, where he bid them to sit at ornately carved, high-backed chairs.

"Ah, that did not take long," he almost purred when he spoke, sounding pleased. Su Shen and Bei sat down, and Daylen followed suit.

"You may leave us," he said to the soldiers, who bowed deeply before doing so.

Lord Chin Zan shifted his focus to them. "Welcome to the royal palace. I regret that the king is not here to greet you personally, but his duties take him elsewhere."

"Yes," said Daylen, "I hear he is in Jih'Po."

Chin Zan smiled at that, obviously surprised Daylen knew. "Ah yes, I have heard much about the westerner and his Cathayan ferret companion. I have never met a westerner before," he said, seeming to take a keener interest with his guest. "Though I have seen them, from time to time. They come here, looking for wealth. They are all too eager to help us with our war, so long as it makes them money."

Daylen was not sure if that was a rebuke, for Chin Zan's voice was silk and his smile was hard to read, though he assumed it was. He also did not like the way the lord had glanced over his bedraggled clothing when he had said the word "wealth."

"You seem at home here, in the palace. Yet your lands are far from here, Lord Chin Zan," said Su Shen in an accusatory tone. Their host dismissed it with a light laugh.

"The royal palace is quite comfortable, I agree."

"You seem to be running things in the king's absence," she stated, though it was clearly a question.

"I am the wealthiest lord," he stated with a modest shrug.

"What about the lords who live here in the city?" asked Bei. "And the ministers? The merchant guilds? Surely they cannot be happy about you taking over their city just because you happen to be here while the king is away?"

"Nobles know when to bow to their betters." He smiled. A subtle threat had crept into his voice, hidden just beneath his smile.

Just then, a servant entered, carrying a tray.

"Would you care for some wine?" Chin Zan offered, taking a glass for himself. He moved it gently back and forth under his nose, inhaling deeply before finally taking a sip. "It is from the king's own private storage."

"Should you be going through the king's private storage, my lord?" Su Shen's rebuke was easier to recognize than Chin Zan's had been.

Chin Zan exhaled a sharp laugh and set his cup down. "I am one of the king's most trusted nobles. He loves me like a son."

Bik-Bik jumped down to the table. "You wouldn't happen to have any tofu, would you?" He inquired.

Chin Zan smiled at the request and spoke to the servant, "Leave the glasses. Fetch us some food. Do make certain that there is a large portion of tofu for our guest."

"Yes my lord. At once." The servant rushed to comply.

When the servant was gone, Chin Zan rested his elbows on the table and stared at them above steepled fingers.

"Why did you come to Min Yan?" he asked.

"Is it unusual for a Daughter of Heaven to seek out a city ravaged by a plague?" Su Shen asked, rhetorically.

"I see," he said. "So you are not looking for a young human girl with golden eyes, then?"

Daylen could see Su Shen's jaw tense, though her eyes were deep green wells that betrayed nothing.

"What do you know of her?" she asked evenly.

The lord gave an innocent shrug and once again lifted his wine glass.

"It is just what I have heard," he said off-handedly. "They tell me you have been asking questions about such a girl." He took a sip from his wine, studying the Daughter of Heaven above the rim of his glass. She said nothing.

He continued, "A person with golden eyes. for what purpose would you be looking for such a person?"

"I did not say we were," she said.

"Of course, of course," he conceded. "Still, you did not say you were not, either."

The tension grew in the long moment of silence that followed. Then Su Shen said, "If you know nothing of a girl with golden eyes, then why should I waste my time talking to you about it? I have no interest in satisfying your curiosity, my lord."

A momentary flash of irritation passed over Chin Zan's face, though it quickly faded.

"Well," he shrugged, "if there is a girl with golden eyes in the city, then let us hope that nothing. unfortunate happens to her before you find her." His easy smile returned to his face. "In the meantime," he said, "let us enjoy our meal."

XXX

Afterwards, when they left the palace, Daylen asked Su Shen why she was not more forthcoming with Chin Zan.

"I do not trust him," she said simply. "It is well known that Chin Zan desires power. He maintains that he is one of King Sen Ma's strongest supporters, but I find it doubtful."

"Still," Daylen argued, "he has contacts, and he no doubt knows this city well. He may have helped us in our search."

Bei shook his massive head. "Su Shen is right. It is better that some people do not know what our business is."

Daylen could not argue with that. There was already a good chance that the Shadowed knew of their presence, and the less people advertising their business, the better.

"Su Shen!" a voice called.

It was Yu Lei and Shen Tu, the Daughters of Heaven. They were rushing down the street with a great sense of urgency. The elf was nearly breathless when she caught up to them. "Su Shen, while you were away at the palace, a red-scaled t'skrang came to me and asked if I could deliver you a message."

"Tsa-Hung?" Daylen asked, excitement brewing inside of him. "What did he say?"

"He told me to inform you that his master had important news for you, and that he would be waiting aboard his ship below the city."

"We must go at once." Su Shen seemed suddenly electrified. "Daylen, lead the way."

Daylen nodded, resisting the urge to turn and run.

"Thank you, Yu Lei," said Su Shen, a deep sincerity in her voice.

"I am glad to have helped," said the elf with a warm smile.

Daylen spun around, eager to get to Ning-Xa, and did not at first see the figure who stared down upon him from a nearby rooftop. If it had not been for Bik-Bik, it is unlikely he would have seen him at all.

"Hey, it's that guy again," the ferret said nonchalantly.

When he looked, Daylen found the man's stare bearing down upon him. His eyes were dark and hollow rings surrounded by an unkempt mass of gray hair, and within them lived a wild madness.

He was holding his white staff high above his head with both hands. The wide sleeves of his robe had fallen and collected at his shoulders, revealing his thin, pale arms. There were strange markings on the flesh there, at first resembling the striping of a tiger. Daylen quickly realized that they were jagged cuts, one above the other, running parallel up and down his bony, sickly limbs; many looked fresh, and some still slowly wept.

The man's jaw dropped open, and from his mouth ushered a low, wailing moan that grew slowly in pitch like some sort of inhuman cry, until it finally reached a frenzied, maddened pitch.

"What is this guy's problem?" Bik-Bik wondered, sounding unperturbed.

Daylen, on the other hand, felt a tremor shoot through him as his survival instincts kicked in. Around him, the four adepts had already drawn their weapons and looked ready for anything.

The gray-haired man reached into the deep folds of his robe and withdrew something tiny and black, about the size of a large marble, held between thumb and forefinger. From the distance, Daylen could not make out exactly what it was, but when the man drew his hand back as if to throw it, the merchant screamed, "Look out!"

"Tuatha!" the man yelled, and a light seemed to suddenly flare into being from within the object. He hurled it, and from the roof it sailed down at them like a blazing mote of fire.

The adepts scattered, and Daylen dove onto his chest, covering his head with his arms just as there was a tremendous roar and blast of heat. When Daylen looked up, there was a black, smoking crater in the middle of the road. He waved a hand in front of his face in an attempt to clear the smoke, which was causing him to cough terribly.

"Avaktu!" the man yelled a second word, and from about the blast radius, tiny flecks of shrapnel flew with great speed up to his outstretched hand. They coalesced in his palm, reforming into the small black ball, perfect and undamaged.

The adepts formed a crescent shape around the building, maintaining a loose formation in case the crazed man threw his spectacular little ball again. He did not.

Instead, he dropped down gracefully from the rooftop, landing with a soft and barely discernible thump. Upon his face was a snarl, and his eyes were locked on the foreigner, seemingly ignoring the others.

"Tuatha!" he yelled again, and the small ball flared to life in his hand.

But when he raised it up to fling the ball at Daylen, Su Shen's dagger flew through the air and struck his hand hilt first. The tiny ball was knocked from his grasp. It sailed through the air and struck the wall of a nearby building, erupting into a concussive fireball.

The blast sent the man stumbling, and Bei leapt like a tiger, sword whistling through the air. The old man recovered quickly and was deceptively fast. He spun, blocking Bei's decapitating stroke with his staff and returned with an attack of his own. The hard wood struck Bei in his steely jaw, powerful enough that the obsi-diman reeled from the blow.

"Avaktu!" the man hissed, and the small orb reformed again in his hand.

Yu Lei and Shen Tu charged, moving as one, slashing with their slender blades. The man deflected their blows almost effortlessly, and maneuvered easily past them, knocking them off their feet with his staff. His eyes locked again on Daylen, and he went after the merchant with a murderous glare.

"Why is he after me?!" Daylen screamed to nobody in particular.

"Gee, I don't know; why don't you ask him?" Bik-Bik screamed frantically. "Oh wait, I've got a better idea: run!"

Daylen took his advice.

Su Shen flung herself in between the merchant and his pursuer, stabbing for the man's bowels. He leapt backwards out of range and seemed to float in midair, his robe fluttering on an unseen wind. He slashed the air with his arm, and a great shimmering blade of light radiated outward. It caught Su Shen in the chest, sending her flying from her feet to tumble across the cobbled road.

The man landed gently back on his feet, staring after Daylen, who was already two blocks away.

"Su Shen!" called the merchant, distressed at the sight of her being knocked down. She lay still and unmoving.

"She's all right!" Bik-Bik yelled into his ear. "Just go!"

At first Daylen did not move; he could not tear his eyes from her crumpled form. The man stalked easily past her, and then Daylen saw her begin to stir. He breathed a great sigh of relief.

"GO!" Bik-Bik screamed.

Daylen snapped out of it. His feet slapped the cobbled road as he ran. He rounded the nearest corner blindly, without the vaguest idea of where he was going. He had to find a patrol of soldiers. No matter how powerful this adept was, his companions combined with Min Yan's garrison would be able to take the old man out. he hoped.

That was what he was thinking about when he nearly ran into the old man.

He stood before Daylen, tall and menacing, one hand gripping his staff, the other flexing and un-flexing at his side. Through the man's wild gray beard, Daylen could see his chapped and crusted lips moving soundlessly, as if he were speaking to himself or someone unseen.

Daylen had no time to wonder how the old man had managed to cut him off and no time to ask why he was after him. The man stretched out his wrinkled hand, his long yellowed fingernails pointing at Daylen, and then closed it into a tight fist. A terrible, vice-like pain gripped Daylen's heart.

He could not breathe. He grabbed his chest as the pain overwhelmed him.

"Daylen, run!" fear mingled together with concern in Bik-Bik's voice. "What's going on?"

Daylen could not answer. He sank to his knees.

"Daylen!" he could feel the ferret leaping up and down on his shoulder, but he could not answer.

"AIEEEEEEEEEE!" Bik-Bik leapt from Daylen's shoulder with a ferocious war cry, charging across the road toward his foe.

Daylen would have been touched, if it weren't for the black spots swimming in his vision.

Bik-Bik scurried across the distance between Daylen and the crazed magician, straight up to one of his sandaled feet, and bit down hard on the man's big toe.

"Ai-yaaa!!!" A scream of shock and pain tore from the man's throat.

The pressure around Daylen's heart immediately eased and then vanished completely. He lifted his gaze and saw the magician leaping around wildly on one foot, frantically kicking with the other, trying to shake Bik-Bik off of his toe, but the rodent held on stubbornly.

Finally, with one great kick, the man flung Bik-Bik off and into a nearby wall. The ferret bounced with a sickening crunch and fell to the road, unmoving.

The magician turned back to Daylen, slowly, savagely, and raised his staff. and then Su Shen was there, with Bei, Yu Lei, and Shen Tu just behind her.

She slashed the air with her blade, and a flash of golden sunlight seemed almost to fly from its silvery length and strike the man in the face.

He howled, his hand flying over his eyes. He swung his staff blindly, screaming his savage curses, spit flying from his crusted lips. The magician knew this battle was lost. As the adepts closed in for the kill, he raised his head, his watery eyes blinking rapidly as if it pained him to open them. He flashed one last look of rage at Daylen. and then vanished.

They remained still and silent for a moment, staring at the spot the magician had just been, wary that he might just as easily return.

Then Daylen's heart skipped a beat when he remembered his fallen companion.

"Bik-Bik!"

He rushed to the fallen ferret. Bik-Bik remained unmoving.

"Is he dead?" Su Shen asked softly from behind him.

"I don't.." Daylen's words caught in his throat.

Su Shen knelt and scooped him up gently with both hands.

"He still breathes," she said.

Daylen sighed in relief. Su Shen closed her eyes, and after a moment, Bik-Bik bolted upright, spitting in disgust.

"I taste foot," he complained. Daylen could not help but laugh.

Not wanting to stick around to answer questions, they decided to leave immediately to meet with Ning-Xa. Yu Lei and Shen Tu remained behind to explain things to any soldiers who might turn up, having been alerted by the sounds of the fight.

"Go," Yu Lei had said, "and find out what this merchant lord has to say. We will stay here and continue to battle the plague. I have a feeling that your mystery is tied to this epidemic somehow, and discovering the answer to one will unravel the other."

Su Shen agreed, and they said goodbye to the two Daughters of Heaven and hurried beneath the city.

There was a heightened sense of urgency after the battle with the crazed magician.

"The Shadowed must still be here for them to send one of their assassins after us," said Bei, to which Su Shen nodded in agreement.

Daylen was not so sure. "Why did he only seem to be after me?"

"From what we have seen of members of the Shadowed," said Bei, "they are often insane. Who can tell why you triggered his rage? But there is no doubt that if he had killed you, he would have then turned his attention to the rest of us."

Daylen remained unconvinced, but said nothing.

The merchant lord met them on the top deck of the Mighty Sparrow. Around him stood several of his mercenaries, a couple of which carried superficial wounds from what looked like a recent battle.

Ning-Xa bowed elaborately when the Daughter of Heaven and the jade obsidiman gained the deck.

Daylen introduced them, "Ning-Xa, these are my friends, Su Shen, the Daughter of Heaven, and Bei, the jade obsidiman."

"A pleasure," Ning-Xa began, "I am honored that you are—,"

"What information do you have for us?" Su Shen cut him off.

Ning-Xa was momentarily thrown off track, but he recovered gracefully.

"Yes, of course." He looked to one of his men and tossed his head toward a set of nearby stairs that dropped below deck. The mercenary quickly rushed over and vanished down the steps. He returned a moment later, and behind him walked Tsa-Hung, leading Chi-Len by the hand.

"Chi-Len!" Su Shen cried, rushing to the girl.

Chi-Len's golden eyes lit up when she saw the Daughter of Heaven. She tore herself free from Tsa-Hung's grasp and threw her arms around Su Shen, who wrapped her arms around the girl just as tightly.

Daylen was astonished.

"How.?" he began.

"After your visit, I sent my men to investigate rumors of a camp that my spies had reported, located not far from the city in a network of coastal caves. They found your girl, guarded by a handful of local mercenaries. My men liberated her with only minor resistance."

Daylen looked again at the soldiers, understanding why they looked like they had just been through a fight.

"There were only mercenaries guarding her?" asked Bei, sounding surprised.

"Yes," the mercenary who had fetched Tsa-Hung and Chi-Len answered. "They were hired swords. They were told to watch after the girl and nothing more."

"Who told them to watch the girl?" demanded Bei.

The mercenary shrugged. "They didn't know their employers' Names."

"Are you sure?"

The mercenary gave a lopsided grin. "Trust me, if they had known, they would have told me."

Bei nodded.

"Thank you Ning-Xa," said Daylen, "but I fear you may have earned yourself powerful enemies on our behalf."

The merchant lord cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"This girl," Su Shen spoke as she stood, holding Chi-Len's hand tightly, "is wanted by the Shadowed."

Ning-Xa snorted, giving a dismissive wave of his hand. "The Shadowed are a myth to scare children."

They only stared at him.

"You're serious?" he asked after a moment.

"Quite," was Bei's response.

Ning-Xa swallowed and looked at Daylen.

"Well then," he said. "It appears the four of you owe me quite a favor."

The Tower of Secrets sat in a deep, green valley, secluded in the Dragon Spine Mountains, hundreds of miles from Min Yan, but for an airship like the Mighty Sparrow, it was a trip of only a few days. Daylen and the others were allowed to leave, because they were with Ning-Xa, who had special dispensation to come and go as he pleased.

The valley was a great, green vista beneath a deep blue sky, its grassy slopes rising gently until they met the feet of the looming gray giants that marched one after another along its flanks. A swift flowing river cut the valley in half lengthwise, fed by a plunging waterfall at the far end that fell from a jagged precipice, one hundred feet above the valley floor. Upon the precipice the great tower stood, soaring yet another hundred feet into the air. The Tower of Secrets was a great white and red hexagonal pagoda, constructed from bamboo and stone, fifty feet wide at the base. A winding trail led up the steep flank of the valley to the tower, and it was the only way to reach the mighty structure without the benefit of flight.

Near the base of the waterfall sprouted a scattering of mud and brick huts that made up the small village of Ming Gu. The villagers stopped their midday work to stare at the magnificent treasure ship as its great shape lowered near their waving, golden fields. They gasped in awe at the sight of the dozens of anchors it took to tether the massive ship to the valley floor, each landing with a hearty thump.

"I must leave to inspect some of my holdings," Ning-Xa told them before they departed. "I sincerely hope the Scholars can unravel the depths of your mystery."

The merchant lord's eyes had lingered on Chi-Len when he said the word "mystery." The young girl stared back at him with her large, golden eyes. She had not once left Su Shen's side since the two were reunited.

Daylen was the last to depart the ship by climbing down the rope ladder that had been thrown over the side.

As he climbed out over the rail, Ning-Xa called after him, "Daylen Jagaro, I may call upon you one day to return that favor."

Daylen paused and then nodded. "Anything I can do," he promised and climbed swiftly down after his companions.

After they gathered at the bottom of the ladder, the group swept quickly past the onlookers, and up the trail that climbed steadily to the tower. When they were halfway to the tower, they turned to watch the Mighty Sparrow as it lifted slowly from the valley floor and glided gracefully back through the valley, eventually vanishing from view.

Inside the tower, they met with We Chang, one of the Master Scholars. He was a human, perhaps in his late sixties, and about his tall, bony frame he wore a long, elegant robe of purple silk with gold trim. From his chin fell a crisp white beard, worn long as if to make up for the lack of hair on the top of his head. Daylen could see three faint lines drawn across his scalp: scars from a battle with a yen'hi'ji. In his hand he carried his Moon Staff, the white orb fixed at the top glowing softly. Su Shen's face broke into a wide grin at the sight of her old friend.

"It is good to see you all healthy and alive," the Scholar greeted them with a large smile and a bow. "Daylen Jagaro," he said, his eyes turning to the merchant, "it has been a long time. I knew our paths would cross again."

"We Chang." Daylen bowed. "It is good to see you again also."

"And you, Bik-Bik. Have you been keeping him out of trouble?"

"I have tried," replied the ferret wistfully.

The old Scholar's gaze fell upon Chi-Len, and he cocked his head inquisitively at the sight of her golden eyes.

"Who is this?" he asked, kneeling before the young girl. "Su Shen, have you brought us another young girl to be initiated as a Daughter of Heaven?"

"We Chang," she said in response, turning serious. "We have urgent news regarding the Shadowed."

The Scholar raised his eyebrows, looking up at Su Shen without standing. "Oh? Does it have something to do with this girl?"

"Yes, but." she began, looking at Chi-Len protectively. "We should discuss this matter in private."

We Chang stood. "I see. Well then, we can speak in my study."

He called to a nearby Scholar, a young elf draped in a long blue robe with gold trim similar to that of We Chang's. The Scholar rushed over.

"Yes, master?" the younger adept asked.

"Take this young girl and get her something to eat."

The elf nodded, but when he moved to take Chi-Len by the hand she cowered, hiding behind Su Shen. The Daughter of Heaven knelt and cupped the girl's face with both of her hands.

"Chi-Len, you are safe here. No one can harm you. These men are my friends. They will look after you just as I would."

Slowly, the girl nodded, and Su Shen gave her a light kiss on her forehead. The Scholar led her from the room by the hand, and she tossed one last, uncertain glance back at Su Shen before vanishing through a vaulted door.

When they were gone, We Chang led them further into the tower, through well-lit hallways and up spiraling stairwells, until finally they came to a small, comfortably decorated chamber with large plush chairs in which to sit. Several shelves stacked with various scrolls and tomes hugged the walls, though everything was precisely arranged so as not to appear cluttered. All of the items were carefully managed and tidy, with everything in its place.

"Now," said We Chang after they had settled comfortably, "what is it that you cannot speak of in front of the girl?"

Su Shen related to We Chang the story thus far, beginning with the journey into the Land of the Gar to rescue Bei and ending with Chi-Len's recovery through the efforts of Ning-Xa.

We Chang nodded along as she spoke, appearing thoughtful though saying nothing. When she finally finished, he said, "I will begin investigating this matter at once. There are several Scholars here at the tower performing other duties, but I will pull them from their tasks and set this as priority. Until we discover the meaning behind all of this, it is imperative that the girl does not leave. We cannot afford to have her falling back into the hands of the Shadowed."

With that they all agreed.

After their clandestine meeting, Daylen was assigned a room belonging to a Scholar whose duties currently kept him away from the tower. It was similar to the last one he was assigned while at the tower: small and sparsely decorated, with only a washbasin, simple wardrobe, and a narrow feather bed.

He tossed his things down onto the mattress, recalling that the tower had baths downstairs. He could not wait to soak in the warm water and wash the days of trail grime off of him.

Bik-Bik ran across the bed and curled up on one of the pillows. "So," said the ferret, sighing, "here we are, back at the Tower of Excessive Boredom."

"I don't know," Daylen disagreed while pulling off his boots and flexing his toes. "I'm looking forward to digging through their library again."

Bik-Bik scoffed. A safe, quiet, and reclusive valley was just the sort of thing Daylen enjoyed these days, finding the constant anxiety of travel through a war-torn country exhausting after a time. But for Bik-Bik, who had spent eight hundred years trapped in a state of being a jade statue because of a Witch's curse, isolation and quiet were the last things on his agenda.

The first time Daylen had been at the tower, they had just discovered Bik-Bik in the Tomb of Ping and had traveled, under the ferret's instructions, to the Wandering Mountains of Cathay, where Daylen had overcome bizarre magical obstacles—which he later learned were created by the great dragon, Luung—to secure the Container of Kai Shi. They brought the ancient relic to the tower for the Scholars to analyze, and instead of some great treasure like he had hoped at the time, the container had held the Gong of the Dark Warrior.

While the Scholars studied the container, Daylen had used the opportunity to learn as much as he could from the Scholars about Cathay, though he had to have one of them read the various scrolls and tomes to him. This time, however, Daylen was able to read for himself most of the scrolls that he had them bring to his room, with Bik-Bik providing commentary-laden help when Daylen couldn't decipher a symbol for himself.

Late into the day he pored over the dusty tomes, jotting down points of interest in his journal as he came across them. He read about various Cathayan emperors of ages past, the failed attempt by the Theran Empire to conquer Cathay just before the Scourge, the banishment of the gar, and many other historical events that helped shape the current state of affairs. He read about dark happenings in the netherworlds and magical theories, the strategies and philosophies of general Wu Chou, and much, much more.

By the time he began reading about ancient Cathayan heroes, dusk was already raining its fiery colors down upon the world. A short while later, while he was reading about the legend of Gan Bo and his journey through the Stone Forest, darkness overtook his room. He pulled out his flint and steel and grabbed the candle that sat on the nightstand. When the tiny flame sparked to life, Daylen suddenly remembered the scroll of his own that he had yet to finish reading. He pulled it out of his pack and unfurled it on his bed. Nearby, Bik-Bik snored softly on the pillow, his feet occasionally twitching as his mind frolicked where dreams danced. Daylen wondered briefly what the Cathayan ferret dreamt about while he slept, but then decided he would probably rather not know.

A warm night breeze crept through his small circular window and tugged at the flame of his candle. He raised his head and stared out at the mountains, etched in the deep purples and blackness of the night. His eyes had grown weary from reading, compounded by the dim light shed by his one and only candle. He contemplated putting his scroll away and turning in for the night, but then decided he really wanted to know how the story ended.

His eyes crawled across the Cathayan script until they found the last character he had translated.

Mistress.

He read on as the story progressed. Daylen's heart began to skip faster and faster and his palms began to sweat.

"By the Passions." he heard himself mutter. "This can't be!"

Bik-Bik stirred. "Do you mind? Some people are trying to sleep!" The ferret dropped his head back onto the pillow in a dramatic fashion.

Daylen barely heard him. He threw himself to his feet. "We've got to get this to We Chang!" he yelled excitedly.

Bik-Bik tossed irritably. "Yes, go do that. That sounds like a wonderful idea. I'm completely onboard."

Daylen rushed from the room.

Behind him, Bik-Bik muttered with a disapproving shake of his head, "Humans."

Daylen stood before the Eight Immortals.

Su Shen, Bei, and Bik-Bik stood with him, for they had all been summoned. It was several hours after Daylen had given We Chang his scroll and explained what he had discovered, and now they stood in the Moon Chamber, where the Eight Immortals gave their rare audiences.

The Eight Immortals were the council that ruled over the Tower of Secrets. Their governing body was comprised of four veteran Scholars and four veteran Daughters of Heaven. The Scholars were currently represented by two humans, a troll, and a dwarf. The Daughters were represented by two humans, an elf, and a dwarf.

They served for approximately one hundred years, their lives extended through ancient and powerful magic. Daylen had heard that once, long ago, the Immortals were intended to serve forever and truly be immortal, but beyond a certain time, the mental discipline required to retain one's sanity quickly diminished, and only those with tremendous willpower and fortitude could hope to not be driven violently insane. After several unfortunate tragedies, they decided that the term of an Immortal was not to extend longer than a century.

When Daylen had first heard about the powerful magic that artificially extended the Immortals' lives, he thought that such a process would be highly valued by the Theran Empire, not to mention the various powers throughout his home province of Barsaive. He wondered if the Therans had heard of it, and if so, if they had designs to attempt to steal the knowledge from the tower.

"The magic can only be used on a Daughter of Heaven or a Scholar," We Chang had told him when he expressed his concerns. "Even if they somehow acquired the knowledge, the magic would kill them as soon as they attempted it."

Daylen had nodded, though he did not think that such an obstacle would prevent Theran magicians from trying.

The Moon Chamber was a large circular room with polished, wood-paneled walls. In the center of the room, roughly four feet off the floor, floated a soft golden orb of vibrant energy, similar to the orbs that were a component of the Scholars' Moon Staffs. Through the orb, the Eight Immortals were able to communicate with Scholars via their Moon Staff orbs throughout all of Cathay.

Beyond the orb sat the Eight Immortals on a long cushioned platform. They rested on their knees with their legs tucked beneath them and their hands resting palms down on their thighs. They gazed upon their audience stoically, without a hint of emotion detectable on their faces.

One of the Immortals, a Scholar, lifted Daylen's scroll.

"We have analyzed the scroll brought to us by the foreigner, Daylen Jagaro," he said. "We have concluded that it is genuine. It is very ancient, at least one thousand years old, held together through preservation magic."

"We find it suspect," said another immediately, addressing Su Shen, "that your friend happened to have it."

Daylen did not understand at first, but when he realized that the Eight Immortals were all staring at him, the implication became all too clear.

"Whoa, wait a minute. I had that scroll for a while—" he began, but an Immortal, the old dwarf woman, cut him off, her voice cold and stern.

"We find the coincidence too convenient," she said.

"I can assure you honored one, Daylen Jagaro has been our constant companion—" Su Shen started to defend him, but before she could finish, a golden beam of light erupted from the orb and struck Daylen in the chest.

Daylen felt as though he plunged through a frozen lake, deep beneath frigid waters. The shock stole his breath. The radiant energy surrounded him, stealing his warmth. Bik-Bik sat on his shoulder, unaffected, though startled.

"What are you doing to him?" he heard Su Shen ask.

Despite himself, Daylen could not help but be moved by the sound of concern in her voice.

"Do not worry, child," spoke the Immortal. "All will be revealed in a moment."

It was a very long moment, and, to Daylen, an eternity. He sank to the floor, hugging his knees to his chest while rocking back on his heels. His body shivered uncontrollably, and he could not stop his teeth from chattering madly together.

"Enough," spoke one of the Immortals.

The golden beam vanished, and Daylen's heat quickly returned, wrapping tightly around him like a warm blanket. He stood, slow and uncertain.

"We had to be sure," spoke the dwarf Daughter Immortal, "that you were not a yen'hi'ji guising as Daylen Jagaro. If you had been one of the dark creatures, the beam would have forced your transformation back into your true form."

"Well," Daylen said, forcing a smile, "a little warning would have been appreciated."

"We think not, for if you had been a yen'hi'ji your death would have quickly followed," the Immortal said.

"Right, I know; I was just." he began, but while gazing at their stoic, unmoving faces, he realized that his attempts at levity had been misguided. "Forget it," he said.

"What does the scroll say that has you so mistrusting of our companion?" Su Shen demanded. "Does it involve Chi-Len?"

"It does, Daughter," the Immortal replied. "The scroll tells a tale that happened in an age long fallen away to dust and memories. It is the tale of Pan the Nethermancer and his ill-fated attempt to conquer Cathay."

"Pan?" repeated Bei dubiously. "He existed a thousand years ago. What does that fiend have to do with the girl?"

"The scroll was penned by a historian who was a Seer," spoke another. "According to the scroll, after Pan was struck down by Feng Po the Sword Dancer and Kai the Scholar, the Nethermancer's mistress, a powerful Witch by the Name of Kwan Yen, stole the Heart of Pan and escaped."

"She stole the Nethermancer's heart?" Bik-Bik grimaced in disgust.

"The Heart of Pan," the Immortal corrected him. "A magical relic in the shape of an egg that absorbed Pan's essence upon his demise. With it, the Nethermancer can be resurrected."

Daylen recalled the story and the stone egg covered in strange, arcane markings.

"Blood magic requires a sacrifice, noble one. And my blood is most potent," Pan had said to his killer with his dying breath.

"This legend is not new," said one of the Immortals. "The artifact has long been searched for by the Scholars of Secrets, but it has never been found."

"But this scroll," spoke another, "helps shed light on the mystery."

"Why did Kwan Yen not use it to resurrect her lover, if that in fact was its purpose?" asked Bei. "Why was the Heart lost?"

"Kwan Yen had an enemy—another Witch. Soon after the destruction of Pan, her nemesis sought her out and challenged her, and in that duel defeated her."

"Well then," said Bei, "We'll find this Heart of Pan and destroy it, and make sure he can never return."

"It's not that simple," Daylen murmured. Bei looked at him with a frown, his enthusiasm waning.

Then to the Immortals Daylen said, "Tell them about the rest. About what I read. About the prophecy."

"What prophecy?" Bei's frown deepened.

"A Witch's curse," the Immortal explained, "is powerful, though there is a balance. The curse is always dependent upon a condition that, if met, will lift it; the more powerful the curse, the more difficult and abstruse the condition. However, discovering what the condition is in the first place is not always easy."

"Isn't that the truth," mumbled Bik-Bik, who had to search the world for a Seer in order to discover what conditions needed to be met to lift his curse.

"Kwan Yen was cursed by her adversary and turned to stone," the Immortal continued. "The Seer who wrote this scroll speaks of a girl who will one day be born who will have the ability to either lift the curse or destroy Kwan Yen forever. A girl with golden eyes."

Silence filled the chamber, broken only by Su Shen's gasp. "Chi-Len." she whispered.

The Immortal nodded somberly. "Yes. Chi-Len is the key to the destruction of Kwan Yen once and for all, and, by extension, forever ensuring that Pan remains in the netherworlds, where he belongs."

"So the Shadowed want her so she can awaken the Witch," spoke Bei, "and the Witch will lead them to the Heart of Pan."

"Yes." The Immortal's one-word answer sent chills down Daylen's spine.

"There have not been any Witches in Cathay for over eight hundred years," said another Immortal. "Kwan Yen cannot be allowed to be awakened. Therefore, you must take the girl to the location described in this scroll and ensure that she destroys the Witch, putting a permanent end to her evil."

"No!" Su Shen objected. "It is too dangerous! She should not leave the tower."

"Would you have her remain in the tower for the rest of her life?" The Immortal spoke softly. "A prisoner within these walls?"

Daylen found the statement ironic, coming as it did from an Immortal. The magic that extended the Immortals' lives was limited to the Tower of Secrets; if they ever set foot outside of the walls, they would die instantly.

"No," said Su Shen, "but at least until she is older and wiser, then she can make the decision for herself—"

"No," the stern dwarf spoke harshly. "We cannot allow that. We cannot take the risk that she may be used one day to lift the curse. Either you take her, or we will carry out our alternative plan."

Daylen did not like the sound of that.

"Alternative plan?" asked Su Shen, and Daylen could tell by the way she spoke that she dreaded the coming answer as well.

"Our alternative plan is to simply kill the girl."

"No!" Su Shen's green eyes burned fiercely. "That is not an option!"

"Daughter," spoke one of the Immortals, "it is our sacred duty to protect the empire. Pan cannot be allowed to return. If one girl must be sacrificed to ensure that it never happens, then that is a sacrifice we must be willing to make."

"No!" repeated Su Shen fiercely. "I will not allow it!"

"Then," the dwarf replied, "you must take her to destroy Kwan Yen."

Su Shen stared at them helplessly, her lips moving soundlessly as she desperately fought for an argument. The Immortals gazed at her, living statues, cold and utterly pragmatic.

Finally, she bowed her head, defeated. "As you say, honored ones."

After a moment, Bik-Bik piped, "I for one am excited about destroying a Witch. I hate Witches."

"Well how is she supposed to accomplish that, exactly?" asked Bei. "She is only a child."

"Kwan Yen is encased in stone. The prophecy tells us that the girl must destroy a gemstone worn by Kwan Yen. If she does not destroy it, but instead takes it, the curse will be lifted, and Kwan Yen will live again."

"I understand," said Su Shen.

"Then go," spoke the dwarf, "and do not fail, for more hangs in the balance than merely the girl; her destiny is tied to the fate of all Cathayans."

"Where are we going?" Chi-Len asked as they left the tower early the following morning.

"We are going on a trip," explained Su Shen. "It is very important. You have to be brave. Can you be brave for me?" The girl nodded fiercely. She could be brave.

They set out, heading towards the South, to a place called the Plains of Huyan. They had been given a map, sketched by the Scholars, showing the location of their destination.

"The scroll says it is beneath something called Wan Shui For, or Twilight Vapor Fire," Su Shen told them.

"What is that?" Daylen had asked.

Bei shrugged his massive shoulders indifferently. "We'll find out when we get there."

The location on the map was just over one hundred miles from the Tower of Secrets. On the third day they were forced to ford a shallow stream. Daylen followed Su Shen, his legs dipped into the icy cold waters up to his thighs. Bei, however, splashed across easily, Chi-Len riding atop his wide shoulders.

"After we are finished with this task," the obsidiman was saying, "we should return to Min Yan and help Yu Lei and Shen Tu combat the plague and discover its source."

"I agree. That should be our next priority, after returning Chi-Len to the Tower of Secrets," said Su Shen.

"The Shadowed are behind the plague," stated Daylen, certain it was true.

Bei gave a bark of laughter. "Yes, well that much should be obvious. But the real question is: why are they creating it?"

"Do they need a reason?" inquired the merchant. "Sowing death and destruction is their trade, after all."

"Wanton destruction is not their style," Bei said as he stepped out of the water onto the gravelly bank. "They must have some deeper purpose."

The obsidiman lifted the girl off of his shoulders and set her down. "Ride's over, girl," he said with a toothy grin. The girl had to crane her neck as far back as it would go to smile back up at the giant.

They plodded onwards, reaching the Plains of Huyan on the sixth day. It took them longer to arrive because they had to take more breaks for Chi-Len, who simply did not have the endurance of the others. Daylen, for one, was grateful.

The plains were a great sea of green that stretched before them for miles, with tall blades of grass bending against the heavy wind that blew in from the East. It was late in the afternoon, and the sun sat just above the snow-capped peaks of the Dragon Spine Mountains to the West. Aside from the occasional lone tree, the plains were wide and empty, with nothing but grass and wildflowers.

"So," said Daylen, gazing about the immense emptiness. "Where is this fire mist you were talking about?"

"Fire vapor," Su Shen corrected him. "And its full Name is twilight, or night fire vapor. As its Name suggests, we should wait until nightfall, perhaps then it will reveal itself. Until then, let's make camp and eat. We will most likely need our strength."

"Eating sounds like a plan," said Bik-Bik enthusiastically.

They sat, building a fire out of what they could gather, and pulled out their rations. Night dropped its black curtain across the world, and soon the stars were staring down upon them like soft white crystals set into the sky.

"Do you have constellations of your Passions?" Daylen asked wistfully between mouthfuls of crispy, uncooked noodles while gazing up at the fiery orbs.

"No," was Su Shen's simple and uninterested response.

"There," said Daylen, continuing anyway. He pointed a finger to the sky. "You see those stars? That's Garlen. She's the Passion of Hearth and Healing. You would like her."

Su Shen looked up for a moment, her eyes narrowing. Then she shook her head and said, "I see only stars."

"No, you have to." Daylen sighed. "You have to imagine them in a shape. See? How those four are shaped?" He traced the outline in the air with his finger. "Those make up her right arm. And there, that bright one there above them, that's her forehead."

She looked up again, studying them, but then finally looked away. "We have statues of our Passions." Her tone made Daylen think that the concept he was explaining was the most absurd thing she had ever heard of.

"We have statues too," he said, a bit irritated. "But will a statue follow you wherever you go? Help you chart a course? Tenderly carry your hopes and dreams in their fiery embrace?"

Bik-Bik shook his furry little head. "Are you even listening to yourself?"

Bei laughed. "Are you thinking about giving up being a merchant and becoming a poet, my friend? The next thing you'll tell us is that our fates are written in the stars, as some people believe."

Daylen shifted, embarrassed, and bit into another dry noodle.

"I like them," said Chi-Len, her young face turned up at the sky. "I think they're pretty."

Daylen smiled at her. "Me too."

They continued to stare at the stars while eating their rations, and Daylen pointed out more constellations to Chi-Len, who was delighted to learn about the western Passions.

Meanwhile, Bei pulled out his sword—the same one he had taken from the slain mercenary in Huan-Di—and began drawing a whetstone along its edge.

"Do you miss your old sword?" Daylen asked. When he had first met the Warrior, Bei had been carrying an oversized, two-bladed sword that had been handed down from one chosen member of the Jade Brotherhood to another for countless generations. These honored adepts were called Swordbearers, and they were tasked to discover the sword's destiny. Each had passed the blade on to the next Swordbearer, dying without ever having learned its secret. Bei had uncovered the sword's meaning, but at the cost of the ancient weapon's destruction.

Bei only shrugged at his question. "Sometimes. But a weapon is merely an extension of oneself. A Warrior cannot grow overly attached to any one weapon. His true power comes from within."

"Yeah," Daylen agreed, nodding sagely, "but I think I'd still rather have a good weapon available than be unarmed."

Bei's stony face twitched up into a lopsided grin. He stopped his sharpening and lifted the sword in front of his face, watching the way its keen edge caught the starlight.

"Me too," he said.

Time passed, and as his meager meal settled in his stomach, Daylen felt weariness creep over him. He gave a great yawn, and tears sprung to his eyes. He wiped them away with his knuckles, blinking to clear his vision, and then he gaped at what he saw in the distance.

"What is that?" he asked, and the others followed where his finger pointed.

A few hundred yards away, just above the grass that stirred in the warm night breeze, swam a great, fiery cloud, a light yellow mist that hovered over the field, gently pulsating like the waves upon the ocean.

They stood slowly, their eyes not leaving the peculiar phenomenon.

"Let's find out," said Bei, leading the way.

As the yellow cloud drew nearer, Daylen could see that it was made up of not a mist, but of small floating orbs about the size of copper pieces.

"Fireflies," realized Su Shen.

She was right. As they stepped into the cloud, Daylen could see the tiny insects clearly, their lower abdomens glowing brightly. They floated about them, unbothered by their presence, landing on the blades of grass and atop the wildflowers like burning dew drops.

Chi-Len was delighted. The young girl chased them gleefully, her arms stretched to the sky, jumping after their lazy, bobbing movements.

"Do not go far, Chi-Len," cautioned Su Shen.

"Okay!" she agreed, her eyes never leaving the slow moving bugs.

Bei was searching the ground, parting the grass with his sword.

"There must be an entrance around here somewhere," he said.

"We'll never find it with all of this grass covering everything, especially in the dark," sighed Daylen wearily. The fireflies were spread out over a wide area, easily a few hundred yards in diameter.

"It has to be here somewhere," said Su Shen. "We do not stop until we find it."

Resolute, the Daughter of Heaven stamped a section of grass down with her foot, startling about a dozen fireflies into flight.

A sudden crash and startled scream caused Daylen to leap in his skin.

"Chi-Len!" yelled Su Shen.

Daylen spun and saw only the tall, bending grass. Chi-Len was gone.

The girl had fallen through an unseen hatch on the ground that had given way with her bouncing weight.

"Chi-Len!" Su Shen yelled into the hole. "Chi-Len, can you hear me?" There was no response.

"A torch!" she said urgently as she vainly tried to peer through the blackness.

Bei quickly complied, placing the blazing torch in her waiting hand. She swung it over the hole, the flame fluttering as it whipped through the air. The torch revealed a smooth shaft, four feet in diameter, that slid at a steep angle underneath the earth.

"Chi-Len!" she screamed again, her voice echoing back at her from somewhere below.

"Su Shen?" a tiny voice called back.

The Daughter of Heaven exhaled mightily—a visible sign of relief. "Here." She handed the torch to Daylen and began easing herself into the shaft.

"Chi-Len, do not go anywhere! I'm coming down!"

"Okay," the girl's voice floated back up to them.

Su Shen slid beneath the rim of the hole, spreading her arms and legs to prevent herself from falling. Slowly, she began negotiating the treacherous shaft.

"You're next," Bei said to Daylen.

"You sure you can climb down that without getting us both killed?" asked Bik-Bik. "As I recall, you're not the strongest climber."

"I can manage," said Daylen, dropping his legs inside. "And thanks for your concern."

He slid down until he was completely inside. The walls of the shaft were rough, which made climbing easier. Daylen shuddered at the thought of slipping and tumbling down the shaft, as the rough stone would no doubt make short work of his tender flesh.

The shaft gradually evened out, spilling into a wider chamber. Su Shen had already lit another torch, which lay on the ground next to her. She was healing Chi-Len's cuts and scrapes from her fall down the shaft; they looked painful but not too serious.

"Look out!" Bei's voice called down from above, and a moment later the other torch came tumbling down the shaft.

Daylen scooped it up, and Bei appeared a few moments later, maneuvering down the shaft much quicker than he had.

They were in a small chamber, with a low ceiling barely six feet above the floor. Bei had to bend at the waist in order to stand. Across from the chute's opening was a low bronze door. Etched into its surface was an image of an elven woman, her posture seeming to suggest that she was kind, or even matronly. Several Cathayan characters ran vertically above the image.

Bei read them aloud, "The tomb of Kwan Yen."

The obsidiman reached for the door. It swung open easily, and before them stretched a narrow hall, only three feet wide. The walls were made up from uneven bricks, and the floor fell away into darkness. Running along the walls, at a height even with where the floor should have been, were short ledges of stone, only a few inches wide. The hallway ran for a great distance, far past the range of their torches.

"Great," Bik-Bik muttered.

Bei stuck one of his legs out through the doorway and stepped onto one of the ledges, testing its weight. It held.

"Okay," said Bei, stepping back inside and kneeling. "Hop onto my back, girl."

Chi-Len looked to Su Shen uncertainly.

"It's okay. He's going to carry you," Su Shen said.

The girl draped her arms over Bei's shoulders and wrapped her legs around his broad waist. He stood and very carefully walked out over the abyss, one foot on each ledge so his legs formed an upside down "V." He posted his palms against the walls for extra support and began shuffling slowly forward.

"Daylen, you're next," Su Shen instructed.

The merchant nodded grimly and stepped out onto the ledges, carrying the torch with one shaky hand. He scooted nervously along, afraid to lift his feet, and tried desperately to avoid thinking about how far down the drop was.

"Easy does it," encouraged Bik-Bik from his shoulder. "We're in no rush here."

Su Shen, carrying the other torch, stepped out behind him once there was enough room.

"I see a doorway up ahead, maybe fifteen yards," Bei said a short time later. Just after his words left his lips, a portion of the ledge gave out beneath his right foot.

Chi-Len let out a startled scream. Bei pushed against the walls to prevent himself from falling, his enormous muscles flexing mightily.

The chunk of stone fell, bounced off the wall once and then vanished in the darkness. A brief moment later there was a loud splash that echoed off the walls.

"Bei, are you okay?" Daylen asked.

By then the Warrior had recovered. He resumed his careful shuffling and said back over his shoulder, "I'm fine, but watch your step."

They continued on. Daylen avoided the missing ledge, wary of the stone around it. When he got past it, he thought he heard something.

"Wait," he said, pausing. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked the obsidiman.

"It sounded like—,"

Something splashed down below.

"—splashing," he finished. Dread began to seep into his soul. "Something's down there.. "

"I have an extra torch," said Su Shen from behind him. "Drop yours so we might get a better look."

Daylen looked down between his legs and did as he was told. The torch fluttered as it fell, a fiery orange glow running alongside it along the walls. It was not a very long drop; not as long as he had first imagined, anyway. About twenty feet down the fluttering flame hit the water and winked out of existence with a sharp, audible hiss. but not before he saw the large mass of writhing black tentacles slowly crawling up the walls towards them.

"Go! Go! Go!" yelled Daylen frantically.

"What did you see?" asked Bei.

"Nothing you want to stick around to see for yourself!" Daylen assured him.

The obsidiman bounded forward as quickly as he was able, with Daylen and Su Shen not far behind. A great hissing emanated from below, reminiscent of an angry nest of vipers. Bei reached the end of the passage and threw himself through an open doorway. A moment later Daylen reached the end, and Bei grabbed his forearm, yanking the merchant out of the treacherous corridor.

Su Shen had nearly reached the door when the darkness erupted beneath her. The tentacles whipped about, groping the air, searching for prey. The torchlight flashed off of the slick, black flesh with a sinister, dull glimmer.

They moved with a deadly menace. One brushed briefly against Su Shen's calf, and once it felt her, it moved with a sudden quickness, seizing her by the leg.

"Su Shen!" Bei called, reaching for her.

She was just out of arm's length.

"Take the torch!" she yelled, tossing it. The obsidiman caught it deftly and handed it off to Daylen.

More of the tentacles wrapped around her, climbing up her thighs and around her waist. She dove for the doorway, falling short, but Bei caught her wrists. Then it became a tug of war between him and the mass of grasping tentacles.

Suddenly, there was a tremendous grinding noise from somewhere above Bei and Daylen, the sound of stone against stone. Daylen looked up and saw a thick stone slab lowering slowly down in front of the doorway.

"Bei!" Daylen called out in warning. "Above you!"

"I see it!" The obsidiman said through gritted teeth.

Bei tugged, his legs braced against the wall on either side of the entrance. Su Shen's face displayed the strain that her body was going through as the tentacles attempted to wrench her from the Warrior's grasp. From somewhere down below, far out of sight, something gave out a bestial roar, hungry and vicious.

Lower and lower the slab of stone fell, with Su Shen only halfway inside.

"It's going to cut her in half!" said Bik-Bik.

Daylen dropped the torch and rushed beneath it, trying to brace it with his shoulder. It was useless; he may as well have been trying to lift Bei.

The obsidiman gave a great shout and mighty pull, and managed to drag Su Shen through the doorway. Daylen dove out of the way, and the stone slab smashed down onto the tentacles, cutting clean through them. From the other side of the thick stone could be a heard a horrific screech of agony.

The tentacles loosened immediately and began flopping madly about, spilling a slimy yellow mush from their severed ends. Bei helped Su Shen to her feet, and they backed away from the twitching appendages in revulsion. Daylen scooped up the fallen torch and joined them.

"Are you okay?" Bei asked her.

She nodded, rubbing her tender shoulders. "Yes, though for a moment I feared you were going to tear my arms from their sockets."

Bei smirked. Su Shen turned to Chi-Len.

"Are you okay?" she asked warmly. The girl nodded.

"So how are we supposed to get out of here?" asked Bik-Bik, staring at the great stone slab that blocked the entrance.

The ferret looked at Bei. "Think you can lift that, big guy?"

The Warrior glanced over it and then shook his head. "Unlikely."

"We'll just have to continue on," spoke Su Shen, gazing at the opposite wall, where another doorway stood, beyond which waited a mysterious labyrinth of twisting passages. Through the portal the corridor stretched away, and from it sprang other corridors, crisscrossing together, all vanishing around bends and sharp corners. Cathayan characters were chiseled into the wall nearby, next to the entrance.

This time, it was Daylen who read them aloud, "Those who seek it cannot find it."

Silence gripped the hall.

After a moment, Su Shen said, "We have no choice but to move forward. We will mark our way as we go." She lifted a small chunk of stone from the floor and scratched an "X" on the wall.

Bei nodded. "Ladies first."

They crept forward, their shadows rushing up the tall gray walls. Su Shen took the lead. After every turn she would carve an "X" into the wall.

After a short while, they heard a faint scratching from somewhere ahead.

Su Shen and Bei pulled out their weapons, the blades coming free from their scabbards with dry rasps.

"What was that?" asked Daylen.

They did not answer. Instead, they quickened their paces and rushed around a corner, and found only an empty hall waiting to be explored.

"It was coming from here, wasn't it?" asked Bei.

Su Shen nodded. "Yes. It was right here."

Then they heard it again, a faint scratching.

"There!" Daylen pointed.

On the wall, drawn slowly by an unseen force, appeared an "X." Many were already present, spread out along the walls.

"What magic is this?" muttered Bei.

"It is designed to lead us astray," said Su Shen, staring at the chunk of stone in her hand.

She stepped forward and scratched an arrow into the wall. A moment later, arrows began appearing down the corridor as well. She sighed and let the rock drop from her hand. It clattered on the floor.

"That was brilliant, your scratching the wall idea. Good thinking," said Bik-Bik.

Bei sighed. "I guess we do this the hard way, then."

"Stay close to me," Su Shen said to Chi-Len. The girl nodded, gazing about the long dark halls with wide eyes.

They continued forward, following the corridor, their shadows stalking soundlessly after them.

"How do we know which way to go?" asked Daylen, gazing about at the dozens of passages ahead of him, each of which led to dozens more.

"There must be something to these corridors," pondered Bei, "some riddle. Maybe how they intersect; or maybe we have to only make right turns.. "

"Or maybe it's just complicated," ventured Bik-Bik.

"No," said Su Shen, looking at the options carefully. "Every corridor is one of two: a ninety degree turn, or a gentle curve."

"And?" prodded Bei.

"Well," she continued, "perhaps one type of corridor leads on past the labyrinth, and the other leads only in circles."

"Hm," the obsidiman considered. "But which leads on and which leads in circles?"

They stopped, standing in silence for a moment. None of them had an answer.

Finally, Chi-Len suggested, "What about the straight halls?"

"What about them?" Bei frowned.

"Well," she said, "a curve forms a circle. A straight line does not."

Su Shen and Bei exchanged a look.

Finally Bei gave a massive shrug and a grin. "Sounds good to me."

They followed the girl's theory, taking only the straight corners and avoiding the curves. After a time, they began to notice that in each corridor, there was ever only one straight turn, while all the others were curved.

"I think the girl may be onto something," said Bei, winking at Chi-Len. She smiled bashfully.

Onward they marched, following turn after turn, until finally their torch began to burn low.

Bei reached into his pack and pulled out another. "We have only this one left," he said as he held it to the other until the flame caught on. "We have only until this torch burns out to reach the end of this maze. Any longer than that and we'll be completely in the dark, with no idea where we're going or where we are."

"We should hurry then," said Su Shen, and, wasting no time, hurried forward.

Onward they marched, turning at every straight corridor. Finally, after their torch had burned nearly halfway, Bei gave a great, impatient sigh.

"This is getting us nowhere," he said.

"I'm sorry," said Chi-Len, offering a rueful smile. "I thought it made sense.."

"It did," condoled Su Shen. "It's not your fault."

"Do you think the fact that there was only one straight offshoot down each corridor is a coincidence?" asked Bei with a dubious smirk. "That doesn't make sense."

"No, the corridors heard us planning, and they decided to deceive us," said Bik-Bik sarcastically.

"Exactly," said Daylen with a sudden epiphany. He thought of the riddle that had been etched into the wall:

Those who seek it cannot find it.

"Just like the Xs and the arrows," he said. "This labyrinth is designed to counter our strategies at finding our way through it."

They looked at the walls, as if suddenly they were living, menacing things.

"If that's the case," said Bei, "what are we supposed to do?" The Warrior gritted his teeth in frustration, glowering at the walls as if he wished they were living creatures so he could kill them.

"The writing, just before we entered, gave us our clue," Daylen explained. "Those who seek it cannot find it."

"So what are we supposed to do then? Not look for it?"

"Precisely." Daylen sat down. He returned Bei's perplexed stare evenly.

The two adepts looked uncertain. Bei kept throwing glances down the various corridors, as if one would offer a new clue.

Su Shen was the first to give Daylen's idea a chance. She sat cross legged, and Chi-Len plopped down next to her, leaning her head wearily on Su Shen's shoulder. The Daughter of Heaven began absentmindedly stroking the girl's long black hair.

She looked at Bei. "I believe Daylen Jagaro may be onto something."

With a final huff, the obsidiman dropped his gigantic frame onto the floor and rested his back against the wall. He pulled out his water skin, and after tugging out the cork, took several long, noisy gulps. When he was finished he offered it to Daylen.

"Yeah, thanks," replied the merchant. But as he leaned over to take it from him, the wall behind Bei collapsed backwards. The obsidiman gave a startled cry and tumbled from view.

"Bei!" Su Shen was instantly to her feet.

"I'm okay!" came his disembodied voice.

They looked through the revealed portal and saw that a ramp slid ten feet down to another room. Bei lay on his back, staring past his feet up at them.

"Just taking a quick rest is all," he said, lacing his hands casually behind his head.

At the bottom, they found a large, simple room, square, the floor and walls made from blocks of squat gray stone. The ceiling rose to a great height, at least twenty-five feet. At the opposite end, the floor fell away into blackness. Spanning it, climbing towards the far wall at a forty-five degree angle, was a stone staircase. Lacking a rail, the staircase led to another doorway. However, halfway up, the staircase twisted, like a spiral, so by the time it reached the wall, both it and the doorway were upside down, with the doorway underneath the staircase. Above the stairs, the ceiling also gave way just as the floor, and ascended into a similar deep blackness.

"Well that's, bizarre," said Daylen, staring at the twisting staircase with his head tilted sideways.

"Yeah, I'm not climbing that," said Bik-Bik.

"We'll have to climb up and swing underneath to the doorway," said Bei, analyzing the setup.

"I'll go first," Su Shen moved forward. "Wait here, Chi-Len." The girl nodded.

Su Shen moved to the bottom of the staircase, placing one foot tentatively on the bottom step. Confident they would not collapse and spill her to whatever awaited below, she crept up. When she reached the point where the stairs began to twist, she paused.

"What is it?" asked Bei.

"The room,," she began, searching for words. "Did the room move just now?"

"No,," said the obsidiman. He looked at Daylen, who shook his head. He had felt nothing.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Quite," answered Bei. "Why, did you feel something?"

Su Shen shook her head uncertainly.

"Let me see something." she said, walking cautiously forward. She climbed up the steps, and as the staircase gradually began to twist, so too did Su Shen, at first just a casual lean, but then the angle grew more and more extreme until she was completely upside down, defying gravity.

"What the.?" gasped Daylen, shocked.

Su Shen made it to the other side, and stood, upside down, in the doorway.

"Come!" she called. "Just follow the stairs!"

Bei scooped up Chi-Len, and he and Daylen started across the gulf. When they were halfway up, just as the staircase began to twist, Daylen noticed that the room seemed to shift ever so slightly. As he continued up the stairs, the room around him began to twist on an unseen axis, until it was completely upside down.

When he stepped through the doorway, Su Shen said, "When I was halfway up, I noticed the perspective begin to change. I realized then that if I had attempted to not follow the steps and instead continued to climb on top as I had originally planned, I would have fallen—upwards."

They stood in a wide, round room with a great domed ceiling. Daylen's fluttering torch revealed several tall iron braziers marching around the perimeter. At the far end of the chamber rose a deep throne carved from a single block of stone, and atop it sat a corpse, long withered to a gray husk. Gathered about the remains were what had once been lordly finery: a golden gown studded with gemstones, large jade bracelets, and a silver-chained necklace from which dangled a blood-red ruby that caught the torchlight.

"That must be it. The ruby," spoke Su Shen.

Daylen stepped toward the nearest brazier and touched his torch to the black pitch within. A great, twisting blue flame roared into life. Then, one by one, flames sprang to life in the remaining braziers, coiling like great blue serpents and washing the room with a pale, ghostly light.

The merchant stepped back, startled. "That was unexpected," he said, dropping the now useless torch. However, the blue flames were not nearly as surprising as what waited for him when he peeled his eyes from them and turned.

The fluttering blue light reflected eerily off of previously unseen Cathayan characters scrawled across the walls. The characters were invisible a moment before, but in the light of the flames they seemed almost to glow with a radiance of their own.

"What is this?" Bei muttered, moving closer for a better look. Su Shen followed him.

"It is Kwan Yen's epitaph," said the Daughter of Heaven, her eyes moving across the brightly colored writing.

Chi-Len tugged on Daylen's sleeve.

"The ruby," she said, pointing. "I have to destroy it."

Daylen cast one last look back at the writing and then nodded. "Right."

"I call dibs on the jade bracelets!" said Bik-Bik.

While Su Shen and Bei read the writing on the wall, he crossed the room to the Witch's throne. He reached out, grimacing, and unlocked the silver clasp that held the necklace with the amulet around the corpse's neck. Kwan Yen stared at him with hollow eyes, her desiccated skull hovering inches from his face.

He turned away, eager to get away from its grin. He found Chi-Len staring up at him, her hand held out.

"Do you. know what to do?" he asked, suddenly uncertain.

"Yes," she replied easily. "Give it to me."

Her golden eyes fixed on the amulet in his hand.

Daylen reached out, vaguely aware of Bei somewhere in the background muttering, "This can't be. This makes no sense.."

Just as the ruby touched Chi-Len's waiting palm, Bei yelled with an urgency in his voice that stayed Daylen's hand.

"NOOOO!!!"

But it was too late.

"Thank you," purred Chi-Len, her eyes glittering. "I knew from the moment you sat down at the khan's table that you would be the one to lift my curse."

Her voice bore a sudden weight, laced with cruelty and malice. The corner of her mouth twitched up into a sly grin.

Su Shen and Bei rushed forward, weapons in hand.

"No Daylen!" Bei was yelling. "Do not give her the amulet!"

"It's too late, my friend," she said, her tiny hand wrapping around the ruby and stripping it from Daylen's grasp. She lifted the silver chain over her head and around her neck and stroked the ruby sensually with her fingertips.

"Chi-Len." Su Shen said thickly. She took a half step forward, her face a mask of confusion and hurt.

Chi-Len looked up at her. "Aw," mocked the girl, pushing her bottom lip out in a pout. "I'm sorry I had to hurt you, Su Shen. You really are a lovely woman, and you have such a gentle soul. But alas, our destinies must part here, and I'm afraid I have to kill you all." Then she laughed. At first a sweet, innocent giggle that slowly grew into a sinister cackle made all the more disturbing by the gleeful cruelty dancing in her golden eyes.

"Kill us?!" repeated Bik-Bik. "Wait a minute, what's going on here?"

"She's the mistress of Pan," Bei explained. "The writings, it tells the whole story; Kwan Yen was her nemesis. Kwan Yen cursed her, and only when one of a foreign blood—one who was born far from Cathay, in the lands of the setting sun—gave Chi-Len her amulet would the curse be broken."

"I thought you were smart, Bik-Bik," Chi-Len chided. "I'm disappointed it's taking you so long to catch on."

"Well, in truth I generally don't pay attention to you people half the time," said the ferret.

Chi-Len laughed. "I am going to miss you. I used to have a Cathayan ferret, you know. I would keep you, but I sense there is too much good in you, despite your amusing protestations."

"No, truly!" Bik-Bik denied vehemently. "Selfish and ornery, I am!"

Chi-Len ignored him and looked at Bei.

"Yes, jade obsidiman," she said. "I am the mistress of Pan. Kwan Yen got lucky and cursed me to a half-life, never to grow old and never to die. My powers were arrested, and I was forced to survive for the last one thousand years off the kindness of strangers. It was humiliating and undignified, but thanks to you four, my curse has finally ended, and my powers have returned."

As if to demonstrate her point, Chi-Len reached her hand out towards the nearest brazier. The twisting blue flame leapt forward and engulfed the corpse and the throne it sat on. She watched with a satisfied smile as the fire consumed what was left of Kwan Yen, and then she turned her attentions back to them.

"Wait a minute," said Daylen, "this doesn't make sense. What about my scroll? My scroll was written by a Seer saying that Kwan Yen was Pan's mistress!"

"Oh, did I not mention?" the Witch grinned wickedly. "My lover was a Seer."

A startled silence followed her chilling words.

"You fool," she continued. "Pan wrote that scroll. He foresaw this day. He knew that he could not defeat the Five Guardians; they were simply too powerful. But his visions showed him a time when the unity of the empire would be shattered, and he knew that his death would fuel the Heart of Pan, and with it he could be reborn, even after his body had been completely destroyed by the dragons. Now is that time; the empire is locked in civil war, and its disunity will only serve its destruction." She paused, allowing the full weight of her revelation to sink in.

"Of course," she went on after a moment, her voice taking on a sudden bitterness, "he did not tell me these plans, and it was not until much later, after I had been cursed, that I learned what he had in store for me—for the empire. It was then that I truly realized the depths of his wisdom."

"And the Shadowed.?" asked Daylen, already suspecting the answer.

"The Shadowed were not aware of all the facts. After they took me, I explained to them that I first must fool you into breaking my curse. My escape was carefully arranged. They want the Heart of Pan, believing they can use him for their own purposes; they're even more foolish than you. Still, they are useful pawns, and I will allow them to help me recover it, but once my lover has returned, it will be the Shadowed who will be serving us."

As she spoke, Daylen carefully backed away until he was safely behind Su Shen and Bei. The two adepts gazed at the Witch warily, their weapons held out in front of them.

"What are you going to do with those?" asked the girl, taking a step closer.

"You are not leaving this place," vowed Bei, while he and Su Shen began circling Chi-Len, who watched them with clear amusement.

"You are both powerful adepts, no doubt," said the girl, "but you have no spells. It is hopeless."

"We shall see," Bei grimaced.

The Witch smirked and threw forth her hands. From her palms sprang at the adepts twisting black coils of energy. Before the murderous spell could reach them, however, there was a sudden tremble in the air and the magical energies dissipated.

Chi-Len spun angrily, her face a deep scowl. Daylen twisted and saw, standing at the room's entrance, the old, gray-haired man who had attacked them in Min Yan. His wild eyes bore knowingly into Chi-Len's, who stared back, her golden eyes filled with venom.

"Chi-Len," the man hissed. "I have been waiting a long time for this."

"Kai," she grinned. "I thought you were dead."

"Kai?" thought Daylen, his mind going back to the scroll. "The Scholar.?"

Kai flipped his white staff upside down so that the bottom, which broadened into a base, was at the top. A soft, white orb of pure energy materialized a few inches above it.

A Moon Staff!

"Another time, perhaps," said Chi-Len, and with a great, echoing laughter, she vanished in a swirl of mist.

"No!" Kai yelled in frustration. Then he looked at them in rage.

"You fools!" he snarled.

"We didn't know—!" Daylen began.

Kai slammed the bottom of his Moon Staff against the stone floor, and from his orb burst a blinding white light, and then Daylen was falling, his screams lost in the endless void.

Awareness crept slowly into being. When Daylen opened his eyes, he discovered that he was lying with his back against a large, moss-covered boulder. In front of him danced a campfire, the dry wood snapping and sending up tiny fiery sparks. Beyond the soft, warm light shed by the fire stretched a darkened forest.

When he sat up, he saw that Su Shen and Bei rested nearby, gazing quietly into the campfire. It was clear that Su Shen's thoughts were far away as her green eyes watched the swirling yellow flames.

"It's about time you woke up."

Daylen craned his neck to find Bik-Bik standing on the boulder behind him.

"Where are we?" he asked. His head was beginning to clear. He remembered the tomb of Kwan Yen, the showdown with the Witch, and the sudden arrival of.

"Where's Kai?"

"I am here," came a voice.

From out of the shadows stepped the ancient Scholar, his gray robes dragging along the underbrush. He stopped at the edge of the campfire's light, leaning on his Moon Staff. His thick gray eyebrows shadowed his eyes, which came to rest on the merchant.

"I see you have finally awoken," he said.

Daylen felt uneasy, but somewhat reassured by Su Shen and Bei's untroubled response.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked. He did not feel rested.

"About a half hour," said Bei. "The magic that transported us here seems to have had a greater effect on you than the rest of us."

"Where are we?" Daylen asked again.

"On our way to fix your mistake," said Kai. The old man moved closer and sat across the fire from him, never removing his stare.

"I don't understand," Daylen began. "For starters, why did you help us back there with Chi-Len but try to kill us in Min Yan?"

"No, not kill all of you," Kai replied, letting the rest go unsaid. Daylen shifted uncomfortably.

"He was trying to kill only you," Su Shen said for him. "To prevent you from fulfilling the prophecy."

"Prophecy?" said the merchant numbly.

"The one I learned a millennium ago," Kai explained. "The prophecy telling of Chi-Len's curse one day being lifted.

The Scholar finally removed his gaze from the merchant—much to Daylen's relief—and cast it into the fire.

"After Feng Po and I defeated Pan, Chi-Len ambushed us and took the Heart, along with the other magical items that Pan had created. She escaped; we were too weak from our battle to stop her. For years we searched for that Witch. All across Cathay we followed her trail, battling her minions until finally we learned that Kwan Yen had cursed her. However, though she was defeated, we never did discover where she had hidden the artifact."

He paused, reliving the memories. Daylen could see that in his eyes smoldered a deep regret.

After a moment, he continued, "Life, as it does, went on. Later, in my twilight years, I was chosen as an Immortal. It was a great honor, and I performed my duties with dignity.

"But then, in my eightieth year in that solemn post, a Seer arrived at the Tower. She came to tell us of a vision she had that foresaw the return of Chi-Len, and soon after that, the return of Pan. We knew that we had to prevent her vision from ever happening. One of us had to extend our immortality beyond the regular one hundred years. I was chosen, for I had the most willpower and the most likelihood of retaining my sanity in order to accomplish my task.

"I traveled all across this world. across shining empires and spirit-haunted woods, searching for the tomb of Kwan Yen in order to destroy her amulet and prevent the prophecy from ever being fulfilled."

He stopped again, haunted by memories. He laughed suddenly, bitterly, and gave a rueful shake of his head.

"We were such arrogant fools," he went on, "to think we could ever have stopped fate. and as time tumbled ever forward, it grew harder and harder to separate my dreams from reality. I would have long conversations with people who only existed in my mind, and flee from monsters that had never existed. Years and years of my life are nothing more than vague moments of lucidity. Even now I dwell in a space between sanity and madness, never certain if what is happening is real or some illusion conjured from my failing mind."

"Well that just makes me feel at ease," murmured Bik-Bik.

"How is it that you were able to leave the Tower of Secrets?" asked Su Shen. "It is said that any Immortal who steps from within those walls dies instantly."

Kai nodded. "That is true."

He produced from beneath his robes a small wooden talisman carved into the shape of a phoenix, that he wore about his neck on a thin brown strap of leather. Much like his staff, the wood was worn and discolored with age. "This is made from wood carved from the original Tower of Secrets."

The original Tower of Secrets.

Daylen had heard that the original Tower of Secrets had been destroyed during the Scourge and had to be rebuilt after the Name-giver races returned to the surface of the world. Only the vast collected knowledge stored beneath the tower survived. Even the Eight Immortals, who could not flee the tower to hide in the dragon lairs with the rest of Cathay, were destroyed. After the Scourge, the Scholars and Daughters of Heaven returned and found only the tower's wide stone base. The rest had been devoured by the Horrors. The new tower had been constructed atop the bones of the old.

"This talisman holds the magic," Kai continued. "As long as I wear this around my neck and perform the necessary blood magic every twenty five years, then the immortal spell preserves my body."

"Blood magic?" asked Daylen, suddenly remembering. "The cuts on your arms.?"

Kai nodded. He lifted one of his sleeves to reveal the thin red stripes that marred his flesh.

"They never fully heal," he said in a weary voice.

Daylen looked at him, at just how utterly exhausted he appeared, as if fatigue was all he had ever known for a very long time. Daylen wondered what it would be like to be immortal; he thought he could get used to it, despite the threat of going mad. The awareness of his own mortality was never something he had been very comfortable with. He knew that existence did not end with death, for he had seen the dead brought back to life and had even spoken with ghosts, but living was all he had ever known, and he did not much care to know what came after.

He felt just a little bitter that the Tower of Secrets hoarded the knowledge of such longevity, and that if he were to ever attempt to use the immortal magic, it would kill him. Maybe he should become a Scholar adept. Even as the ridiculous thought entered his mind, Daylen dismissed it. He had neither the deep rooted passion for knowledge nor the aptitude required for such rigorous studies. And even so, only the Eight Immortals tasted that powerful magic.

Daylen looked at Kai's staff. The glowing orb that characterized the Scholars' Moon Staffs was no longer present.

"Your staff," he said, "what happens to the orb?"

Kai looked at the staff in his hand as if seeing it for the first time, turning it over in his aged hands.

"My staff, just like me, has grown very old, and our magic has dimmed together. I can only summon the orb for short periods of time. It requires great effort and concentration."

"I did not know that the Moon Staffs had a life expectancy," said Daylen, surprised.

"No, they normally do not. But they are powered by thread magic, you see, and as my life is stretched, my True Pattern weakens."

The thought made Daylen shudder. "That sounds dangerous."

Kai smiled wistfully. "Immortality comes with a price, boy."

"Why did you never tell the Immortals what was going on? Why did they not know about Chi-Len?" asked Su Shen suddenly, a rising anger detectable in her voice.

Kai only shook his head sadly. "I have never communicated with them, not since before the Scourge. The knowledge of my mission must have been lost during that dark time. I never attempted to contact the new Tower of Secrets because it reminds me too much of my old life, and it conjures a terrible mixture of nostalgia and shame; shame at my failure."

"If you would have told them, then this never would have happened!" Su Shen accused, unsympathetically.

"Yes," Kai agreed. "I know. I carry much of the guilt for this tragedy."

A long, tense moment passed. Daylen decided to change the subject.

"What about that little device you have? The one you tried to kill me with?" He said the last sentence in a joking manner, hoping to ease the tension.

"Oh, this?" said the Scholar, holding up his hand. Between thumb and forefinger he held the tiny black ball, dull in the firelight.

"Catch." He tossed it to Daylen. The merchant let out a startled yell, fumbling for it desperately before it could hit the ground.

"Ow!" he yelled when his fist finally closed around it. Something had poked him. Opening his fingers, he saw that the tiny ball had spikes protruding from it, almost like a caltrop.

The Scholar laughed, and for the first time the fatigue seemed to leave him, and an almost youthful spirit seemed to glitter in his eyes.

"Don't worry, it only explodes when I say the command word and it is then thrown," he explained, chuckling.

Daylen held it carefully between the tips of his fingers and thumbs, spinning it cautiously while examining it. Runes could clearly be seen etched into its surface.

"Hey." he said, recognizing them. "This writing is Throalic!" The dwarfs of Throal ruled the most powerful kingdom in all of Barsaive, and since the end of the Scourge their language had grown to become the common tongue in the province.

"As I said, boy, I have been all across this world of ours."

Daylen reached across the fire and handed the tiny spiked ball back to him. "It is quite a trinket."

"Yeah, that trinket nearly left us as charred stains on the streets of Min Yan," scowled Bik-Bik.

"Yes," recalled Kai, burying the orb back in his robes. "And my toe still throbs where you bit me."

Bik-Bik scrunched up his furry little face. "You should really wash those sometimes, you know."

"How did you find us?" Bei put in. "In Kwan Yen's tomb?"

"It was fortunate, really. For you at least," the Scholar replied. "I had been following the nethermonks when I came upon you in Min Yan. After my failed attack, I tracked you across Feng Dei, eventually picking up your trail as it neared the Plains of Huyan."

"Nethermonks," said Daylen with a tremble. "Horrible creatures."

"Yes," agreed the Scholar. "They are the dark servants of Pan. His followers who have sold their souls for awful powers."

"His followers? Pan has followers, even after all this time?" Daylen found it hard to imagine.

"Yes, though they are not nearly as numerous as they once were, thank the Passions. But those that remain have recently joined with the Shadowed in order to free their master."

"Free?" Su Shen asked. "You mean bring back from the dead."

"Yes and no," was the Scholar's cryptic answer. "When Feng Po struck the mortal blow, Pan used powerful death magic to seal his essence in the Heart of Pan, preventing it from slipping into the afterlife. Once Chi-Len recovers the artifact, all that will be needed to bring the Nethermancer back to life will be a simple incantation. and a sacrifice."

"What kind of sacrifice?" asked Daylen.

"The willing kind."

Given that Pan still had loyal followers one thousand years after his death, Daylen figured that it wouldn't be particularly difficult for them to secure one.

"This is all my fault," said Daylen after a moment.

"I agree," said Bik-Bik without waiting for an explanation.

"Why is it your fault?" Bei asked.

"That scroll. If I had never found it, we never would have known where the tomb of Kwan Yen was located, and, more importantly, we never would have been tricked into taking Chi-Len there."

"You cannot blame yourself, boy," said Kai sympathetically. "Pan was a Seer. One thousand years ago he set a chain of events into motion that he knew would ultimately end with you taking possession of that scroll bearing the false prophecy. You could not possibly have known."

Daylen nodded, feeling a little better now that the man who had tried to kill him, in a way, had forgiven him.

"I can't believe Seers are so powerful," Daylen marveled.

"Were powerful," Kai corrected. "There are no more Seers. None have been born with the ability to learn the magical talents since before the Scourge. It is said that Twoo, the Passion of Death and Judgment, created the Seers long, long ago, but like all things created for good, the powers eventually became twisted and perverted and were used for the selfish desires of petty men. The Passions have seen fit to allow the Discipline to become extinct."

"Good riddance," said Bei with his trademarked scowl.

Kai nodded his agreement. "Yes. We have seen the dangers that come with such powers."

"We must return to the Tower of Secrets," said Su Shen. "We must tell the Immortals what has happened."

"No," Kai's voice was firm. "We must stop Chi-Len from recovering the Heart of Pan. That is our priority."

"We do not even know where it is," she objected. "The Scholars will know—"

"I know where it is," he said calmly.

Su Shen stopped, shocked. "I thought you said you did not know where the Heart of Pan was located?"

"Feng Po and I were unable to find it, but I have had one thousand years since then. It was not as difficult to find as Kwan Yen's tomb, for, as I discovered, it did not need to be. Only Chi-Len can unseal the entrance, and only when she has had her powers returned to her."

Daylen could not help but feel a flush of guilt.

"Where is it, then?" Su Shen asked.

"Not far from where we are now. With any luck we will arrive there before they do." He sounded doubtful.

"And where are we now?" Su Shen was growing impatient again.

"My spell transported us to what is now the northern kingdom of Shan Dei. We are in the outskirts of the Realm of Twilight."

The alarm that the Name evoked in the adepts was as though they had just heard a blood curdling scream cutting through the night. Both Su Shen and Bei leapt to their feet, their weapons coming free from their scabbards with great speed, their eyes scanning the underbrush warily.

Daylen climbed to his feet more slowly, confused.

"What's going on?" he asked, his adrenaline pumping. He tried to peer through the darkness but saw only vague shadows. "Is something coming?"

Kai, who had remained unmoving, said, "It is this place, boy. Your friends are alarmed we are here—and with good reason."

"Why.?" he asked, already fearing the answer.

"Evil stirs in these haunted woods," Bei spoke, his voice sounding troubled, which alarmed Daylen more than his answer.

"The Nightingale Queen," said Bik-Bik, his tiny voice trembling. "She rules these woods."

"The Nightingale Queen." Daylen repeated. He had heard tales of her. The legends said that her beauty was only outdone by her cruelty, and that she kept a large collection of so-called living art, twisted masterpieces of living beings melded into the trees over vast acres, their limbs and faces sticking out of the boles, their expressions forever locked in terror.

"Do not worry," said Kai. "We will not be venturing into her domain."

Bik-Bik gave a visible sigh of relief.

"Fine," said Su Shen. "Let's move. We have to stop Chi-Len."

"And kill her," said Kai, standing.

"She is just a child." Su Shen began, her voice trailing off.

"Just a child?" Kai asked. "She may look like a child, but she has an ancient and evil soul. Do you think you're the first person to fall in love with her? Do you think you are the first person she has used?"

Su Shen dropped her eyes. She had fallen in love with the girl; that much was clear.

"She is cunning, and she has harmed countless lives over the past thousand years. She must be destroyed."

Su Shen nodded, though Daylen could still see how much it pained her. He felt a desire to comfort her, to hold her, but he knew such a demonstration of affection would not be accepted. Not by her.

"I know," she conceded, moving away from the fire and turning her back. "When we meet Chi-Len again, she will die."

The Witch had returned, just as she had promised. Yen-Li the Undying watched her from the tree line. The others stood around him, their burning torches lighting the scene.

They stood before a black cliff that thrust high above the trees. Hugging the base of the cliff sat an enormous block of ice the size of a house. Yen-Li knew that the ice was as hard as steel, for when the Shadowed had first found it seven months ago, they had attempted to dig through it. Not a single mark told of their efforts.

The night was warm, made all the warmer by the unnatural aura of the cursed woods in which they stood, and yet the ice did not sweat. It only reflected back at them their flickering torches, the yellow and orange flames appearing like fiery wraiths along its slick, white surface.

The Witch stood before the ice. She had created the barrier one thousand years ago. Only she could remove it.

Yen-Li was impressed with her powers. She had used her magic—ancient magic—to speed them here faster than an airship could have.

She reached out with her hands and from her fingertips a soft, warm light spread. The ice began to melt, slowly at first, with but small tears running down its face. Soon the tears became rivers, and then there was a tremendous crack as the ice split. It crumbled into large chunks that melted as soon as they hit the earth. The water pooled and collected into puddles that shone like mirrors in the moonlight.

A large, circular door of stone was revealed. The Witch waved her hand, and it swung silently open. She twisted and cast her sly grin back at them.

"Come," she said, "my lover awaits."

They reached the muddy banks of a wide river two hours later. Kai climbed down the bank and stepped out atop a thick root that stretched out from a large, bent tree. The root ran out over the slow-moving water before diving into its unseen depths. The Scholar produced a small piece of parchment from within his robes and folded it expertly into the shape of a tiny boat. He set it carefully into the dark water and began weaving his hands in the air. The paper boat swelled and expanded until it was large enough to contain them all.

"Don't worry," he assured them, "it is quite safe."

They climbed inside, one after another, and Daylen was careful not to brush the dry paper with his torch. Bei sat down and gripped the paper oars dubiously.

"That way," Kai instructed, pointing upriver to the West.

Bei tugged on the oars, and the boat began gliding silently through the water.

The Realm of Twilight presented a chilling atmosphere. The wind rushed through the leaves and the blackness seemed to whisper at them like restless phantoms. A thick fog hung in the air like pale, ghostly wraiths, watching them silently as they passed, hungry for their warmth. The black, twisted trees soared up all around them along both sides of the river, their branches stretching outward like clawed hands. They seemed somehow unhealthy, and to Daylen looked almost to dip and sag like aged flesh, marching one after another into the boundless realm.

The banks of the river were a tangle of weeds and thick, groping mud, the shadows melting into the dark, still waters. Animals avoided the water's edge, and he could not help but wonder what lurked in the murky depths, into which he could see no further than the cold reflection of the moon that slid along the surface quietly behind them.

Above it all a sinister silence brooded. It was an unnatural silence, as if every living thing feared to reveal its presence. Daylen suddenly realized that he had been holding the torch out above the water in a subconscious effort to keep the hungry flames from accidentally licking the paper boat. He felt very exposed with his arm hanging out, wondering what sort of dangerous beast might emerge suddenly from the depths to seize him and drag him back under. He brought his arm back in, keeping the torch just above his head and doing his best to ignore the icy sensation that was slowly creeping through his soul.

Time passed, and then from somewhere in the deep blackness, deep within the trees, a baby cried in distress.

"What is that?" Daylen asked, alarmed. "Do you hear that?"

The boat's passengers craned their necks to stare into the thick cold fog. The baby's wailing cries shattered the stillness of the night.

"Yes. that is Yu Lei!" exclaimed Su Shen. She stared intently into the woods. "She is calling for help!"

'Yu Lei?" Daylen started. "No, the baby-"

"I also hear a woman in danger!" Bei cut him off. He had ceased his rowing and grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Though it does not sound like Yu Lei. We must save her!"

"You're all crazy!" Bik-Bik put in. "I hear the mating call of a female Cathayan ferret!" He stood as tall as he could on Daylen's shoulder as if he could peer over the gloom for a better look.

"Mind serpents," said Kai. The old Scholar had remained focused on the journey ahead and seemed uninterested in the cries emanating from the woods. "Pay no heed, and continue to row. The giant snakes use visual and auditory illusions to lure their meals. For each victim it is different, as the illusions are taken from the hearts and desires of their prey."

"Damn it!" cursed Bik-Bik, collapsing back down with a disappointed huff.

"Are we safe here in the boat?" asked Daylen, scooting as far as he could to the opposite side of the boat, away from the bank. The child's cries seemed to grow more urgent.

"Quite," promised the Scholar. "Mind serpents are incredibly lazy hunters. Unless they are starving, they generally prefer to not chase down their dinners."

Bei relaxed, and his hand unwrapped from about his weapon. He grabbed the oars and resumed his steady paddling. The boat continued on, and the phantom calls faded slowly behind them.

Time passed at an immeasurable rate as they floated slowly up the river. They rounded a great bend, and when they cleared a wide overhang of branches Daylen saw in the distance a tall mountain peak thrusting far above the forest, its silhouette set against the starry night sky.

"That is our destination," spoke the Scholar, pointing toward the mountain. "It is beneath those slopes where the Heart of Pan lies."

Gradually they approached the mountain, but before they reached it, Kai said to Bei, "We stop here."

Bei nodded and maneuvered the boat toward the bank, and one by one they clambered out, pushing through a thick tangle of bushes that tugged at their clothing and hair and then further on into a mob of trees. Once they were safely out of the boat, it rapidly shrank until it was nothing more than a piece of folded parchment floating back down the river and out of sight.

"Put out that torch," Kai instructed. "The Shadowed may already be there. We must travel the remainder of the way with stealth."

Daylen nodded and tossed the torch into the river. It vanished with a loud splash and a sharp hiss as the water snuffed out the flame. When he turned back to the old man, he found a scowling face staring angrily at him in the moonlight.

"Did I not just say stealth?" he whispered harshly.

Daylen gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry?"

Kai muttered irritably and turned away. "Stay close to me, all of you. I can see just fine, but the rest of you will be blind in these woods."

Through the dark forest they stalked silently behind the Scholar. He had been right: Daylen could not see a thing. He kept his hand on Su Shen's shoulder, who in turn kept her hand on Bei's, who in turn held onto Kai. They moved slowly, taking little steps so as to lessen the noise, snaking their way around trees, through the undergrowth, and across uneven, mossy ground. Daylen decided that the forest was somehow less frightening in the absolute darkness; he imagined that since he could see nothing, nothing could see him either.

On the darkness went, until sometime later Daylen spied a light hovering between the silhouettes of two trees. When they drew nearer, he saw that it was a burning torch held by an elf wearing padded armor. The elf stood beyond the trees, across a space of twenty yards, just before a tall, black cliff. There stood next to him a dwarf, wearing the same fashion of armor. Both carrying sabers at their hips, they stood flanking a perfectly round doorway set into the base of the cliff. Through it Daylen could see only shadows, and it was clear that the two armed men were guarding it. The Witch had already arrived, it seemed, and was somewhere within. The guards were chatting casually, as if they were not expecting any trouble.

"Mercenaries," whispered Bei.

Daylen saw Su Shen and Bei pull their swords slowly from their scabbards, careful not to make a sound.

"We must not allow them to alert the others," Kai whispered. "They must be taken out quickly—"

"We've got this," growled Bei. Daylen could sense that the Warrior was eager for some payback.

Su Shen and Bei, both long experienced with each other's tactics, darted away, one to the left and one to the right, silent as jungle cats. When they vanished from view, Daylen glanced back towards the guards. A few moments later, a loud snap of a tree branch came from somewhere off to Daylen's right. The mercenaries immediately hushed and spun in that direction.

"What was that?" asked the dwarf.

"I'm not sure," replied the other.

They both freed their weapons and moved to inspect the noise. Behind them, Su Shen emerged from the trees unheard and unseen. She crept toward them, as silent as their shadows. Her blade caught the moonlight as it darted forward like a serpent. It slid through the back of the elf s neck, neatly out the front, and then back out again. The elf collapsed at once, clutching his throat. The dwarf turned to see why his comrade had fallen, and before he could realize his own danger, Su Shen's slender blade opened his windpipe. He collapsed next to his partner.

Bei emerged from the tree line, and neither he nor Su Shen paid the mercenaries any mind as they died at their feet. The adepts' attentions were focused instead on the dark, circular portal.

Daylen watched with a gruesome fascination as the men coughed and gurgled up sprays of blood while madly kicking their feet. After several agonizing moments, they finally grew still.

"Come," said Kai, snapping him out of his morbid trance. Together they moved out of the woods and into the clearing.

Bei reached down and lifted one of the dead men's sabers.

"You said you would rather have a good weapon than be unarmed," he said while handing it to Daylen.

Daylen took it as if he were accepting a hissing snake. It was light, and its thin metal blade swept backwards in a sharp, deadly curve. The saber was obviously a weapon designed for cutting rather than stabbing. The merchant had never used a weapon like it before, and it felt clumsy and awkward in his hand.

"Pick up that torch and let's go," said Kai.

Daylen did as he was told but asked, "I thought we weren't to bring torches?"

"The guard had a torch," said the Scholar. "If they see us coming, they will assume we are they, which will buy us a few moments. It is better than having all of you stumbling through the dark behind me."

With that, Kai stepped through the portal, the others following closely behind. Daylen, with Bik-Bik riding his shoulder, entered last. The entrance fell back into a natural cavern, small and cramped, though it stretched deep into the mountain. Ahead of them, the cavern floor was littered with tremendous rocks in various shapes and sizes, though none were precisely round. Stacked atop and between one another, the giant stones made the floor seem to rise and dip like ocean swells, steadily inclining higher and higher the deeper the cavern stretched. Thin stalactites hung from the ceiling like stone teeth, and towards the end of the chamber, the pile of rock rose so high that it nearly touched them. Beyond lay another tunnel, though it appeared only as a thin horizontal stripe of blackness between the pile of stones and the stalactites.

They negotiated the uneven floor swiftly and one by one they climbed through, forced to squeeze past on their bellies. The claustrophobic crawl went on for several yards before the passage finally dropped back down into a narrow hall that had formed naturally over countless years between two walls of uneven, solid rock. The thin, shallow stream that had worn through the rock over the millennia still flowed at the bottom, and its icy coldness nearly caused Daylen to scream out in shock when he plopped down into it.

The passage was so slim that for most of the way they had to maneuver through it sideways, and Daylen could hear Bei sucking in his breath in order to squeeze past many of the more treacherously thin sections.

Eventually, the stream ended at a thin, worm-like hole that plunged down somewhere into the depths of the earth. Next to it, an opening in the cavern wall spilled out onto a broad ledge that stuck out like a large balcony devoid of rails. A light emanated from somewhere below it.

They stepped out. To their right, another natural passage cut through the rock. They gazed down its snaking interior and, seeing no one, decided instead to creep to the rim of the ledge and peek down below. Ten yards beneath them spread the floor of a tremendous cavern. Carved into it were a series of concentric circles, the largest easily seven yards in diameter. Arcane writings filled the spaces between each circle, and on the floor in the very center sat the Heart of Pan.

And the artifact was not alone. Far beyond it, near the opposite wall, knelt Yen-Li the Undying. Before him stood Chi-Len. Both villains had their eyes closed, as if in meditation. Chi-Len would speak, and to Daylen it sounded like she was performing a spell, though she would not complete it. Instead, she would stop, and then Yen-Li would repeat her words, slowly, as if hearing them for the first time.

"She is teaching him the incantation," Kai whispered. "It seems she has found a willing sacrifice."

"We must stop them," said Bei. "We will sneak down and attack—"

"No! They will hear us," Kai warned. "We must steal the egg. Only then will we be able to perform the necessary ritual to destroy Pan's soul forever."

The Scholar looked at Bik-Bik.

"What?" asked the ferret suspiciously.

"You must go down there and retrieve the egg. You can sneak down there more easily than any of the rest of us."

"I'm sorry," said Bik-Bik, "but do I look like I can carry anything that big? Do I have hands like yours?"

"Do not worry. I will have a spell prepared that will allow you to bring it back to us. All you must do is rub up against it."

Bik-Bik gave a rueful shake of his head. "Fine. I guess I'll save the day. Again."

He scrambled out over the edge and along the wall, down crags that, for one of his size, made his climb swift and without difficulty. He reached the bottom and scampered across the floor towards the Heart of Pan, while in the background, Chi-Len continued to teach Yen-Li the incantation, oblivious of the sneaky thief.

The ferret rubbed up against the egg and waited. Kai cast his spell quietly. As he murmured the arcane words, he pressed his palms together and acted as though he could not pull them apart. When he was finished he motioned for Bik-Bik to return. When the ferret moved, the egg came away with him, attached to his back.

Bik-Bik scurried across the floor back to the wall as quickly as he could. His climb up the wall was much slower, as the egg not only weighed him down, but it made some of the earlier protrusions he used too narrow.

After great difficulty, Bik-Bik gained the ledge and stopped to gain his breath.

"Get this thing off of me," he complained. "It's heavy!"

"Sorry little one. The spell has a few more minutes left before it wears off," the Scholar apologized.

"Fine," Bik-Bik said irritably. "Daylen, pick me up. I refuse to walk any further."

The merchant scooped him up with a laugh. "Good job."

"Yeah, yeah."

Daylen paused to look at the Heart of Pan. The egg was just as he had imagined it in his mind's eye. Carved from gray stone and just under a foot in height, it felt much heavier than it looked. The bottom was flat and smooth, and strange, arcane writings crawled all across its surface.

"Do you mind?" asked Bik-Bik.

"Sorry," he mumbled, placing Bik-Bik—along with the egg—in his pack.

"All set," he said. They turned, ready to flee with their prize— and froze.

A nethermonk stood at the entrance of the passage they had ignored. His hood was thrown back, and it stared at them with its sewn eyes.

"Tuatha!" The runes etched into Kai's spiked ball flared to life, and the Scholar hurled it at the creature.

The nethermonk, in an impressive display of reflexes, snatched the tiny ball out of the air. and then exploded.

"Avaktu!" Kai yelled, recovering his magical weapon.

Before Daylen could duck back out the way they had come in, another nethermonk appeared in front of him, emerging suddenly from the shadows. Then another. And another, materializing from the darkness.

Behind them, a familiar giggle floated through the air. Chi-Len hovered, floating in midair just past the ledge's edge.

"Well, we are persistent, aren't we?" she cooed. "Kill them all-starting with the foreigner. He has the Heart of Pan in his pack."

The nethermonks swarmed forward. The adepts rushed to meet them, weapons flashing.

"Protect Daylen!" Kai yelled. "They must not get the egg!"

They nodded grimly but quickly found that they were outnumbered and could not prevent all of the nethermonks from getting through. As one of the dark beings neared Daylen, the merchant looked at the torch in his one hand and the saber in his other. and decided to run.

He plunged wildly down the corridor, the sounds of battle chasing after him. Down the twisting corridor he ran, blindly, with no idea where he was going.

"What's going on out there?!" yelled Bik-Bik from within his pack. "I can't see a thing! This stupid egg is weighing me down!"

Before Daylen could answer, he turned a corner and came face to face with a mercenary. The human was just as startled to see Daylen, and before the mercenary could react, Daylen threw his torch into the man's face. It exploded in a shower of sparks.

"Gaaaaa!" The mercenary screamed in pain and staggered backwards. With a terrified yell, Daylen swung his saber and struck him in the face. It was not what Daylen expected. He had seen Su Shen and Bei cleave through enemies' limbs before, but this felt like he had just hit something solid with a club, not sliced something with a sword.

The man's head snapped back, and for just a moment, it did not appear that he had been cut. Then the blood came. In a great gush it flowed down the man's face, and when he twisted his head, part of his face flapped open, and Daylen could see the white gleam of bone beneath it.

The mercenary bent over and clapped his hands to his ruined face. Daylen swung again, striking the back of his head. The saber scraped along the back of his skull, and the man dropped to his knees. Daylen swung again, and again, and again, each stroke finding the man's head or the back of his neck and sending up warm sprays of blood, which splattered across Daylen's face and chest. The mercenary tried feebly to raise his arms to protect himself, but the saber bit off his fingers. Another stroke nearly cut through his arm just below the elbow, and it flopped over uselessly.

Finally, when the man stopped moving, Daylen ended his frenzied attack. He let the saber, covered in dripping gore, slip from his fingers. He stood, frozen and trembling violently.

"Well, well, well," the familiar voice purred behind him. "The foreigner is a killer after all."

Chi-Len glided forward, her golden eyes fixed on him, her playful smile on her face. He backed away from the girl, looking for a way out. To his right, a set of stairs carved into the rock led down, bending out of sight. He made a dash for it, making it only a few steps when Yen-Li appeared. The giant of a man growled and stalked up the stairs towards him.

"There is nowhere to go, Daylen," said the Witch behind him.

Daylen backed slowly up the stairs while Yen-Li climbed up them slowly, unhurried, glowering at the merchant, death dancing in his eyes.

Daylen stepped back out into the passage, and Yen-Li stepped out after him. Chi-Len stood just behind him, and the merchant found that he had nowhere to go. He searched around vainly for some avenue of escape—at the floor, the ceiling—hoping an opportunity would magically present itself. It did not.

"Give me the egg, Daylen," she said. "Hand it over, and I will spare your life."

Daylen, long practiced in detecting lies, sensed hers right away. They were going to kill him. He knew that. He backed desperately against the wall.

"This is no time to be a hero," she said, inching closer. "Whom are you trying to save? The girl? It's always the girl, isn't it? Are you being brave for her?" Her laughter was wicked and cold.

"Enough talk!"

Daylen did not see Yen-Li's fist until the last moment. There was a white flash, and the jarring, painful—and yet familiar—sensation made him think of getting punched by Qadan in the Land of the Gar, and the next thing he knew he was lying on his back, blinking up at them. Yen-Li held the egg in his enormous hands.

"Kill him," said Chi-Len casually, and for just the briefest moment Daylen thought she was talking to him. But then he saw Yen-Li reach behind his waist and produce a long, curved knife.

"Step away from him!" Kai's voice boomed powerfully. He stood at the other end of the passage, his Moon Staff flaring brightly. Blood flowed freely from several shallow wounds across his scalp, and he appeared as wild and savage as the day when the merchant had first seen him.

Chi-Len stopped Yen-Li when he moved to confront the Scholar.

"No," she said. "We have what we came for."

The Witch clapped her hands together, and she and Yen-Li vanished.

The Scholar rushed to Daylen, and while he was helping him to his feet, Su Shen and Bei appeared, both suffering from injuries of their own, though they did not seem to be bothered by them.

"She took the egg," Daylen told them before they could ask.

"Where is she?" Su Shen's fiery green eyes scanned the corridor.

"She is gone," said Kai. "But worry not; I can track her. We must hurry before they have a chance to perform the incantation."

"Are you all right in there, Bik-Bik?" Daylen asked. When the ferret did not respond, Daylen repeated himself and then peeked into his pack.

The shock must have been clearly visible on his face, for Su Shen asked, "What is it? What is the matter?"

He reached inside his pack and withdrew the Heart of Pan.

"They don't have the egg," he said, a terrible fear for the obnoxious little rodent suddenly settling over him. "They have Bik-Bik."

Kai sat on the floor of the passage, his eyes peeled wide as he gazed into astral space. He was using his magic to trace Chi-Len while the others stood around him, silent and waiting.

It was ancient magic the Scholar used, long lost and forgotten by the world, except for perhaps by great dragons and other powerful beings. With it, he was tracing her spell's trail. He told them that the transportation spell both he and the Witch used left a magical trail in astral space for a time, and by using magical spells to see into astral space and over great distances, he was able to follow it.

"The ritual to destroy Pan's soul must be performed under a full moon," explained the Scholar before he started his search. "The next full moon is not for several more days, so we have time to save your ferret companion."

Daylen nodded, grateful that he was not forced to insist on saving Bik-Bik. He wiped the blood from the mercenary off of his face with a cloth, tossing the gruesome thing aside when he was finished. He tried not to look at it, as it only brought flashes of the man's death to his mind, which left an unsettling feeling in his stomach—a strange blend of guilt and nausea. He had killed in self-defense before, but never in such a cold blooded fashion. He did not think he would ever be able to use a weapon again.

"They traveled far. very far," spoke Kai suddenly. "Back to the kingdom of Feng Dei.."

"To where, exactly?" asked Bei. Daylen could sense the Warrior desired conflict—and vengeance.

"Her trail ends at a walled city, deep in the southwest. I cannot see where they are going within the city. My magic can take us there."

"Let us waste no more time then," said Su Shen.

The Scholar stood and stamped the butt of his Moon Staff against the floor. The orb blazed into being, and then there was a tremendous flash.

When Daylen awoke, he found himself in a room, lying on a musty smelling bed. The generic furnishings told him right away that he was in an inn. Su Shen and Bei sat on the floor nearby.

"Oh! You awoke much more quickly than last time," said Bei with a grin when he saw the merchant stirring. "Only around half an hour. "

The giant stood. "Come, let us get something to eat."

Daylen sat up. "Where are we?"

"The town is Named Shao," Bei replied, turning for the door.

"Where is Kai?"

"He has used a spell to disguise his appearance and is searching about the town for clues as to where Chi-Len has fled," the obsidiman answered.

Realizing his appetite had returned, Daylen stood and moved to the door. His legs felt heavy and awkward at first, and he was somewhat lightheaded, but after a moment the feelings began to pass.

"Are you coming, Su Shen?" he asked when he noticed the Daughter of Heaven remained seated on the floor.

She shook her head. "I will remain here. I need to meditate."

He looked at her closely. She returned his gaze evenly.

"All right," he said finally, exiting after Bei and shutting the door behind him.

Downstairs, they chose a table in the corner, even though they were the only ones in the common room. Through a shuttered window, Daylen saw that dawn was just beginning to break outside. He was surprised he did not feel tired.

"The excitement must not have worn off yet," he thought.

He suspected that after the meal it would catch up with him. He did not want to sleep through the entire day; he hated it when his sleep schedule got so messed up. He supposed he would have to stay awake through the day and catch up on sleep that night. He was not looking forward to the discomfort of forcing himself to stay awake; if they allowed him to participate in the search for Bik-Bik, he would not have a problem. He hoped they found him soon. although another confrontation with Chi-Len and the Shadowed was something he was also dreading.

A surly ork appeared from a back room and took their orders. Bei ordered enough food for three people, while Daylen ordered a bowl of rice, steamed vegetables, and fried duck. It was a little expensive, but he did not have Bik-Bik to think about.

The thought made him anxious. He was worried about the little guy. He hoped Bik-Bik had the good sense to maintain his form as the Heart of Pan. He wondered why the ferret had chosen to disguise himself as the egg. It seemed uncharacteristically heroic; Daylen prayed to the Passions that he would have an opportunity to one day ask Bik-Bik the question.

"How long do you think it will take Kai to discover Chi-Len's whereabouts?" he asked Bei after they had waited awhile.

The Warrior shrugged. "I don't know. But hopefully not as long as it is taking our food to arrive."

Daylen agreed.

"I forgot my pouch," the merchant suddenly realized. "I'll be right back."

He left the table and headed back upstairs.

"You had better hurry. If the food arrives while you're gone, I can't promise it will still be here when you get back!" Bei called after him.

When he reached the door to their room, Daylen heard a noise through the door that made his hand freeze halfway to the latch. It sounded like Su Shen gasping for breath! Gripped by a sudden urgency, he threw open the door and rushed inside. Su Shen lay curled up on the bed.

"Su Shen!" he yelled, hurrying to her.

The Daughter of Heaven sat up, and again Daylen froze. She had been crying. She wiped her bleary eyes with the back of her hand and choked back her remaining sobs.

"What is it?" she asked stiffly.

"I." he had to think a moment. Why was he up here? Then he remembered. "I came for my coin pouch." He picked it up where it lay on the nightstand. "Is everything all right?"

Su Shen nodded but hung her head, staring at her lap. "I am fine."

Daylen's heart began to ache at the sight of her sadness. It was clear she did not want to talk about it, so he nodded and turned to leave. He paused again at the door, and then he shut it, remaining inside.

"You seem upset," he said, turning back to her. He returned to the edge of the bed and sat next to her; he felt a strong need to comfort her. Daylen had never been the best at such things, and he was running the risk of angering her, he knew, but he thought he had to try.

She shook her head. "It was just a moment of weakness. I am fine now."

She looked at him, adopting her usual stern countenance. He said nothing, only stared sympathetically. Daylen had been in countless negotiations in his life, and he could tell when someone wanted something, and right then, he could sense that she wanted to talk.

After a moment, she sighed and looked away.

"I once told you that when I was young my mother and brothers were killed by raiders," she said finally. He nodded and allowed her to continue. "The Daughters who saved me and the others took me in. They protected me. They took me back to the Tower of Secrets, and over many years I learned their ways. They taught me about plants and medicines, they taught me to fight, and they taught me my adept magic.

"But I never forgot my family. I never forgot how helpless I felt the night they were killed right in front of me. When I first left the tower as a Novice, under the apprenticeship of my Master, I saw the world as divided into two halves: victims and those who preyed upon them, and every time I saved someone—or was forced to kill someone—in my heart I was saving my family."

She stood and crossed to the window. The redness of dawn was slowly melting across the sky and giving way to the blues of day. She stared out beyond the city wall, to the Dragon Spine Mountains on the horizon, her arms crossed over her waist, holding herself in a position of uncharacteristic insecurity.

"But I never saved them," she said, her voice small. "They were still dead, and every time I closed my eyes I saw them. They watched me, accused me. angry at the life I lived."

"Angry?" Daylen asked, surprised. "Why would they be angry? Wouldn't they be happy that you survived and were working so hard for the people of Cathay? Isn't it an honor to be a Daughter of Heaven?"

She turned back to him, slowly, her face drawn and sad. "My family. we were poor, when I was younger. My father and my older brothers were peasants. Farmers. We worked for the local lord. I do not even remember his Name anymore. It does not matter.

"When I first saw the Tower of Secrets, I thought I had entered a dream. There were always three meals a day, clean clothes, and the work was never any harder than it had been in my village."

She stopped, but Daylen understood. "You felt guilty."

She nodded, her eyes cast to the floor. "I had a better life, and all because they had died."

"No," said Daylen. "They died because they were murdered. It wasn't your fault, Su Shen."

"Was it not my fault that at times I was grateful for my new life?" she asked sternly, picking her eyes back up, challenging him with her stare; challenging him to dare deny that she was guilty and deserving of nothing but contempt.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," he said tenderly. "It doesn't mean you were glad they were dead."

Her face softened, the sadness once again replacing the anger. "No, but. but deep down, I do not know if I would have traded this life for that. I felt so honored that I had been chosen as a protector of the empire, and I felt such pride." She spat the last word like she had tasted something nasty.

"Su Shen," he stood and moved next to her, "you are not guilty of pride. Take it from someone who knows. When I first met you and Bei, I was humbled by your selflessness. A little resentful, truth be told." Daylen recalled how selfish and near-sighted he had been when first coming to the country-it all seemed so long ago-and he was glad he had changed. He had not liked who he was, and his newly gained self awareness was a gift.

Su Shen shook her head at Daylen's words dismissively. "It does not matter now. That was all so long ago. I do what I do now out of habit. It is what I was trained to do, and it is all that I have ever known for so long. I protect the weak because they are unable to protect themselves. I heal the sick and the wounded. I have even brought others back to the tower to be trained, just as was done with me, but with Chi-Len I thought." Her voice trailed off.

So it was about Chi-Len. Daylen knew that she had fallen in love with the girl, but he did not realize she had taken it so hard. In a way, Daylen had fallen for the girl, too. She had fooled them all.

"My eye color is rare," Su Shen continued. "Cathayan children are not often born with green eyes. It is considered auspicious by the family—especially if the child is a boy. It did not matter to my family that I was a girl; I remember how proud they were of having me. My father would dote on me and my older brothers would tousle my hair for good luck. the entire village thought I was good luck. But then the raiders came, and it turned out that they were only good luck for me.

"The significance of the color of my eyes has never been something that I have forgotten. When I saw Chi-Len for the first time, it was her eyes I noticed."

"Me too," thought Daylen, though he said nothing.

Su Shen went on, "I was reminded of myself as a young girl. I had believed that her family had been killed in a raid, just like mine had been. I believed we had so many similarities, and I thought that if I saved her." She stopped again, shaking her head at herself for being so foolish.

"You thought that if you saved her, you would finally have saved yourself," Daylen finished for her. She nodded.

"But instead," she whispered, "I am going to kill her."

Daylen honestly could not wait.

"That doesn't mean you can't be saved," Daylen offered lamely. He did not know how to console her; he only vaguely thought he understood what she was going through. His parents were also dead, but they were not murdered. He could only imagine what it would have felt like to go through such trauma at such a young age, and then to live a life surrounded by constant warfare and destruction.

"The little girl that I once was is no more," she said with a firm finality. "I know now that there is no way to make what happened to my family right. I have to stop pretending that what I do is for them and just finally say goodbye. which is what I was doing when you came in."

Daylen smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I thought—"

She raised a hand. "It is okay, Daylen. I am glad you came." She smiled warmly, her gem-fire eyes locked on his. Daylen felt lost in them. It was not often Su Shen smiled, and even less often when she smiled at him, and it was a moment he would treasure always.

"Well I'm glad too, then," he said.

Part of him, perhaps selfishly, regretted that she was a Daughter of Heaven. Daughters of Heaven did not marry; neither did the Scholars, for that matter. They were dedicated wholly to their Disciplines, and their souls were married to the empire.

Not that he had a chance with her anyway; he knew that. Still, he could not help but cling to the fantasy.

"I think I will get something to eat after all," she said suddenly.

"Oh, that's right," said Daylen. He had completely forgotten about his meal.

They walked together back down to the common room. Bei sat alone at the table, reclined in the oversized chair designed to hold the immense bulk of trolls and obsidimen, relaxing after a full meal. Scattered across the tabletop in front of him were several empty dishes.

"Wha.?" Daylen began. "Where's my food?"

Bei shrugged nonchalantly. "I warned you not to take your time."

Just then, the door to the inn swung open and a t'skrang stepped inside. The figure scanned the room. Seeing only them, the t'skrang began to shimmer before their eyes, and suddenly Kai was standing before them.

"I have found something of interest," he said, "though I still do not know where the Witch is hiding." He crossed the room and sat at the table.

"I see we've already eaten," he observed.

"No, Bei has already eaten," Daylen corrected. "We were about to order."

The ork returned from the back room and took another order— clearly irritated that they had not all waited to order together. Bei ordered another large meal, even though he had already eaten. The ork once again vanished into the back room.

"What?" said the Warrior defensively, after Daylen gave him a look. "I'm always famished after a fight."

"Well get ready for another," said Kai. "What I discovered is linked to the Witch and whatever foul plan she has, I can sense it."

"What is it that you found?" asked Su Shen.

"This town is ruled by Governor Huaq, a strong supporter of King Sen Ma, despite the growing discontent of his rule."

"Growing discontent of his rule. The discontent because of the king spending most of his time in Jih'Po?" Daylen put in. He wanted to clarify the kingdom's mounting troubles.

"Because he is a storm child," the Scholar responded.

The words made Daylen think of the Sorceress, the last storm child he had encountered. She had led the previous cell of the Shadowed they had gone up against, of which only Yen-Li the Undying survived. The Sorceress met her end atop Mount Tihan, but not before releasing the Dark Warrior.

The storm children were not known for being wicked; quite the opposite in fact. They were born during powerful storms, appearing suddenly from nowhere, fully grown and aware. They were normally quite stoic and contemplative, journeying through their lives in quiet contemplation, learning what they could. Somewhere along the line, the Sorceress had gone bad, but from what he heard, King Sen Ma was more representative of his race.

"What does the king being a storm child have to do with the nobility's discontent?" asked Daylen.

"Storm children cannot have children of their own. Sen Ma must proclaim an heir, and many of the nobles fear that, since he has been spending so much time with the daimyo of Jih'Po, he may proclaim one of them."

"Have they no honor?" grumbled Bei. "They have all taken vows to their king. Loyalty unto death."

Kai scoffed. "In these troubling times, loyalty often travels no further than convenience."

"So what does this Governor Huaq have to do with Chi-Len?" asked the obsidiman. He lifted his cup of tea to his lips and downed its contents in one large swig.

"The governor has declared the largest warehouse in the western district off limits. Large shipments have been trickling in all day, and from what I could gather, shipments have been arriving all month. Whatever it is being shipped, it's being imported from a large mining complex in the mountains. The shipments are brought here and taken directly to be stored in that warehouse. There have been no records made of the shipments by the tax collectors or the guild that owns the warehouse; it's as if the good governor does not want anyone knowing about it."

"So what does that have to do with anything?" Bei sounded doubtful.

"Whatever is in that warehouse is connected with Chi-Len," the Scholar stated confidently.

"Just how do you know that?" The obsidiman remained unconvinced.

"I already told you. I sense it."

Now Bei was the one who scoffed. "You just 'sense' it? You just said that the governor is loyal to the king. Why would he have anything to do with the Shadowed, or that Witch? We don't even know if Chi-Len is still here. She could have used her magic to get to this town and then simply left."

Before waiting for an answer, Bei looked at Su Shen. "We should go back and see Hong." At the mention of the eccentric dwarf, Daylen thought he would not mind seeing him again, though he did not relish the idea of stealing another egg.

"I have lived over one thousand years, obsidiman. I have learned to trust my instincts about these matters," the Scholar said before Su Shen could respond.

"No offense," Daylen cut in, "but you also told us you sometimes have trouble distinguishing your dreams from reality."

The Scholar sighed. "I cannot force you to come with me, but tonight, I will be going to that warehouse and investigating."

"We will go with you," Su Shen told him, ignoring Bei's protesting stare.

Kai nodded in gratitude. "I thank you," he said. "Tonight will not be easy."

"Fine," said Bei. "In that case, I'd better order an extra dish."

Daylen shot him a puzzled look.

"What?" said the obsidiman. "I always get famished before a fight."

Bik-Bik sat on a table. It was made of stone and sat low to the ground, its broad top resting only a couple of feet off the floor. It was the single furnishing in the simple, square room; a room that was only one of many in the large palace. They had passed numerous others while they were taking Bik-Bik to where he now sat—all alone.

He still held the shape of the egg, and just like when he used his inherent magical powers to take any other shape, he was aware of everything around him. It was not necessarily like seeing or hearing, which were so limiting, but more like just knowing what was happening in his general vicinity. For example, he knew he was on a table, he knew it was made of stone, he knew there were four walls, and he knew that there was a large, heavy door on one of those walls leading out of the room, and that the door was locked from the outside.

It was safer for a Cathayan ferret to be in a form other than his natural one. He was aware of more, and he was safer from harm. Especially now, as he was in the form of stone; the usual vulnerabilities he felt—his exposed belly, for example, which he was particularly sensitive about—were absent.

It would make sense for Cathayan ferrets to maintain other forms more often... but it was terribly exhausting. Of course, he would never admit that to anyone. Typically, Cathayan ferrets would use their fantastic ability to elude predators. That was, of course, the only application they ever really had for it. Over time, however, the other Name-giver races, those ridiculous bipeds, learned of their spectacular gift and began eliciting their companionship. In fact, nearly every great idea ever hatched by any Cathayan emperor was given to him by a Cathayan ferret. Well, that is what Bik-Bik's dear mom had told him, and she was never wrong about anything.

Ping had tried to convince him once that Cathayan ferrets had been created by Wizards in ancient times. Bik-Bik still thought that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. He did believe that they were created after the other Name-givers, though. The Passions had clearly messed up with all the others and finally perfected their design with the Cathayan ferret. They left the other Name-givers on the planet in order for the Cathayan ferrets to realize just how lucky they were. How would one know his superiority if he did not have his lessers with whom to compare himself? After all, you would never find a Cathayan ferret trying to bring back an insane Nethermancer from the afterlife so he could rain death and destruction down upon the world. What were these idiots thinking? They were always coming up with more inventive ways to destroy themselves. It was really quite remarkable. Although they never did a thorough enough job of wiping each other out, so the endless cycle of birth, idiot ideas, and death continued ever onward.

Bik-Bik was already quite fatigued from keeping the pretense of the egg up for so long. He thought about changing back, but there was no way to escape, and they could be back at any moment. The gap beneath the door stretched at least three inches wide, and there were many forms he could assume that could be squeezed beneath it, but unfortunately, he could not move when taking the form of an object, and he could not transform into another living creature.

Bik-Bik still was not sure why he had chosen the egg to transform into; it had all happened so quickly. He supposed it was the first thing he thought of when that gorilla reached into the pack. His survival instincts took over and he simply changed in an effort to save himself. The next thing he knew he was being lifted out of the pack, and then they zipped away with a spell cast by that duplic-itous little brat.

Chi-Len. Bah. Bik-Bik could not believe he had been duped. The others, sure, but he was supposed to be smarter than that. He had been hanging out with humans too long; first Ping, and now Daylen.

He wondered if Daylen and the others were close to finding him. They had to have figured out rather quickly what had happened. Even Daylen. Well, to be fair, Daylen was rather clever for a human. Just like Ping had been. The merchant reminded him of Ping in a lot of ways; for example, both were inherently selfish and yet both struggled so valiantly to overcome it. That was not the most admirable trait about them, Bik-Bik thought. Actually it was the most annoying. But they were both terribly curious, and that made traveling with them fun. He would never admit to how much fun he had with Daylen, of course.

He even liked the other two. The adepts. What were their Names? Shu Shu and Boo? Something like that. They were all right, too. But they were so grim all the time. Even the big one. Boo. Not at all like the jade obsidiman he and Ping had adventured with for a time, so long ago. What had her Name been? Foo Poo? He could not remember exactly. But that jade obsidiman had been pretty humorous. He should tell Boo about her some time.

If he ever got out of here, that is. If Bik-Bik had lungs, he would have sighed.

"Focus on the problem at hand," he thought.

Waiting for them to return and open the door and then bolting out between their legs would not work. That would be a solid plan against normal people, sure, but against these adepts.? No. He also thought about changing into something and hiding, but there was nothing else in this room; he would be as conspicuous as the table. He could not change into something small and hope to be overlooked, for whatever form he chose had to be near equal to his own body mass, which, alas, was much too large for such a plan in the given surroundings.

Maybe if he hid under the table. No, that would not work. After they discovered the Heart of Pan was missing, they would surely look under it, and then his clever little ruse would be realized.

Of course, sooner or later they were going to figure out he was not the actual artifact anyway. and then he would be in trouble. Maybe he would be able to talk them out of killing him. He was a novelty, after all. Chi-Len had said she used to "have" a Cathayn ferret—as hard as that was to believe. He could win their trust, and then he could escape later.

Even as he entertained the fantasy, Bik-Bik knew it was unlikely. He had no more ideas—well, none that would work— and so he continued to sit, spending considerable effort and energy in keeping his form.

Thus it went on, for hours and hours. Occasionally he would transform back into his regular form just long enough to rest, and then he would transform back. Soon boredom began to overshadow the anxiety of what was going to happen to him, and then, finally, he heard footfalls drumming down the hallway outside. When they stopped, a shadow appeared under the door. The latch twisted, and the door swung inward, and behind it walked Chi-Len and her mammoth sidekick.

The human was gargantuan. Bik-Bik had never seen a man as large as him before, not in all of his days. It was as if the man had been chiseled from a large block of stone. He had immense, broad shoulders, and hands the size of most men's heads. His face was set in a permanent scowl from a life spent knowing only cruelty and violence.

He never wore a shirt, this man, and his powerful upper body was decorated with hundreds of fresh cuts—blood magic. The carvings of his flesh were of arcane symbols. They crawled across every inch of his exposed flesh in sweeping curves and spiraling circles.

The man stopped before the table and gazed down at the egg that was Bik-Bik with his grim countenance.

"You must speak the incantation just as I taught you. Every accent must be perfect, every syllable uttered with a perfect cadence," Chi-Len spoke, her childlike voice belying the malice in her soul.

"I understand," spoke the human. He reached out and lifted Bik-Bik with both hands, carefully, as if handling a precious object he was afraid he might damage.

"This should be interesting," thought the ferret.

The giant took a deep, steadying breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he began uttering the arcane words of power.

"Aktu anu faranok... aranoth barenon tython..."

Onward he spoke, uttering the strange, gibberish nonsense of magic that, to Bik-Bik, sounded horrendous and ugly. Of course, Bik-Bik was biased; he did not care much for magicians. Especially Witches. He was less than thrilled that a Witch now existed. He had been so happy when he had first heard that Witches were extinct, but now, if she so chose, Chi-Len could train others in the ways of her awful Discipline, and soon there could be Witches once again plaguing Cathay.

The man droned on and on with his ritual, enunciating each word slowly and carefully, maintaining a steady rhythm.

"... loktwar ewaktu danu..."

How long was this incantation, anyway? Bik-Bik kept hoping for the man to make a mistake, that way when it did not work the Witch would think it was his fault. Maybe then she would grow angry and kill the guy. Bik-Bik could only be so lucky.

"... eeroonan..."

The Witch's golden eyes grew wide and eager. Bik-Bik could sense her growing anticipation.

"The incantation must be coming close to the end, then," he thought anxiously.

"... sanaptra... nee'ay'u'puhtat!"

The arcane mutterings ceased. Silence regained the small room.

Nothing happened.

The man looked at the Witch, confused.

"I performed the incantation just as you taught me!" he said, half defensively and half accusingly.

Chi-Len snatched the artifact from his grasp.

"I don't understand," she said, turning it over in her hands, examining every inch of it.

"Perform it again!" she demanded, handing it back to him.

The giant took it with a growl and performed the incantation again, exactly as the last time. He droned on and on, just as long and sounding just as horrible as the last time. And just like the last time, nothing happened.

The Witch flashed him an angry look.

"Perhaps you do not wish to be a sacrifice for Pan?" she accused.

Bik-Bik smiled inwardly. With any luck, it would all be blamed on the human; that would buy him some time to think of a way to escape.

"It is not me!" the giant yelled back. "I am dedicated to the Shadowed, and they wish this of me, and I accept it without question! It is you who is at fault! Perhaps after one thousand years, your mind has become feeble!"

Bik-Bik was positively gleeful.

"Hit her!" he screamed in his mind. "Smack her around!"

Chi-Len's eyes were filled with venom, but she said nothing. She gazed at him, studying, and then, after a long moment, her face softened, and her wicked little grin returned.

"I believe that your desire is pure," she said finally. "We must discover what is wrong."

"Aw man!" Bik-Bik moaned, unheard.

The man set the egg back onto the table.

"Now what?" he grumbled.

"Leave it for now," said the Witch. "I will examine it. But first, I must prepare a spell."

Bik-Bik felt a rush of relief as they swept out the door...and then a rush of excitement when he realized they had forgotten to shut it behind them.

The day slipped by quickly, and before Daylen knew it, night had arrived. He had tried to get some sleep, but the day was warm and their room far too hot, even with the window thrown open, and his rest was fitful and filled with discomfort. His growing anxiety did not help matters either.

The others had no trouble falling asleep. They threw their cloaks on the floor, having offered Daylen the bed, and were asleep just after shutting their eyes. He still did not understand how they could control their nerves so easily. It must be part of adept training. or maybe the floor was just more comfortable.

When they left the inn, they found that a few Name-givers still strolled through the streets, finishing their business before turning in for the night, but the town was mostly asleep.

Daylen's ankles felt swollen from all of the walking that he had done lately. He decided he needed a horse. He was a fair rider, after all. well, as long as the horse was plodding along at a reasonable pace, and not flying at top speeds like in that insane gar race. But on nice, fairly even trade roads, he could do all right. Horses had to eat, though. They also cost extra aboard airships and ferries. and while they saved one's ankles from becoming stiff and sore, the saddle made up for it by giving a rider blistered thighs and a blistered rear end. Maybe he did not need a horse after all.

They crossed through back roads and alleys, aiming for the western merchant district where the warehouse lay, along with the answers they sought—according to the Scholar, anyway.

Daylen looked at Kai as the old man led them through a shaded alleyway. He carried his Moon Staff aloft as they trotted along silently, guiding them hurriedly to what he insisted was an important clue to Chi-Len's plans. Daylen was still skeptical; he always had trouble keeping faith in others' intuitions. The fact that the Scholar had tried to kill him once also did not help with his trust issues.

They finally came to the end of an alley where Kai bid them to stop. He peered conspiratorially from the shadows, his eyes sweeping the street.

"This is it," said Kai, pointing to a tall building of wood and river stone that stretched for nearly a block. Small glass windows dotted its face and the only entrance was a lowered iron portcullis. The windows did not look like they could be opened, and there was no visible way to open the portcullis from the outside. Unless there was a backdoor, the building always had to have someone inside to allow visitors to come and go. Most warehouses Daylen had seen were simple—albeit large—structures with a wide cargo door that spilled out onto the street. This looked like a small fortress.

"That doesn't look like a warehouse," Daylen observed, while silently wondering if the Scholar was suffering from a delusion.

"There is a courtyard in the back; the warehouses surround it. The building also functions as a bank for the guild, which is located in the front offices, but everything is off limits right now; all of the warehouses in the back are storing whatever is coming down off that mountain. We'll have to climb the side of the building to get to them."

"Climb?" repeated Daylen doubtfully. "I'm not the best climber."

"We'll make do," said Kai.

Bei gave the merchant a reassuring pat on the back.

"Nothing to it," the Warrior promised with a grin.

They scouted the area, and after they were sure no one was nearby, they pulled themselves up the side of the building, swiftly and easily.

And Daylen watched from the street.

After they climbed up onto the roof, Kai cast a simple spell, and suddenly Daylen was floating through the air, light as a feather. It was a remarkable experience, and not at all unpleasant. The street fell slowly away beneath his feet, while Kai, hand outstretched, guided him gently onto the rooftop.

"Let's move," he said after Daylen had regained his feet.

They crept inward, to the edge. The roof ran around the open courtyard in a perfect square, and below the roof were three floors. Deep ruts from countless wagons crisscrossed the hard packed dirt, and the snaking trails led around a center well, vanishing into several storage rooms that surrounded the perimeter. Running about the courtyard on the two upper floors were wide walkways. Large winches were placed on each side to hoist goods, and doors marched one after another along the walls.

They were still taking it all in when the sound of carts tumbling down the road grabbed their attentions.

"Another shipment," whispered Kai.

Commands from unseen people were shouted from somewhere down below, followed by the moaning of the portcullis raising. A moment later, the compound stirred to life. Mercenaries, outfitted with their weapons and armor, appeared from within the building, arriving to escort the three carts that rolled into the courtyard.

They threw back the cloth blankets covering the cargo to reveal barrels. The backs of the carts were packed with them. Some of the mercenaries set to unloading, setting the barrels on the ground, and then others, using pieces of parchment with a symbol cut out of their centers, began painting an image on the sides.

"The Mighty Sparrow," said Daylen once the first mercenary finished painting the image.

They painted the symbol of the sparrow clearly on the barrels with black ink, two to each barrel, on opposite sides.

"The Mighty Sparrow? What is that?" The Scholar wanted to know.

"The treasure ship of Ning-Xa.. He's a very powerful merchant lord. These barrels belong to him." Daylen shook his head. Kai had been wrong; this had nothing to do with Chi-Len. "He's not involved with the Shadowed. He's all about profit, not twisted ideologies. He certainly wouldn't try to bring Pan back from the dead." Daylen was sure of it; there would be no money in it.

"These barrels look like the ones that he was delivering in Min Yan. The ones filled with fresh water," Su Shen noted.

"Maybe that's what these are," Daylen speculated.

"No. These came from the mountains." It was clear the Scholar was not ready to give up his theory.

"There's fresh water in the mountains," said Daylen tartly.

"No, I told you, these came from the mines. Did your merchant friend get fresh water from mines?"

"Maybe," said Daylen flippantly. "Besides, how do you know these shipments came from the mines?"

"Because I saw the mines," he said, "and the refinery built nearby, but I didn't get a good look, so I don't know what is in those barrels, but I know it isn't water."

"We're going to have to go in and take a look," decided Bei.

"My thinking exactly," Kai agreed.

Daylen sighed and dragged a hand across his face. Ning-Xa was a greedy merchant, not a cultist. He worried that this was a dead end, and again wondered what was becoming of poor Bik-Bik. This was going to be a waste of time.

They waited, watching in silence. It took some time-just over an hour by Daylen's calculation-for the mercenaries to unload all of the cargo and get Ning-Xa's mark on all of the cargo. After the mercenaries painted the symbols on the barrels, they rolled them to the winches, secured them with the thick, hanging ropes, and hoisted them to the second floor, where they were taken through one of several doors. When they were finished, the drivers left the compound with their wagons, heading back out of the town toward the mountains, while the mercenaries vanished once again into the building.

Kai did not make a move for nearly half an hour after the mercenaries were gone, making certain no one was going to return. The adepts climbed down onto the third story walkway, and Kai once again used his magic to help Daylen, who was beginning to delight in the sensation of weightlessness.

They crept around to the stairs, their eyes peeled for danger. When they reached the door on the second floor, they found it unlocked. Daylen almost could not believe it; he supposed the small army of mercenaries guarding the barrels gave the governor confidence that no one would be foolish enough to try and steal them, or maybe they figured they were too cumbersome to steal; from the way the mercenaries had lugged them out of the back of the cart, they looked to be incredibly heavy.

Or, more than likely, whatever was in those barrels simply was not worth the effort to steal.

They moved into the room quickly, shutting the door quietly behind them. Starlight fell through a small window on the opposite wall, creating a small rectangular pool on the floor.

Dozens of barrels stood tall along the walls in neatly arranged rows. Kai tapped the bottom of his Moon Staff lightly against the floor, and the small orb pulsed into being, shedding a soft, white light. Bei moved to the nearest barrel and pried it open with his dagger. They gathered around it and peered inside.

"What is this?" Bei asked for all of them.

Inside, filled nearly to the rim, sat what looked like finely crushed, black gravel. The substance made a crunching noise as Bei picked up a scoop. The obsidiman let it fall from his palm in a stream back into the barrel.

"I have seen nothing like it," said the Scholar, rolling a piece between thumb and forefinger. "It looks like rock, but it doesn't feel like it." He tossed it back in with the others.

"Neither have I," Su Shen concurred. "You said this came from a mine?"

"The refinery near the mine, actually. They were importing other resources to the refinery as well. This must be the end product." The Scholar rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Perhaps it has medicinal applications?" offered Daylen. "Something to combat the plague in Min Yan?"

"Why would the Shadowed want to stop the plague? They're the ones who are causing it," Kai shook his head.

"Exactly," said Daylen, his implication obvious. Kai scowled, his expression clearly displaying his annoyance.

Su Shen examined the strange, gravelly substance and shook her head.

"No," she concluded finally, "this has no medicinal applications that I can deduce. Certainly not anything to help plague victims."

"Well then what is it for?" Daylen asked.

"I don't know," said the Scholar. "But we must discover its purpose."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Daylen was growing impatient; this was a dead end, he knew it, and meanwhile Bik-Bik was in danger.

"There must be some sort of records in one of the offices," Kai replied.

"This place is crawling with mercenaries! How are we supposed to get to it?" Daylen weighed the consequences in his mind.

"I agree. Even I don't think it's wise to pick a fight with this entire compound," said Bei, who never backed down from a fight.

Kai thought about it for a moment, gazing about the room as if the walls might have the answer.

"I have a spell that I might use to obfuscate my movements through the compound. It will be easiest if I cast it only on myself. The rest of you will have to remain here while I see what I can find."

Bei nodded. "That sounds like a plan."

Thump.

"What was that?" Su Shen asked sharply, spinning towards the door.

"I heard it, too," said Kai.

"Someone is coming."

By the time the door opened, Kai had extinguished his Moon Staff and they had all ducked behind a few of the barrels, peeking just over the rims. Framed in the doorway was a massive troll. He wore mail armor crafted from crystal that shimmered in a kaleidoscope of colors in the moonlight. In one hand he held a shield made of white willow wood and in the other a finely crafted battle axe. The troll's horns were symmetrical, protruding from his skull just above his temples and sweeping down in sharp curves along his jaw line, coming to two sharp points near the corners of his mouth. Large gashes marred the outer edges of the horns, and Daylen suspected they had deflected more than one blow meant for his massive head.

Behind him stood an elf, puny and slight by comparison, who carried no weapon and wore no armor. His features were sharp and angular, and he wore simple earthen clothes, like a woodsman.

They paused in the open doorway for only a moment before entering all the way and shutting the door behind them. The way they sneaked to the barrels made it obvious that they did not belong here.

"This one's already open," said the elf to his partner when he spied the one Bei had pried open. They moved to get a look inside.

"They're pebbles!" said the troll in astonishment, grabbing a handful and allowing them to slowly trickle out of his hand, just as Bei had done.

"Hello there," Kai said, stepping from the shadows. "It appears we—"

The two newcomers did not give the Scholar a chance to finish his sentence. They lunged forward to attack. Startled, Kai dove out of the way, using his Moon Staff to deflect the savage blows of the troll.

Su Shen and Bei dove over the barrels to attack. The troll spun with a savage backhand. Bei caught the axe blade with his sword, and the two became locked in a deadly dance, their blades meeting and parting in spectacular flashes.

The elf threw himself at Su Shen with a bestial roar. He swung his hand as if to slap her, and in mid arc it transformed into the paw of a tiger, the claws gleaming wickedly. Su Shen threw her head back just in time as the fierce swipe raked through the air where her face had just been.

"A Beastmaster!" thought Daylen, still watching from behind the barrels. He had known Beastmasters back in Barsaive and had seen them use their adept magic to transform their hands into the claws of various animals before. He had once seen a Beastmaster change his hand into an eagle talon and gut a Horror-marked dog in the streets of Bartertown.

"Wait!" yelled Su Shen. "We are not your enemies!"

"Then what are you doing here?" demanded the elf, his tiger-claw hand poised to strike again. Bei and the troll ceased their fighting as well, though neither lowered their weapons, nor removed their burning gazes from one another.

"We're investigating!" said Kai, holding his Moon Staff and open palm above his head in a sign of submission. "Just like you." He slowly lowered his arms and stamped the bottom of his staff on the floor, bringing the orb back to life.

That was when the troll and the elf realized who they had been fighting: a Scholar, a Daughter of Heaven, and a jade obsidiman.

"I see." said the elf, his hand changing back to normal.

The troll harrumphed and lowered his axe. "I always thought a jade obsidiman would put up more of a fight," he said.

Bei lowered his sword and grinned. "I was just getting started, friend."

"Enough of this," said Kai. "Who are you two?"

"I am Lu Fan," said the elf, "and this is Tong. We serve the interests of the kingdom of Feng Dei."

"You work for the king?" asked Kai.

The elf shrugged. "In a roundabout way. It's just something we sort of fell into."

"You are adventurers," said Su Shen. It was a statement rather than a question. Both Lu Fan and Tong smiled proudly.

"The best," said the troll.

Daylen decided that it was time to quit hiding. He crept out from behind the barrels and offered an awkward grin. The surprise caught Lu Fan and Tong off guard and they fell back into their combat stances.

"Whoa!" said Daylen, holding up his hands. "I'm with them!"

They both relaxed.

"This is with you?" asked the troll with a toss of his head toward Daylen, the disdain clear in his voice.

"This is Daylen Jagaro," said Su Shen. "He is from the West, and he is our friend and companion."

Daylen's smile grew at the sound of those words.

"That's right," he said to the troll, shooting him a hard glance.

The troll sniffed. "Whatever."

"What led you here?" asked Kai.

"We have been investigating the plague in Min Yan," answered Lu Fan. "Our efforts have led us here, to this warehouse."

"Maybe this stuff is what's causing the plague," said Bei in a manner of a sudden epiphany.

He looked to Su Shen for confirmation, but it was Kai who spoke. "This substance has no magical aura. I have examined it astrally; magic is no doubt causing the plague in Min Yan, but this is not magical at all. However, thanks to our new friends, we now know for a certainty that the two are somehow connected." He looked to see if Daylen had an objection, but the merchant's doubts were slowly slipping away.

If Ning-Xa was involved with the Shadowed, then all they would need to do is find the Mighty Sparrow. Even in a country as large as Cathay, a treasure ship would be hard to hide.

There was a sudden rush of footfalls drumming up the stairs outside.

"Up here!" a voice yelled.

"Well. So much for being stealthy," sighed Bei while casually twirling his sword.

A moment later, the door burst open, and in flooded mercenaries, riding a wave of war cries, their steel weapons winking in the moonlight. Tong and Bei were the first to meet them, charging forward like the mad fury of a storm.

There was a clash of steel and the rending of flesh, and within moments the two adepts were through the door. The others followed. They found the courtyard below crawling with mercenaries, and more were advancing on both sides along the walkway. They were surrounded.

"Hold!" a powerful voice commanded. The mercenaries halted immediately.

A human stood down below, encircled by a ring of steel and hard faces. The man was dressed in the armor of a soldier of Feng Dei. He had lean, hard features, his face creased from a life spent frowning. His hair was cut short except for a long, braided pony tail in the back. The hair was oily black except at the temples, where it was just beginning to gray. His sight was fixed on the troll.

"Tong," said the man, with a familiarity that was hard to miss. "Just what are you doing in my city?"

Bik-Bik waited several minutes after Chi-Len and Yen-Li had left before transforming back into his normal form. He leapt off the table and landed with a soft oomph before scurrying to the door and peeking out into the hall. It was wide and opulent, with many fine things decorating its great length. and just as many doors.

"Great," he thought miserably. "Maybe I'll be able to get a servant to point me in the right direction. After he opens the door for me, that is."

He hoped he would be able to remember the way they had come in, but . nope. He had already forgotten. Truth was, he had not really been thinking about that on the way in. Once he had slapped his eyes on the wealth of the palace, his mind had wandered to his days with Ping, when sneaking into such places and helping themselves to the wealth was a weekly occurrence. They had never given any thought to how they were going to get out back then until the last minute, either.

He and Ping had gotten out of more scrapes than he could remember, and over the years they had stolen enough loot to buy a small kingdom. Of course, they never got to enjoy the loot for very long, thanks to Ping. The Thief, as good as he had been at his craft, had one terrible weakness: women. That silly human was always falling in love. The worst was that enchantress who, in a roundabout way, led to Bik-Bik being cursed by that Witch. That one was not entirely Ping's fault, since the enchantress had put him under a love spell. Still, there had been plenty of others. Ping was always falling in love with the wrong women, and somehow it always ended with him and Bik-Bik being broke and on the run. The only loot Bik-Bik ever managed to hold onto was what he hid away when the Thief was not paying attention.

Cathayan ferrets never went crazy over the females. Not in the same way as humans, anyway. He suspected that Daylen's newfound selfless streak was inspired by that Daughter of Heaven, Shee Shoh. It was his observation that bipeds had a tendency to allow their motivations to be based on what they think certain other people will think about their actions. If they were not busy trying to manipulate how other people felt about them, then they were busy trying to control them. The only bipeds free from this obsession, it seemed, were the ones who were too busy trying to survive to give any thought to such concerns.

Such sad, silly creatures. Of course, it was not entirely their fault; they were pack creatures, after all. Cathayan ferrets were solitary, only getting together during family reunions. which were always such dreadful affairs.

"Focus, Bik-Bik," he chastised himself.

The corridor was empty. Which way should he go.? Well, the Witch and her meaty sidekick went left, so right sounded like the better option. He slid down the hall, slinking along the edge. He passed door after door, wondering what lay behind each but unable to reach the latches to open them. That was okay; he needed only to find the front door and then wait for someone to walk through it, then he would dart between their legs and out into freedom, laughing all the way!

It was a good plan.

He turned a corner and found himself at the top of a wide, carpeted stairwell. It swept away, curving down to a lower story.

He decided he would follow it; front doors were usually on the bottom floor.

At the base of the stairwell he found another wide hallway flanked by another endless series of doors. He sighed angrily and was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to find the architect of the palace and bite him.

Things would be so much easier if he could only cast spells. He always wanted to be a magician. He would love to wield the arcane energies of astral space. Then no one would be safe. Alas, it might be difficult to weave the magical threads that powered the spells without long fingers and opposable thumbs. World conquest would have to wait, he supposed.

In the meantime, he followed the hall, searching for an open door or at least a clue as to where he was in the palace, which might as well have been a labyrinth. He remembered that the sprawling structure sat near the center of a large walled town, though he did not know which town, precisely. He had seen the Dragon Spine Mountains on the way in, but he was not sure if they were to the East or to the West. but that meant he was either in the kingdom of Feng Dei, Tiet Dei, or Shui Dei. That narrowed it down to three out of five, anyway. Why did that damn mountain range have to be so long? The Witch's magic could have transported them to any of the three. Oh well, it did not matter; once he was out in the city, he would disappear. He could worry about catching up with Daylen and the others later.

There was a sudden and ferocious cry from somewhere deep in the palace. It thundered down the halls, echoing off the tall walls and sending Bik-Bik's fur to standing on end.

"Sounds like the giant has discovered I'm missing," he thought. The sound of heavy, pounding feet on the upper floor sent Bik-Bik scampering quickly down the hall, searching for a place to hide.

There was nothing in the halls large enough for him to hide behind or small enough to transform into. His mind raced, trying to think of some form that could help. He could only change into a shape of something he had physically touched, and even then only if he actually remembered it. Over his life he had turned into thousands of different shapes, all sorts of different objects, but at the moment all he could think of was that stupid egg—and that was the last shape he wanted to be mimicking.

A door suddenly swung open as he passed it. He hugged the wall and allowed the servant who exited to pass by. In the young woman's hands was held a silver tray, and Bik-Bik could smell the delicious aromas wafting down from it. His stomach growled, and he fantasized about eating whatever was on that plate for just a moment too long; he spun, but before he could run through the door, the girl slammed the heavy door shut with her foot. Bik-Bik yanked his head back just as the thick wood flew by and smashed closed.

He watched her walk away, examining the tray she held. It was silver, he knew he had been a silver tray before. She vanished around a corner, and Bik-Bik searched his memory until he remembered a tray; he recalled its dimensions and its composition. It may not have been of the same design, but it would have to do. He transformed where he was, right next to the door. Just as he hoped, the serving girl returned, her hands now empty. She paused when she saw the Bik-Bik tray. She knelt and, wearing her confusion on her face, picked him up and carried him back through the door, which led into the palace kitchen.

"Ah," thought Bik-Bik, "we must be on the ground floor then." Kitchens were usually on the ground floor, and, more often than not, they had doors leading directly outside to gardens and to trash or fire pits. He was almost home free.

There were several cooks in the kitchen, old to the last, their actions seeming hurried. Everyone seemed to have something to do, and not enough time to do it. By the looks of things, they were preparing a very large and very extravagant meal. There was fried peafowl seasoned with onions and garlic, black beans and wild rice, bowls of oranges and grapefruits, bok choy and shark fin soup, roasted duck with lemon, steamed chicken diced up into perfect cubes served with spicy dipping sauce, and several exotic dishes of the Indrisan style. Bik-Bik was grateful that at the moment he did not have a stomach; though he decided that, before he left, he would have to snatch a bite—or two—from the counter.

The serving girl approached one of the chefs and said, "I found this platter just lying out in the hall. I don't recognize it, and I don't know how it got there."

"Do I look like I have time?" the chef was curt and spoke to her without looking as he diced a long-leafed vegetable.

"I'm sorry," said the girl, abashed. "But what should I do with it?"

"Set it out on the table!" replied the chef with no small amount of impatience. "Now get out of my way!"

The girl bowed and hurried to leave. She exited through a different door than the one through which they had entered, one that led into a lofty dining hall. A long table set with a silk tablecloth and expensive cutlery dominated the center of the room. Many of the dishes already contained food, though about a third still remained empty. It looked to Bik-Bik like a feast was being readied for at least a dozen people—and important people at that. Many other doors led from the room, each shut.

The serving girl found an empty spot on the table and set him down, then hurried away. Once again, Bik-Bik found himself alone. He started to transform back into his ferret form but stopped when one of the doors creaked open. A tall human entered, richly dressed and heavily perfumed. He had broad shoulders and a rotund belly, with the type of build that middle-age coupled with a pampered, aristocratic lifestyle creates. His long black beard was cut in the popular Cathayan style of three long points, and carefully manicured to be neat and straight. He entered with a disapproving scowl already on his face, even before he appraised the dining table setup.

At his side trembled one his servants, an old dwarf that was dressed in rich finery as well. His face was powdered with white chalk and when he spoke, his voice was high-pitched, like a child.

"Must be a eunuch," Bik-Bik figured.

Eunuchs were often employed by government officials, or were themselves government officials; they were very popular among much of the nobility throughout the five kingdoms. Since they could not have children, there was less of a threat of them organizing a rebellion for their own posterity. Likewise, they were more trusted around female nobility than non-eunuchs were.

Once, long ago, any male could become a eunuch, and for a time it was considered so honorable that self-mutilations throughout the empire grew out of control, as did the unintentional deaths of children who were castrated by their parents. In response, the emperor passed a law that only allowed officially licensed eunuch schools to perform the operation. The eunuch schools also trained the eunuchs in a wide variety of skills, such as etiquette and diplomacy. Eunuchs were well known for being cunning and acuminous, and in some regions they were considered very fashionable.

The human strolled along the length of the table, assessing each dish while the dwarf shadowed his steps, explaining what each one was in detail.

"Where are the rest of the dishes?" the human demanded impatiently.

"The chefs are endeavoring to finish them as quickly as possible, my lord," replied the eunuch.

"Endeavoring to finish them as quickly as possible?" the man repeated, turning on the servant. The eunuch shrank away.

"Tell them that if they are not finished on time, then their heads will be adorning my walls by morning," he growled.

"Y-yes," the dwarf swallowed hard, "Of course, governor. They will have the meals ready before your guests even enter the room."

"They had better," the governor warned.

The dwarf bowed deeply, backing away to the door. When he reached it, he spun and ducked through it quickly. Bik-Bik could almost sense the eunuch's relief of being out from under the governor's hard stare.

The governor stayed for a moment longer, sweeping his gaze up and down the table, rechecking every minutia. He finally turned to leave, but found the Witch standing in the doorway.

"Mistress!" he said, startled. He recovered and bowed. "I did not hear you."

"Someone is in the palace who should not be," she said. Her voice carried a subtle menace, and Bik-Bik thought he saw the governor shudder.

"I assure you, that cannot be, I have—"

"Someone is in here who should not be," she hissed, her menace growing more palpable. "They took the Heart of Pan."

Just then, the brute appeared behind her. The cuts across his body were already beginning to scab over, and the flesh around them was angry and red.

"I have found no one," he said to her. "They may have escaped."

The Witch nodded. "Most likely. Only a fool would remain."

"Oh really?" thought Bik-Bik. "Who's the fool? I'm right under your noses! Idiots."

Chi-Len suddenly paused, as if she heard something no one else could hear. She moved her eyes slowly across the room, until they came to rest on Bik-Bik. An instinctual fear gripped the rodent, as if he just came under the eyes of a predator.

"What is this?" asked the Witch. She crossed the room towards him, the other two following her uncertainly.

"What is it?" asked the giant.

"This platter is magical," she said, lifting Bik-Bik before her face. She tilted him this way and that, examining him with her astral sight.

She set him back down and began casting a spell. As she spoke the magical words, she mimed the act of tearing something limb from limb, and Bik-Bik felt himself transforming back into his normal form. He could not stop it; it was as if he were watching it happen from outside himself. A moment later, he was gazing up at the looming figures.

"What is that?" gasped the governor.

"It's a Cathayan ferret!" the giant exclaimed.

"Incredible. I had no idea you would be so hard to fool," muttered Bik-Bik in response to the giant's keen perception.

The giant cocked his head, uncertain how he should respond to the quip.

"Indeed it is," said the Witch. "Hello Bik-Bik."

"Yeah," he said dryly.

"They must still have the Heart," she said. "Do you remember there being two eggs when you reached into the foreigner's pack?"

"I." the giant began. "I don't remember. I have to think."

Bik-Bik laughed. "Yeah, unlikely. I suspect you've been spared that arduous task your entire life."

The man growled and stepped forward, raising his fist like a hammer, as if to smash the impudent little rodent into the table-top. Chi-Len stopped him by raising her arm in front of him.

"No," she said coolly. "Cathayan ferrets have potent magical energies. I could use him."

"Okay," said Bik-Bik. "But I want three meals a day, and I don't do tricks."

She laughed softly, almost sweetly. "You don't understand, little one," she purred. "I am going to drain the magic from you to fuel my powers. It will take time, a long time, and it will be agonizing. A slower death you could not possibly imagine."

"Oh," said Bik-Bik. "I see. Well, on second thought, I should probably get going."

Before he could flee, the giant's hand shot out with alarming speed and seized him. The giant lifted Bik-Bik, squirming, before his large, grinning face.

"Oh, but I insist."

The man was not the governor of Shao, as Daylen had first thought; he was the commander of the town's garrison and a lieutenant in the king's army. They were sitting in his temporary quarters, located in the compound. The place normally belonged to one of the merchants, and it was set up for such transactions. Daylen saw an abacus (which the Cathayans called a suanpan), a scale, several small chests on the floor—each outfitted with heavy locks—and of course the bank itself: a large, broad, wooden table, behind which sat the commander. The rest of them—Su Shen, Bei, Kai, and Daylen, along with their two new allies, Lu Fan and Tong— sat on the other side.

The commander's Name was Dao, and from what Daylen gathered, he had served once with Tong the troll, and the two had developed a camaraderie that can only come from spilling blood with one another on the battlefield. Dao had ordered the mercenaries to cease their attack, which drove the mercenary captain into a red fury.

"They killed five of my men!" screamed the mercenary captain, a scarred ork they called Blood Tusk.

Dao had reminded the captain that he and the other mercenaries were under the governor's employ, and as long as they accepted his gold, they were under Dao's direct command. Blood Tusk was furious, and he threw every curse he knew at Dao—several of which Daylen needed to have translated—but in the end, he did nothing. Daylen thought Dao took more than a small amount of satisfaction in upsetting the ork so much.

The garrison commander had then led them to where they now sat. After offering them each a cup of tea, he began explaining the situation of the town, absentmindedly sliding the beads of the abacus back and forth with the tip of his finger as he spoke.

"The mercenaries were hired by Governor Huaq to oversee the shipments coming down from the mines," he explained. "I'm the only soldier who is allowed in there. I'm in direct command of the operation, so for the time being I'm in command of nearly fifty mercenaries."

"Why did the governor hire mercenaries? Why not just use regular troops?" asked Tong.

"Governor Huaq sent most of the garrison to the South to patrol the border; only around one hundred are left here in town. And before you ask, I don't know why. Maybe he received orders from the king." His voice betrayed his opinion on the matter, which was dubious at best. Even to Daylen, who was no military expert, the idea of sending a town's garrison to patrol a border that was over one hundred miles away seemed foolish.

"Unlikely," said Kai. "The king is in Jih'Po."

"Is he?" said Dao as he flicked a bead on the abacus back and forth.

"Indeed," the Scholar went on, "and he is unlikely to return soon because of the plague. Lord Chin Zan has taken over administration for the time being."

"Lord Chin Zan? How did he weasel his way into power?" sneered Dao, his distaste for the noble quite evident.

"Right place at the right time, to hear him tell it," said Daylen.

"I bet," the garrison commander muttered in response. He quit fiddling with the abacus, apparently no longer finding the diversion amusing. Then after a moment he added, "So there is a plague in Min Yan?"

"Yes," Tong answered. "That is what brought Lu Fan and myself here. To that warehouse of yours, Dao."

"The warehouse? Why would you be interested in that? What does that have to do with the plague in Min Yan?"

"That's what we've been asking ourselves all evening," said Kai. "We do know that whatever it is that you're storing in those barrels is connected to the Shadowed, and through them, the plague in Min Yan."

"The Shadowed?!" Dao laughed incredulously. "I hardly think so! These barrels belong to the merchant lord, Ning-Xa."

"Yes, we saw his symbol painted on the sides," said Daylen. "But what is it? What's in those barrels?"

The commander shrugged. "How should I know? I'm just a soldier. I only guard it, I don't ask questions. And how did all of you come to be working together? Tong, are you performing services for the Tower of Secrets now?"

"Our paths happened to cross at the warehouse," said the troll. "We are both hunting the same beast."

"Well, that beast has nothing to do with those barrels, so stay away from them, you hear me? I don't think I'd be able to keep Blood Tusk and his mercenaries from tearing out your livers the next time."

"If those barrels are not connected to the Shadowed, why would the governor be so concerned about keeping them a secret?" asked Kai. "Isn't it unusual that he kicked the merchants out of their own warehouse? Does Ning-Xa hold that kind of power?"

"More to the point," said Lu Fan, "the individual Tong and I. questioned. back in Min Yan said that the Shadowed were expecting a very important shipment, and that shipment was being stored in this warehouse. So unless you have something else stored here." He let the sentence trail off, unfinished.

"Who was this person you interrogated? How do you know you can trust him? How do you know he had anything to do with the Shadowed?" The manner in which Dao threw out his questions revealed to Daylen that it was more than him simply not believing what they were telling him, but that he did not want to believe it.

"He was an assassin," said Tong. "Not a very good one."

Dao laughed. "And just what did you do to earn the attention of an assassin, I wonder?"

"Haven't you been listening?" Daylen cut in. "They've been investigating the Shadowed!"

He tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the impatience out of his voice. The glance Dao threw his way told him in no uncertain terms that he was not prepared to cut Daylen the same slack that he was giving his old war buddy. Daylen softened his expression; he wanted to convince this guy they were on his side, not antagonize him.

"What the round eye says is true," said Tong, pulling Dao's attention back his way. "We were investigating the plague, and the Shadowed sent one of their assassins after us. The Shadowed have a presence in Min Yan. We suspect that Lord Chin Zan is involved."

"Can you prove that?" Su Shen took a sudden, keener interest.

Lu Fan shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. He is very cunning."

"Yes, this is all. very interesting," said Dao with a wave of his hand. "But I have served under Governor Huaq for close to ten years, and he has always been loyal to both the kingdom and the king; he is a patriot if ever there was one. It's the main reason I accepted this post."

"The yen'hi'ji," said Bei, "are capable of taking the forms of others. It is possible that Governor Huaq has been killed and replaced by one of them."

Dao again waved his hand dismissively, almost as if annoyed. "These are alarming accusations, but I don't believe a word of it. The governor is hosting a great feast tonight, and he has invited some of Feng Dei's most powerful nobles, all who are known for being strong supporters of the king."

"We need to be at that feast," said Kai.

"Hah!" laughed Tong. "Good luck getting an invitation."

"What about the barrels?" Daylen asked.

"What about them?" asked Dao.

"Well Tong here says they're destined for Min Yan. Is that true?"

"I don't know anything about that. The governor told me to expect the rest of the mercenary company sometime this evening to take them off our hands. The mercenaries are most likely hired by Ning-Xa to oversee his cargo. And now that I think about it, Ning-Xa probably paid the merchants for use of their warehouse." Dao then looked at Kai. "I don't know about power," he said, answering his earlier question, "but he definitely has that kind of money."

"One and the same," sighed Lu Fan.

"That's one theory," said Kai. "But whatever the answer truly is, I believe it lies at that feast."

"You're not going to the feast," said Dao resolutely. "No uninvited guests allowed. If you show up, you're likely to be executed."

"Would your governor dare turn away a Scholar, a Daughter of Heaven, and a jade obsidiman?" asked Su Shen in her usual, self-righteous tenor.

Dao smiled. "Yes, I'm afraid he would.

"Dao, old friend," said Tong, "you and I have fought side by side in countless battles; you know I think of you as a brother. Believe me when I say that our kingdom is in grave peril."

"We," said Bei, "have fought the Shadowed for years. If you are wrong about this, you could be dooming countless people."

Dao's smile began to falter. The self-confidence faded from his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"I'm just a soldier. I don't make these kinds of decisions; a soldier does as he is told, and I am a good soldier," he said.

"You are a good soldier," Tong agreed. "A great one in fact. But you are also a Warrior, and Warriors are men of action. How long have you been doing nothing but overseeing drills and filling out paperwork? Disciplining drunk soldiers for dereliction of guard duty and assigning shift rotations? And now you are babysitting a bunch of mercenaries? You know something is amiss, I can see it in your eyes, Dao! Since when have you been someone who worries about his job more than the integrity of his kingdom?"

Daylen could see something stirring to life in Dao's eyes, something long asleep and almost forgotten, like the stirring of an army camp from the mournful wailing of war horns.

But the garrison commander resisted; he shook his head and said, "If I brought you there, Huaq would string me up with the rest of you. And the palace will no doubt be guarded."

"You're the commander of the garrison," said Daylen. "Can't you just tell them to stand down?"

Dao shook his head. "Not if they were told otherwise, which will most likely be the case. The governor won't want anything—or anyone—disturbing his guests."

"Is there no other way into the palace?" asked Su Shen.

Dao sighed heavily, finally abandoning his reluctance. Clearly there was. "The palace has a secret entrance underneath it accessible through the sewers. It was constructed for the governor to be able to escape in case his palace was ever stormed by hostile forces. Only I and a few others know about it."

"Then that is where you will take us," said Kai.

"Me? No, no. I might be able to show you where it is—"

"We will need someone who knows his way around the palace," said Tong. When Dao hesitated, the troll added, "It will be just like old times!"

"Yes," Dao sighed. "That's what I was afraid of."

XXX

It was, quite literally, a gilded cage. The golden bars were almost dull in the dimly lit room in which Bik-Bik once again found himself, alone with but the low table. and his new cage.

The cage did not hang, but rather was left to sit on the table with him inside. It was magical, Chi-Len had told him, warning that if he had any funny ideas, like knocking the cage over and rolling himself off the edge, the lock would most certainly not break.

"A guy could get hurt trying a thing like that," he had said, as if the idea had not already occurred to him.

She had left then, but promised she would return. In the meantime, Bik-Bik sat, alone with his thoughts. He was not terribly fond of being trapped. He had spent eight hundred years trapped in Ping's tomb in a state of jade, but at least then he could sleep a long, dreamless sleep. No such luck this time. Bik-Bik normally slept at least a good fifteen or sixteen hours a day—more if there was less to do—but he was not going to be able to fall asleep under his present conditions, and thus he was stuck staring through the golden bars of his prison.

He wondered where the Witch had gotten the cage. Probably from that governor fellow. He probably had some bird or something. Nobility liked their birds, especially sparrows and nightingales. But a golden cage for it? What a stupendously wasteful display of wealth. He almost admired the bastard for it.

Bik-Bik sighed. Boredom was such a cruel and vicious thing. Especially for a Cathayan ferret. "Maybe this is what she meant by slow and painful," he thought miserably.

He wondered who the Shadowed were inviting to dinner; who could be so important that the governor was trying so hard to impress. Who would be sitting down with him and eating crispy, seasoned peafowl, delectable shark fin soup, juicy cubed chicken, bowls of sweet, tasty oranges.?

His stomach growled.

Okay, that was not getting him anywhere. He wished she would hurry up and do whatever it was she planned on doing: torture him, drain his magical energies, kill him, whatever; just as long as she got it over with. The waiting was worse than death.

BOOOOOM!!!

A dull explosion rocked the palace, rattling Bik-Bik's cage and knocking long-undisturbed dust loose from the ceiling. The deep shockwave reverberated through the floor and was felt just as much as it was heard. The force lifted both Bik-Bik and the cage off of the table, and when the cage landed it wobbled before settling.

"What was that?!" he asked out loud, though no one was around.

He waited but heard nothing. No commotion, no flurry of activity. no excitement of any kind.

"Maybe the Witch was experimenting with some powerful magic and blew herself up, taking everyone with her," Bik-Bik thought hopefully. He had never been so lucky.

Several minutes passed, and a sudden fear began to gnaw at the back of his mind: what if everyone was killed, and he was left to starve to death in his cage? He could transform into an object, and that would buy him some time since he did not need food or water while transformed, but that could not last forever.

He was just beginning to wonder which would kill him first, thirst or boredom, when the door to the room swung open. Chi-Len entered casually, her arrogant little smile held on her face.

"Oh good, it's you," said Bik-Bik sarcastically. "I'm so glad nothing terrible happened that left your mangled corpse barely recognizable amid a heap of blasted stone and twisted flesh. That would have been terrible."

"Touching," she said, lifting the cage. She raised it so her golden eyes were level with his. "It's time for us to go, little one. My magical ritual that will end your life has to wait just a little while longer, I'm afraid."

"Oh darn," he said dryly.

"Don't worry, it won't be long."

"Phew."

The brainless wonder appeared in the doorway behind her.

"Mistress," said the giant of a man, "what is our plan?"

"We will wait at the ship," she said.

"I do not think that is wise," the giant stepped into the room. "We should escort the material personally."

"The mercenaries can handle it," she said dismissively. "They are on their way now. I am most eager to start the ritual with my little friend here, and I cannot be distracted while I prepare it. A cabin aboard the ship will do nicely. And don't forget there's still the small matter of tracking down the ferret's companions and retrieving the Heart of Pan."

The man glowered at Bik-Bik, as if he blamed him.

"Hey, I'm with you," said the ferret. "I say we wait. That's a good plan."

The Witch laughed while carrying him out the door.

Bei lifted the heavy iron grate covering the entrance to the town's sewers and tossed it aside with a dull clang. Only the stars watched the small group as they shuffled one by one through the narrow hole in the ground and down the simple rungs to the bottom. Somewhere outside, crickets were chirping, and as he vanished down the ladder, Daylen wondered where they could possibly be hiding.

The sewers did not smell nearly as bad as Daylen had feared. The walls of the passage curved upward and inward, meeting together to create the ceiling. On either side of the passage stretched a thin walkway, barely two feet wide. Between them ran dark and fetid water of an unknown depth.

Both Dao and Su Shen held burning torches to light their way. Dao wasted no time, stepping softly down the passage, sneaking along quietly as if afraid he might alert someone. "The governor may have placed guards at the secret entrance," he explained in a low whisper. "It is unlikely, but let us be cautious."

They traveled the rest of the way in silence. The only resistance they met were the large rats that hissed threateningly as they passed. The rats did not shy away when Dao waved his torch at them; this was their domain, and they did not suffer trespassers. Dao led the group around them whenever encountered.

Though rats were the fiercest creatures they met on their journey, Daylen could not help recalling all of the stories he had heard about monstrous creatures lurking in sewers. Maybe Barsavian sewers were more dangerous than Cathayan sewers.

"Or," he thought as a sudden epiphany struck him, "maybe rumors of monsters living in a city's sewers were placed there by the administration in an effort to keep people out of them." That made more sense, he decided.

They had gone into the sewers from an entrance located in the western portion of the town, in the merchant district, so they traveled east, back toward the center where the palace was located. It took Dao some time to discover the secret passage. He had to backtrack several times, searching for some obscure clue that only he and a select few other people understood.

"This is it," he said finally, setting down his torch and kneeling next to the wall. To Daylen, it looked just like any other section of the wall.

Dao pawed at the bricks until he found one that stuck out just a sliver past the others. He pushed on it, and the brick depressed. There was an audible click from somewhere inside, and the surrounding wall slipped backwards with a grinding noise and then slid cumbrously to the side.

Beyond the entrance lay a small, round room. In the center, an iron ladder dropped down from the ceiling. When Daylen followed it with his eyes, he saw that it vanished up a thin tunnel, ending at an iron drain grate.

"This is it," said Dao, rather unnecessarily. "It leads to a cellar."

They climbed to the top, finding the grate unlocked. They pushed through and found the cellar completely empty.

"Doesn't believe in stockpiling, huh?" said Daylen, gazing about the bare room.

"There are many cellars in this palace. The governor doesn't store anything in this one; he doesn't want any of the servants stumbling upon this little passage accidentally," Dao explained.

"Where to now?" asked Kai impatiently.

Dao led them quietly up a flight of stairs and into a broad hallway. It was quite a contrast; the cellar had been drab and gray while the hallway was bright and lavishly decorated. The walls were lined with marble panels and an elegant rug ran down its center. Daylen saw a large polished mirror hanging at the end of the hall, where the corridor split to the left and to the right. The mirror's frame was made from gold and was carved to resemble two symmetrical eastern dragons. Their long tails were intertwined at the bottom of the frame, and their noses touched at the top. The only asymmetry was that the eye of the left dragon was a blood red ruby, and the eye of the right dragon was a bright green emerald.

The group clustered near the doorway, listening. Su Shen, Bei, and Tong already had their weapons in hand, prepared to silence anyone who might discover them. Once they were certain no one was coming, Dao led them away from the doorway.

"This way, and be quick!" he hissed, slinking quickly down the corridor.

Swiftly they ran, around a corner and up a flight of stairs. On the second floor, they ducked into a side room that turned out to be a balcony. Below them stretched a great dining hall, dominated by a long table in the center. Seated around the table were several nobles enjoying a fine feast that, even though he had already eaten, made Daylen's stomach growl. At the head of the table sat Governor Huaq. The others were just as Dao had described: all powerful nobles from southern Feng Dei. There was Lord Locke, whom Daylen recognized; he had seen the accomplished Cavalryman adept once before when passing through his lands. He recalled that the lord's standard was a white horse with a black mane, and that his family were renowned horse breeders.

Daylen did not recognize any of the others, though Dao whispered their Names: Lord Min, Lord Song, Lord Ge, Lord Li, and half a dozen others. They sat, picking disinterestedly at their meals, their attentions instead fixed on their host and what he was saying.

".and as you know," Governor Huaq was saying to his gathered guests, "King Sen Ma is visiting a barbarian nation while a plague ravages his capital. He leaves his people defenseless while he goes on his journeys."

"Let me interrupt you right there," said Lord Locke. "The king is staying away for his own safety. In fact, from what I understand, his ministers in Min Yan have insisted that he stay away."

"That is not what I heard," the governor said back. "Lord Chin Zan has sent me a personal message. As some of you may know, he has taken over governorship of the capital while the king is away. He tells me of some startling news.

"The king has been living a debauched life in the capital. He spends most of his time pursuing one decadent pleasure after another. That is why he often goes to Jih'Po; the daimyo seduce him with their young women and wine. He forsakes his divine command to win this war and instead cares only about the pleasures of the flesh!"

"Why can't we do both?" laughed Lord Ge, a man who, to Daylen, looked like he spent more time enjoying food than women.

A few of the others tittered. Governor Huaq offered a polite smile and waited for the titters to die down.

"I am not trying to be sanctimonious," he said, "but I am gravely concerned about the safety of this nation. The gar trouble our north-western border; to the West, the kingdom of Shan Dei has recently allowed a Theran legion onto its soil; pirates raid our coastal cities; and we have had not one successful invasion into the lands of Tiet Dei in five years. We stagnate, and yet our king does nothing!"

"Sounds like the good governor isn't such a strong of a supporter of the king after all," thought Daylen.

"Calm down, governor," said Lord Song. "Sen Ma cannot live forever. He is old. He will soon have to proclaim a successor."

"And whom will he proclaim, Lord Song?" Huaq demanded. "Will it be one of you southern lords? Unlikely. How much influence do any of you hold in the king's court?"

"It does not need to be one of us," Lord Locke stated calmly.

"Then whom shall it be? Perhaps Lord Che Lan? Or maybe Nurgaci?" asked the governor, looking at each of the lords in turn.

"Better one of them," Lord Locke returned his gaze evenly, "than Lord Chin Zan."

The others muttered their agreement.

"Or a Jih'Pen daimyo!" said another, to which there was more agreement.

"Just what is it that you are trying to say, Huaq? Why drag the eleven of us to your palace? What is this feast really about?" Lord Ge spoke while tearing apart a chunk of fried peafowl with his greasy fingers.

"I'm saying it's time we took hold of the destiny of our kingdom!" the governor answered, clenching his fist for emphasis and dramatic effect.

Silence followed. It was Lord Locke who spoke first. "You propose treason, then?"

"Treason?" the governor repeated, laughing. "It is King Sen Ma who has committed the treason! He cares not for our people! He—"

"Yes, yes, we've heard this all before," Lord Locke cut him off. "But I do not see it that way. The king is not how you describe him at all. He is wise. Under his rule, our kingdom has known only prosperity."

"How do you know it could not be better than it is?" the governor challenged. "He is the only king this kingdom has ever known!"

"Exactly!" Lord Locke's voice grew stern. "Chosen by the great dragon, Feng himself! Lord protector and one of the Five Guardians of Cathay! Who are you, a mere governor, who was appointed to his post, to dare contest a dragon's wisdom?"

Lord Locke's words seemed to strike a chord in Huaq. His eyes narrowed and his upper lip trembled.

"I earned my position, unlike you who had it handed to him as a birthright!" he spat back.

"Divine birthright," Lord Locke corrected. "Just like the rest of your betters sitting at this table." He motioned to the other lords with a sweep of his hand.

"Gentlemen, please," said Lord Ge. "Let us not quibble. It is hardly civilized behavior. I am more interested in the governor's proposal. I do presume you have a plan worked out, yes? These intrigues so often come with a plan." The lord reached with chubby fingers and plucked an orange from a bowl, then began peeling the skin off in great chunks and dropping them onto his plate.

Governor Huaq seemed to calm, his shoulders relaxing as he regained his composure. "Yes," he said, "as it happens I do."

"I will not sit here and listen to this," said Lord Locke, who pushed back his chair and stood to leave.

"Please," said Lord Ge. "Just hear him out. It does not mean you are participating in treason. Besides, is it not rude to leave a host's table without his permission?"

Daylen knew that to Cathayans, etiquette and tradition were as important as eating and sleeping. Proper behavior, seen as the only thing separating Name-givers from the beasts, was demanded by the Passions to be observed. He could see the struggle within Lord Locke, who was torn between his cultural upbringing and his desire to not be involved with what he felt was clearly treasonous behavior. However, perhaps predictably, Lord Locke finally bowed to his traditions.

"Very well," he said. "I will remain until the feast is over. However, I want it recognized by you noblemen that I stay only for the demands of propriety."

The nobles nodded. Satisfied, Lord Locke resumed his seat.

"Now that that is over with," said Lord Ge, "Please governor, continue. You were going to tell us about some marvelous plan, I believe."

"Yes, and the plan is simple. We take Min Yan."

For the second time, silence commanded the room.

"Just take Min Yan? Simple as that?" said Lord Min, astounded by the staggering proposal.

"Yes. Simple as that."

"You are," spoke Lord Song, "aware that Min Yan has powerful magical defenses that are capable of blasting an entire army to pieces?"

They were talking about the enchanted pearls set atop the walls, Daylen knew. They would have to take the throne room in the palace to take control of those. He wondered if Tong's theory about Lord Chin Zan was correct.

"We already have an agent on the inside who will take care of that," said the governor with an easy smile.

Tong's theory was gaining more credibility by the moment. Daylen looked at the troll, who raised his eyebrows as if to say, "See?"

"We?" repeated Lord Min. "Who is we?"

"His collaborators, obviously," Lord Locke put in with contempt.

"Yes, my collaborators. Patriots to the man."

Lord Locke harrumphed.

"Fine," said Lord Song. "However, even with the walls' defenses neutralized, there is still the city's garrison to consider. There are at least five hundred soldiers stationed in Min Yan, and even without the pearls, that is more than enough to hold off an army ten times that size."

"Not if we bring the walls down," said the governor, still smiling.

"Hah!" laughed Lord Min. "Impossible. Even if we had a dozen fire cannons at our disposal—and they had none—we wouldn't be able to take that wall down."

"What about airships? We could fly over the walls; some of our ships might make it—"

"—before being shot down." interrupted one of the other lords.

"No need for any of that," said Huaq. "As I said, we have a plan."

"Well don't keep us in suspense!" said Lord Ge, just before letting out a tremendous burp.

The governor nodded with a self-satisfied grin. He snapped his fingers, and a servant who had been standing against the wall bowed and vanished through a door.

"We have a substance," he said, "that will allow us to knock a hole in Min Yan's wall large enough to squeeze an army through."

The lords muttered their disbelief. The servant reappeared, carrying a small clay cup. He set it on the table before the governor.

"Thank you. You may go."

The servant hurried from the room, and governor Huaq reached into the cup with thumb and forefinger, removing a pinch of the same black substance that was stored in the warehouse. He held it up for all to see and then sprinkled it onto the table.

"What is that?" one of the lords asked.

"Our key to the city." The governor tipped the plain clay cup, spilling the black powder out until a small pile sat before him.

"Observe," he said, plucking a candle from its holder. He slowly dipped it until the flame licked the pile.

Whoosh!

There was a great flash and large puff of smoke. The black substance was gone, leaving behind a hole burned through the tablecloth and a charred stain on the table below it.

"What Wizardry is this?" asked Lord Song with a gasp.

"Wizardry?" Huaq laughed. "No gentlemen, no magic is involved here. This is a rather cunning creation that we've managed to acquire for a reasonable price. What you just witnessed was but a small pile—we have mountains at our disposal. The larger the amount, the larger the explosion."

"Passions preserve us." Lord Locke whispered.

"So your plan, then, is to pile this at the base of the wall during the attack?" asked Lord Min, still sounding skeptical. "We'll be too vulnerable to their fire cannons! If our soldiers are moving mountains of this stuff, as you said, and get struck by a fireball, they'll be obliterated!"

"That is true," said the governor. "Which is why we're not going to attack in such a way."

"How else would it be used? Flung from a catapult, perhaps?" another lord inquired.

"We are going to stack barrels full of the substance against the wall from the inside," was his answer.

"That's a bit conspicuous, don't you think?" said Lord Song.

"No," Huaq shook his head, "because they will think they are barrels of fresh water."

Daylen's breath caught in his throat as realization sank its teeth into him. The memory of the dock workers removing the barrels from the warehouse and stacking them near the front gate sprang to his mind.

"Why would they think they're barrels of water? And why would they allow them to be stacked against the wall?" Lord Song wondered, apparently still requiring some convincing.

"Because Lord Chin Zan has been ordering fresh water from outside sources. They believe their own water is the source of the plague. We'll simply smuggle our barrels in under the guise that it is more fresh water for the beleaguered citizens and stack them against the wall. Once our army arrives, our agents on the inside will light them, blowing a hole in the wall large enough for our men to march through. The blast will surely kill any soldier who's on the wall above it, and the rest of the defenders will be too shocked and dismayed to put up much of a fight.

"The King will return from Jih'Po and rally the loyal nobles, and they will no doubt attempt to retake the city, but by then we will have control of its defenses. And you know how the simple-minded peasants are; they will bow to whoever sits upon the throne."

The lords were silent for a moment, thinking it over, their faces grave. Finally Lord Min stood.

"Thank you for revealing your plan to us, governor. King Sen Ma will be most interested in this information," he said with a revealing smile.

Governor Huaq's own smile melted from his face as the comprehension set in. The other lords stood.

"Gentlemen," said Lord Locke, "I believe our host will be looking to pack up his belongings and flee now. Let us leave him to it then."

"Hahahahaha!" the governor erupted into sudden laughter. "You were playing me for the fool, then? Hahahahaha!"

The lords paused at his reaction, uncertain.

"I fail to see what is so funny," said Lord Locke. "Your plan has been exposed. You have been revealed as a traitor. Your title will be stripped and you will be either executed or exiled. You have gained nothing here today but your own dishonor!"

The governor wiped the tears from his eyes with his thumb. He ignored Lord Locke and instead addressed Lord Ge, "It appears the Witch was right; we will have to go with her plan, I'm afraid."

Lord Ge shrugged and said, "Yes, it appears so."

"Witch? What Witch? Lord Ge, what is he talking about?" Fear and doubt began to creep into Lord Locke's voice. Sensing a trap, the other lords gazed at the doors warily, their hands slowly reaching for weapons hanging from their belts.

"I'm afraid we have not been entirely forthcoming with you, Lord Locke," said Lord Ge. "The real Lord Ge and governor Huaq have been dead for quite some time now, alas."

"What nonsense are you babbling?" Lord Min demanded.

"And," Lord Ge continued, "I'm afraid that underneath this table, you will find several barrels full of our exploding substance, placed near your feet."

"And at my feet," said the governor, lifting his candle, "you will find a trail of it leading to them."

From above, Kai's eyes widened. "Run!" he yelled to the others.

They scrambled for the door. Just before Daylen turned away from the scene, he saw the governor give a great, ghastly smile and let the candle drop from his hand.

A moment later the world erupted.

The smoke cleared slowly. A painful ringing filled Daylen's head, and both he and the others cleared their lungs through wracking coughs. They lay scattered in the hallway in a daze. Large, blasted chunks of stone and marble—debris from the dining hall-lay strewn about them. An arm, from elbow to fingertips, poked out of the rubble, the wound neatly blackened and cauterized.

"Is everyone all right?" asked Su Shen.

Daylen nodded, dragging himself to his feet. The others seemed uninjured; they had all escaped the blast just in time.

"Well," said Tong to Dao, "I hope you do not require any further convincing."

"I certainly do not," coughed the commander, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the smoke. "No further convincing, please."

The smoke stank. It was unlike anything Daylen had ever smelled. He was not sure if it was smoke from the charred flesh or from the black substance, though he tried not to believe that he was breathing in the remains of all those men.

"They were yen'hi'ji, then," said Lu Fan.

Kai nodded. "Two of them, at least."

"Do you think the rest of them are here in the palace? Chi-Len and Yen-Li?" Daylen asked, wondering if Bik-Bik was somewhere nearby.

"We should look!" suggested Bei with a growl.

"No, that blast surely would have gotten the attention of my troops. and the mercenaries. I need to get out there and explain what happened," said Dao.

"I agree," said Kai. "Let us hurry."

They rushed down the hall and came upon a group of soldiers. They had their weapons drawn, and their eyes were wide with fear.

"Commander Dao!" said one. "What. what happened?" They watched his companions warily, uncertain.

"Follow me," Dao did not stop to explain. The soldiers, trained to obey and eager for someone to take charge, fell in line behind them.

By the time they made their way out of the palace, two large crowds had already gathered. On one side stood the rugged mercenaries, and on the other, the town garrison. They had self-segregated, both sides distrusting at the other.

Servants stumbled from the palace, stunned. They wandered about the courtyard, frightened, wondering what had happened but too afraid and shocked to ask. Their eyes widened at the sight of so many armed troops in their presence. They stayed back. A few were injured from the blast, and Su Shen moved to tend them.

"Commander!" one of the soldiers, a young human no older than maybe sixteen or seventeen, addressed Dao after they appeared. "What happened? Are we under attack?"

"It's all right, soldier," Dao said to the young man. "But you." the commander drew his saber and spun, pointing the tip at the mercenary leader, Blood Tusk. "Take your men and get out of my city!"

Blood Tusk was thrown off guard at first. Behind the ork, in response to the aggressive act, his men pulled out their weapons. Behind Dao, the soldiers pulled out theirs.

Blood Tusk regained his composure and sneered. "I do not take orders from you! I only take orders from Governor Huaq!"

"Governor Huaq is dead!" yelled Dao, the revelation provoking startled gasps and mutterings from the crowd. "I'm taking command of the town!"

Dao turned and addressed his gathered soldiers, who outnumbered the mercenaries two to one. "Men! Escort our friends to the front gates. If they refuse, kill every last one of them!"

A tense stand-off ensued. Blood Tusk gripped the hilt of his sword. Daylen could tell that the order to attack was piled just behind his lips. But the mercenary hesitated. Su Shen and Bei readied themselves, weapons in hand. Next to them, Tong hefted his great axe and snarled.

The ork finally released his sword and spat. "We'll be back," his promise was filled with venom. "You can count on it." He spun on his heel and stalked off of the palace grounds. His men followed, flanked by Dao's soldiers.

Once the mercenaries were through the wall and out of the town, the soldiers slammed the gates closed and dropped the heavy wooden bar across them.

"How many mercenaries are you expecting to pick up that shipment?" Bei asked when it was over.

"I don't know," answered the commander, sounding suddenly weary. "But we have one hundred men, plus ourselves. Blood Tusk's men count at nearly fifty. As long as they aren't expecting more than fifty more, the odds will be in our favor if they choose to storm the walls."

"We should prepare the defenses," said Tong. Then he added with a smile, "I told you it would be just like old times!"

"You never were a good liar," said Dao with a wry grin.

He ordered his soldiers to signal the horns, warning the townspeople to expect an attack. The blasts ripped through the still night air, stirring the people from their sleep. Lights behind closed shutters flickered to life, and front doors began swinging open one after another, revealing frightened and curious faces. The slow, mumbling confusion gave way to panic as the realization set in. Most of the people stayed in their homes, barring their doors from the inside, while others gathered together at the inns, preparing for a last stand.

Dao ordered most of his one hundred men to the town's bazaar, where they lined up in rigid, disciplined rows. Only a few of his men did not attend: his best scouts remained on the wall, on the lookout for the enemy.

Dao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, facing his soldiers, assessing their courage. Standing just behind him were the others: Su Shen, Bei, Daylen, Tong, and Lu Fan.

"I know that all of you have questions," he said, pausing briefly before continuing while pacing up and down their length. "The individuals you see behind me—" he motioned to them with a wide sweep of his arm, "—uncovered a plot by Governor Huaq to overthrow the king!"

Daylen thought it was wise that Dao had skipped over the part about the governor being replaced by a yen'hi'ji; that would only serve to frighten and demoralize them. He knew that the captain purposely had Su Shen and Bei, a Daughter of Heaven and jade obsidiman, out in the open to lend credibility to his tale.

"The mercenaries were under the employ of the governor," he went on. "More of them are coming. They are going to attempt to get their cargo out of the warehouse—you all know the one of which I speak. We cannot allow that. We will man the walls and kill anyone foolish enough to attempt to gain entry into the town without our leave. Understood?"

"Understood!" the crowd chanted as one.

"You heard Blood Tusk before he left! You heard him threaten us! They think they're going to come into our city and intimidate us! Are we going to allow that to go unanswered?"

"NO!"

"Are we going to allow these honorless dogs to wage war against our king?"

"NO!"

"Are we going to allow them to loot our city and murder our citizens?"

"NO!"

"Then to the wall! Arm yourselves! Let's show these bastards what soldiers of Feng Dei do to those who would dare challenge them!"

The soldiers roared and rushed out of the bazaar in a disciplined column. Bei watched them go and nodded approvingly.

"Nice speech," he said.

"Thanks," Dao smiled. "It's good to get them riled up before a battle."

Tong laughed. "Ah, yes! I still remember General Toi's speeches. King and country, and all that."

Dao joined his laughter. "I had almost forgotten about those! Well, those were some fine speeches, but I've noticed that appealing to their pride and anger works better than appealing to self-sacrifice and virtue," said Dao.

"Gentlemen," Su Shen interrupted. "Perhaps we could continue this conversation on the way to the wall?"

"Oh, of course," said Dao, offering an abashed grin.

"Do you really think we can take on the mercenaries with only one hundred men?" Daylen asked as they walked.

"Absolutely," said Dao. "Our walls make each of our soldiers as good as having five. Maybe more."

Daylen nodded, though he did not feel anymore confident. "Well that's good."

Dao studied him. "Have you ever been in a battle before?"

"A few," Daylen admitted. The memory of the mercenary he killed in the Realm of Twilight flashed briefly in his mind. "Though they mostly involved me just trying to survive. I'm a merchant, not a soldier."

The commander looked him up and down. "You don't say."

The wall was gained by a set of stairs that hugged the inside of the wall and ran all the way up to the battlements. Stretched out along those battlements were Commander Dao's one hundred. Daylen saw that some of them were armed with crossbows in addition to their swords. Crossbows were more popular than bows in Cathay. A crossbowman could not get off as many shots as a trained archer in the same amount of time, but it took only a fraction of the time to train a crossbowman when compared to the archer; in a land where the turnover rate of soldiers was high, it was important to be able to outfit and train a new army as quickly as possible.

But only thirty of them had crossbows, which meant only thirty of them could fire on the mercenaries as they charged the wall. The rest would have to wait until the attackers climbed it and then stab them with swords. By that time, the mercenaries would be able to stab back.

On the battlefield, the same soldiers would most likely all be armed with spears or pole arms rather than swords, but defending a wall required different tactics than on an open field against charging cavalry. The wall gave them an advantage, to be sure; Daylen just hoped it was as significant as Dao believed.

Time slipped further into the night. Two hours had passed since they kicked Blood Tusk and his mercenaries out of the town when Dao called one of his scouts over.

"It grows late; the mercenaries should be close," he said. "I want you to go and find them, assess their strength, and return."

The scout bowed and, mounting the fastest steed available, took off into the night.

The moon climbed high into the night sky. The initial excitement gradually began to wane. The soldiers, standing abreast along the wall and staring out across the dark horizon, soon grew restless. Dao sensed it, and he and Tong marched behind them, shouting encouragement to stoke their fires and keep their morale high.

After some time, even Daylen's anxiety began to wear off. A part of him started to hope that maybe the mercenaries, upon hearing of what was waiting for them at Shao, decided to turn around and go back to wherever they came from. He was just beginning to allow that hope to flourish when the rider returned.

"Open the gate!" a call was sounded when the rider was spotted.

The rider thundered through, and the gate was quickly closed behind him. The scout leapt from his horse and ran to Dao. The look on his face made Daylen's hands tremble.

"What is it?" Dao demanded, sensing the urgency.

"The enemy approaches. Less than five miles." The messenger stopped, as if what he had to say next was too horrible to utter aloud.

"Out with it, soldier!" Dao yelled at him.

"It's the size of the mercenary army, sir. They number at least one thousand."

"Do we have catapults? Fire cannons? Any artillery at all?" asked Bei. Dao grimly shook his head to each question.

They stood on the wall discussing their options, though far out of earshot from the soldiers. The alarm evident on the adepts' faces sent a nervous tremble through Daylen's limbs; he could only imagine what kind of effect it would have on the troops' morale.

Earlier, he had suggested they use the barrels. "We could set them on the field, and when the enemy gets close, we can light them with flaming arrows." Kai had shaken his head.

"They are coming for the barrels; they will know it's a trap," the Scholar had said.

"Can we even hope to fight a force of that size?" asked Lu Fan, revealing that out of he and Tong, the troll was the only one with military experience.

"We have no choice," said Dao. "I will not abandon my post. You all are free to leave. This is not your city to defend."

Tong laughed. "You think I'd leave and miss you getting killed? The mighty Dao? Hah! You're not getting off that easy."

Dao frowned.

"The Jade Brotherhood will not abandon you," said Bei with a somber nod.

"Well, this is all very noble," said Daylen, "but seriously, can we hope to win? I don't mean to sound overly pessimistic, but that's ten times our number."

"Of course we can win," said Tong confidently. "And we will."

"You've been in similar situations?" Daylen wanted to know.

Tong paused momentarily and then shrugged. "Sure."

Daylen did not believe him.

"Your soldiers will have to be told," said Su Shen. "If they are not prepared and they see a force of that size marching on the city, the shock will shatter their morale."

Dao nodded. "I know."

The soldiers watched them with nervous anticipation as they returned. They knew something was wrong. Daylen avoided meeting their eyes, knowing that he wore his anxiety clearly on his face.

"Men," Dao addressed them with a clear and powerful voice, "the enemy is almost upon us. I will not lie to you. Their numbers are greater than ours. There are at least one thousand marching on Shao."

Surprised murmurs rippled through the gathered men.

"Are you afraid?" Dao demanded angrily. The murmurs stopped, and the soldiers shifted uncomfortably in their ranks.

"Who among you is afraid?" he continued. "Who among you believes that a group of undisciplined dogs, who know nothing of honor and care only for gold, can take this city?"

He waited, sweeping his gaze across each and every one of them. They said nothing, though the doubt was still clearly visible in their eyes.

"You belong to the fiercest army in the five kingdoms!" he yelled sternly. "You cannot be beaten! Your measure as men will be taken this night; how will your ancestors judge you? The Passions are even on your side: they have sent us the aid of a Daughter of Heaven, a Scholar, and a jade obsidiman!"

Kai then stepped forward and slammed the butt of his staff loudly between his feet. The soldiers' faces widened with wonder at the fierce glow of the orb that appeared.

The Scholar yelled, "They will break themselves on your wall like ocean waves upon the rocks!" To illustrate his point, he stretched out his staff, and from the blazing orb leapt a golden lance that streaked toward the night sky, its warm light washing their faces in a radiant glow.

The spectacular display had the effect he wanted, as the soldiers erupted into a frenzied roar. Their swords came free from their scabbards like a hundred hissing vipers. They rattled them above their heads, the sharp steel catching the moonlight like dancing white flames.

The golden light faded, and the cheering slowly gave way to the sound of a slow, steady pulse like the beat of a drum. They all looked toward the sound, and in the far distance, saw that it came from the marching of one thousand pairs of feet. As the mercenary army broke over the horizon, they could not at first make out the individuals, not from such a distance, so the incoming army rolled towards them like a solid, black mass. The soldiers muttered at the sight.

"Quiet!" Dao commanded.

Burning torches bobbed silently among the writhing shapes as they crawled inexorably towards the town. When they drew nearer, the flickering lights began to reveal the figures that held them: armored men with cold, cruel faces. These mercenaries were bred for death; it stalked with them, echoed in their footsteps, slept in their beds. Death was their trade, and they did it well. Daylen looked at the soldiers on the wall, and for the first time realized just how young and inexperienced they were. Many appeared more frightened than even he felt. Not a single forehead among them did not glisten with a cold sweat. They licked their lips nervously, and their eyes were wide enough to crawl through.

Daylen shook his head dubiously. "They are just boys. and they are going to die," he thought.

"I need a weapon," he said to Bei.

The obsidiman motioned to the incoming army with his jaw. "Go get one."

"Haha," said Daylen dryly.

Bei laughed and said to Dao, "We need another sword over here."

Within a moment, the commander handed Daylen a sword. It was long and heavy, and for some strange reason that gave him comfort. The merchant hefted it, testing its balance. Every time he lifted it, it felt like it wanted to drag itself back down, so the tip was pointing at the ground.

"That sword is meant for cleaving," Bei told him. "Take it with both hands. As the mercenaries climb up over the wall, lift it over your head and bring it down on top of them. Let its weight work with you—don't swing it. If you start swinging, your shoulders will start to burn, and that sword will grow heavier than anything you have ever tried to lift in your life. And then you will be killed."

"Okay," said Daylen, while making a mental note to later talk to the obsidiman about the finer points of encouragement.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. He called to Kai, and the Scholar approached him and leaned on his Moon Staff.

"Yes?"

"If we lose this battle, the mercenaries will get the Heart of Pan." He tapped his pack where the artifact lay. "We should destroy it."

"I told you earlier," said Kai with a shake of his head, "that the ritual can only be performed under a full moon." High above them, the moon shone only half full.

"Why can't we just destroy it?" The merchant wanted to know. He tested the weight of his sword again; surely it could smash it.

Kai saw what he was thinking and shook his head, "No weapon can destroy it."

Daylen was afraid of as much. "Then we hide it. Protect it. Give it to a dragon. Throw it into Death's Sea!"

"I've heard of this Death's Sea," said the Scholar. "The great sea of lava in your homeland. But no, they would just use magic to lift it out again."

Daylen looked at the approaching army, whose steady, pulsing march contrasted his pounding heart. "We should leave, then. Hide until the full moon." They would have to find Bik-Bik later; besides, they would not be able to find him if they were all slain.

"How long do you think it will take for the nethermonks to find us, young one?" the Scholar asked.

The merchant took a shuddering breath. He had forgotten about the nethermonks.

"You see, then? This is just as good a place as any."

Daylen understood. He cast his gaze back out over the tremendous bulk of the enemy army as hopelessness settled into his soul.

"We must stay and defend these people," said Su Shen, who had been listening to the conversation. "We cannot abandon them."

"And we cannot allow them to gain those barrels," added Bei. "We must not allow them to take Min Yan. The Shadowed must be stopped."

The enemy army finally came to a stop several hundred yards short of the town's front gate and drew up into a long, straight line. Daylen could see a lot of activity. From the rear of the host, they hauled forward several catapults.

"They came prepared for battle," said Bei when he saw the war machines. "These mercenaries weren't just hired to pick up the barrels, they were hired for war."

From the gathered soldiers, two riders appeared, galloping swiftly toward the tall walls. One of them was Blood Tusk.

The other was a bald elf. The left side of his face was a mass of scar tissue, as if something monstrous had once torn it off with a pair of powerful claws, and the fleshy clumps had been placed back on his ruined face and allowed to heal, lumpy and uneven.

"Parley!" The elf yelled up at the defenders. "I would speak with Commander Dao!"

Dao stepped closer to the battlements and peered down at the pair with narrowed eyes.

"I am Dao," he called. "With whom do I speak?"

"I am Kang," spoke the elf. "I lead this army."

"Army?" Dao laughed, though to Daylen it sounded forced. "I see only one thousand corpses."

Kang smiled, though only the right half of his mouth worked. "Yes, you are brave, I already know this of you, Dao. I know you are an experienced commander. So look with your experience and not your passion. Look at how many soldiers I bring to this battle, and how many defenders you have up there with you on the wall. Look at the weapons I bring to bear." He motioned back at the catapults.

"Reinforcements are on their way," said Dao. Hope flared for just an instant in Daylen's breast, until he realized it was a bluff.

Kang knew it was a bluff as well. "We know the local lords have all been killed, Dao. No help is coming."

Dao shrugged indifferently. "So be it. We don't need reinforcements." He spoke casually, attempting to appear more confident than he really was. Daylen did not think the bluff would work. It did not.

"Let us be candid," spoke Kang. "I was not expecting a battle here at Shao. My full strength is needed elsewhere—"

"You mean Min Yan?" Kai called down.

Kang smiled his awful and twisted smile. "Elsewherehe repeated at the Scholar. "I only want the barrels that are stored in that warehouse of yours. Lay down your weapons and open your gates, and I promise, by the Passions, that none of you will come to any harm."

"How about instead, we load them outside of the walls, and then you pick them up?" Dao offered.

"So you can fire a flaming arrow into them as we gather them up? I think not, but nice try."

Dao smiled. "Well now, how about if I give my word that we would not do such a thing?"

"And I am to trust your word?"

"As much as we are to trust yours."

Kang laughed, almost as if he admired the garrison commander. "So you do not succumb to reason, nor do you succumb to deception," he said, "but, my obstinate commander, you will succumb to force."

"All I hear is talk, Kang. Why are you wasting everyone's time? Let us be on with it then."

The elf bowed in his saddle. "So be it!" He tugged hard on his reins and galloped back to his army, with Blood Tusk at his heels.

"I call dibs on that ugly elf," said Bei.

"I saw him first," said Tong.

The two Warriors hefted their weapons.

"We'll just have to see, then," Bei snorted.

"Fine by me," Tong replied. "May the best troll win."

"They're coming," Lu Fan interrupted, the elf's eyes locked on the enemy force.

The mercenaries pushed the catapults closer to the town, though they still stopped far out of range of the defenders' crossbows. Even from atop the wall, Daylen could hear the winches being cranked, and he watched with a certain fascination as the arms lowered into positions.

"Steady, men!" Dao yelled out encouragement.

The mercenaries loaded the catapults and stepped clear. The command to fire rang clearly through the night. The catapults loosed with several dull thumps. What followed was what felt like an impossibly long moment of silence. Daylen searched the skies but in the blackness could not see what had been fired.

"Take cover!" yelled Tong.

Daylen ducked and covered his head. The clatter of fist-sized stones raining down upon the buildings just behind the wall followed a second later. When it stopped, Daylen peeked out from under his arms. Silence. He, along with the rest of the defenders, cautiously stood. When the soldiers realized that none of them had been hurt, they erupted into a chorus of cheers. Daylen was swept up into the chorus, and he began hurling curses at the mercenaries along with the rest of the soldiers.

"They're just getting their distance down," grumbled Bei, who remained grim and silent. The other adepts, he realized, had remained stoic as well. They all knew that it had been just a test shot.

The mercenaries reloaded the catapults, dumping armloads of stones from nearby carts. Once they were fully loaded, they stepped clear and fired again, and again the defenders ducked behind the crenellations. This time, the stones clacked off the wall just below them and the battlement around them. Some just barely sailed over, whistling so close to Daylen's head he could feel the disturbed air.

"We're safe behind these battlements!" yelled Daylen excitedly. "They can't hit us as long as we duck!"

"That's exactly the point," said Bei, peeking back over the wall. "Look."

Daylen rose and saw the mercenaries advancing on the wall, carrying long, narrow siege ladders between them.

"They'll use the catapults to keep us cowering while they advance on the wall," the obsidiman explained.

"Bowmen!" Dao stood and pointed at the incoming mercenaries. "Fire!"

The crossbowmen, who still cringed on their heels, hesitated.

"I gave you an order! You will stand and fire!" he screamed, pulling the nearest soldiers to their feet.

The crossbowmen snapped out of their fear. They knelt on one knee, took aim between the crenellations that ran along the top of the wall like stone teeth, and fired. Daylen watched, but he could not trace the crossbow bolts as they raced through the night air, but he heard their deadly whistles, and he saw their effects. Several mercenaries cried out in pain and collapsed, but not enough to slow their advance.

The catapults fired again, and again the stones rained down upon them. One of the bowmen did not get out of the way in time, and a stone the size of a troll's fist caught him in the nose. His face shattered and caved-in, and his body fell bonelessly backwards from the ramparts.

Daylen collapsed to his belly until the deadly downpour ceased. When again he rose, the top of a ladder suddenly appeared over the wall before him.

"Swords!" Dao yelled the command, and the night came alive with the sound of one hundred blades rasping free of their scabbards.

"This is it," said Bei with a grin. He looked at Tong and said, "Don't get in my way!"

"Yeah right," the troll shot back, "just try not to slow me down!"

"I'll try to leave you boys some!" Daylen threw in, riding their courage.

The two Warriors stopped and stared at him with bemused expressions.

"Sorry," he said. "Got caught up in the moment."

"Well little human," said Tong. "If you survive this night, I'll have a newfound respect for you barbarians."

"I'll try not to let my people down," said Daylen, noting how the banter was helping him overcome his fear.

"So that's why they do it," he thought, pursing his lips and raising his eyebrows in an epiphanous manner.

Below, the howling mob surged up the wall. Tong lifted his great axe and shattered the helmet of the first mercenary to appear at the top of the ladder. Nearby, Bei cleaved another, who twisted in anguish and fell backwards out of sight. To his left, Daylen saw Lu Fan tear the face off of a mercenary with his tiger-claw hand in a great, red spray. Somewhere far to the right, a golden light flashed from Kai's staff as he sent one sizzling beam of energy after another into the mercenaries' ranks.

The roar of battle was but a dull din in Daylen's ears. Suddenly, a figure loomed over him. A mercenary stood atop the crenella-tions, a sword raised over his head with both hands, ready to bring it down on top of the merchant's skull. He let out a fierce yell and drove his blade up into the man's bowels. The sword may have been meant for cleaving, but its tip was sharp just the same. It punched through the mercenary's soft cloth and out of his back, scraping along his spine. A great gush of warm blood sprayed out across Daylen's hands, and the body toppled over and landed at his feet. The man quivered once before lying still.

Daylen dragged the cumbersome blade free and looked for the next target. His heart was pounding in his ears, and his breathing was coming in great gulps. For the first time in his life, the merchant's fears were drowned in blood lust.

Farther down the line, past Dao and Lu Fan, the mercenaries gained a foothold on the wall and were forming a half circle, pushing the defenders back from the ladder so more of their comrades could gain the battlements.

"Dao!" yelled Daylen and pointed.

The commander turned stiffly, and Daylen saw him clutching a wound at his side. However, when he saw the mercenaries, Dao charged, letting loose a blood curdling scream. Daylen followed, his own battle-cry lost in the chaos.

Dao leapt like a tiger into the huddled mercenaries, his blade biting flesh to his left and to his right. Daylen lifted his sword high over his head and brought it down in a clumsy, awkward arc. The mercenary he was aiming for saw him coming and jumped to the side. Daylen's heavy sword missed and slammed into the walkway. The impact jarred it from his fingers. His momentum caused him to stumble forward, and he landed on his hands and knees. Above him, the mercenary grinned wickedly and swung his axe down at the back of his head.

Su Shen's slender blade sliced through the man's wrist, and the axe—along with the severed hand—flew uselessly through the air. The mercenary lifted his squirting stump before his wide, disbelieving eyes, and Su Shen caught him in the chest with a powerful kick, sending the doomed fool backwards over the wall.

"You need to be more careful, Daylen Jagaro," said the Daughter of Heaven, before throwing herself forward to assist Dao.

Daylen picked himself up and lifted his sword. Before he could pick a target, Su Shen and Dao had driven the mercenaries from the wall.

Three, sharp horn blasts sounded in the distance, and at the signal, the mercenaries began to retreat from the wall. The bowmen lifted their crossbows back up off the walkway and fired at the retreating figures, striking many of them down. Daylen saw one of the mercenary's arms fly up after a bolt punched into his back between his shoulder blades. He collapsed onto his face and did not move.

The catapults fired suddenly. Su Shen grabbed Daylen and yanked him down just in time. Many of the other defenders were not so lucky, and several soldiers flew backwards from the battlements as the stones crashed into them, their screams filling the cool night air.

"Bastards!" cursed Dao.

Daylen waited for a moment after the hailstorm passed, catching his breath.

"Ahem," a voice sounded above him. Daylen looked up to find Bei standing over him. and then down to realize that he was lying on top of Su Shen.

"Sorry!" he mumbled and quickly stood, helping her to her feet.

"Thanks," he said to her, embarrassed. "Um, for saving my life, that is."

"Oh, is that what she was doing?" asked Bei with a sly grin.

Su Shen flashed him a look, and the obsidiman raised his hands defensively. "Okay, guess so," he said.

Daylen watched the mercenaries reforming back at their lines, safely out of range of the crossbows. Blood pooled along the walkway, running red beneath the brittle, twinkling light of the stars. It dripped in slick, crimson lines down the front of the wall to the broken bodies below, which continued on in a scattered trail all the way back to the enemy formation.

"Did we win?" Daylen asked. "Are they giving up?"

Bei shook his head. "No. They are merely regrouping and resting. They will attack again shortly."

Daylen assessed their own casualties and counted seventeen, over half of which were dead. Su Shen attended the others, healing them as best she could so they could continue the fight.

"How many men did they lose, do you think?" Daylen asked of Bei.

The Warrior scanned the fallen and said, "Perhaps fifty dead. More wounded, no doubt. Some will be able to fight on, others won't."

Daylen worked the math quickly in his mind. At the current rate of attrition, by the time all of the defenders were all slain, the mercenary army would still have nearly four hundred soldiers remaining with which to attack Min Yan.

"We can't win this battle," said Daylen matter-of-factly.

"You can't think in such terms," Bei told him. "Once you've given up, you're as good as dead. Focus on surviving the next encounter. And the next. And the next. It is all we can do."

"We could retreat with the egg," thought Daylen, though he did not say so. He knew that neither Su Shen nor Bei would abandon the people of Shao to the hands of Kang and his mercenaries.

A few minutes later, a single, lonely horn blast sounded from the enemies' lines. Bei pulled out his sword.

As the mercenaries charged the wall, he said, "Now if you see that ugly elf, you be sure to point him out to me. I don't want that troll getting to him before I do!"

Yen-Li the Undying was not fond of the sea. The gentle rocking of the ship made him nauseous, which just made him angrier and more irritated.

The talking rat sat in its golden cage, hanging from the opulent room's low ceiling. It swayed slowly back and forth, in time with the rocking of the ship. The Witch stood beneath it, preparing the spell that would drain the little rodent's magic and add that power to her own. At least it had finally stopped talking. The chattering creature always seemed to have something to say. He would like to squeeze it until its guts pushed out of its throat.

He was growing impatient. He was ready to complete the ritual that would release Pan's essence. It would result in his own destruction, but Pan would live on, in his body, and, together with the Shadowed, the Nethermancer would accomplish great and terrible things, starting with burning Min Yan to the ground. Yen-Li was more than willing to sacrifice himself for the cause. He did not fear death. He did not even fear the non-existence that would be his fate after Pan devoured his soul. In fact, he was looking forward to it.

"We should be searching for the egg," he said.

"Patience," said the Witch. "The nethermonks have cast their spells. We will know its location soon enough."

Yen-Li growled. "I do not like to wait."

"Calm down, Yen-Li," she said. "We will get the egg. It has been foreseen."

As if to support her prophetic statement, the door to their cabin swung inward, slowly and silently. A nethermonk entered, gliding as silently as death, its hood pulled up to conceal its gruesome features. Yen-Li took an involuntary step backwards, which angered him even further. He loathed the dark followers of Pan. He would like no more than to wrap his hands around its throat and squeeze until—

It twisted its head towards him suddenly, and Yen-Li could feel it staring at him. Icy fingers crawled across his skin. He flexed his fingers and bared his teeth.

"That's right," he said to the terrible creature. "I'll rip your damn head from your shoulders."

The nethermonk said nothing. They never did. It turned slowly away and looked at the Witch. She was smiling.

"I think he likes you, Yen-Li," she giggled.

She stared up into the blackness beneath the nethermonk's hood. Yen-Li knew that they were communicating, though only they could hear what was being said.

After a moment, Chi-Len grinned and said, "They found it. It seems I will be returning to Shao."

XXX

Daylen listened to the stones clattering off the battlements around him. The mercenaries' roars were like thunder in his ears as they charged the walls.

"They've got a battering ram!" yelled Tong, who peered between the crenellations at the incoming army.

"Fire!" Dao yelled the command when the mercenaries got within range. The crossbows twanged and released their hissing death, but again not enough of the mercenaries fell, and again they reached the wall in great numbers. The ram, however, was slower. It was made from a great, pointed log set on large, cumbersome wheels and covered with a pointed roof made of wood and tanned hides. It lumbered along ponderously, pushed by a team of men who stood beneath its roof, protected from the crossbow fire.

Daylen wrestled with his sword until he had it held poised over his head. He waited and brought it down onto the first man who appeared over the wall. The heavy blade missed the mercenary's head and struck his shoulder. It did not slice through his thick leather armor, but it snapped his collarbone just the same. The man grunted and dropped from view.

The battle ensued much like it had the first time. Sprays of blood erupted from the blows that the defenders rained down upon the men who struggled to overcome the ramparts. Occasionally a defender would fall, ran through with a sword or gripping the stump of a severed limb, but the mercenaries were having a hard time gaining a foothold. Daylen became so caught up in the battle that he forgot about the ram until it reached the gate.

BOOM.

"The ram is at the gate!" someone yelled.

"What staggering powers of observation," thought Daylen, though he heard it in Bik-Bik's voice.

BOOM.

"Once they're through that gate," said Bei, "they'll flood inside and flank us."

"What should we do?" asked Daylen, hoping the Warrior had a plan.

Bei looked around, assessing the battle. "We need to get some of these men down there to stem the tide after they batter the gates in," was his answer. "Most will have to remain at the wall; help me gather the adepts!"

BOOM.

They rushed along the battlements, grabbing the adepts. One by one they pulled back and gathered near the top of the stairs.

"I have to remain up here," said Dao, after the plan was explained. Su Shen had healed his wound and he once again appeared fresh and ready for battle. "I must stay and give my troops encouragement."

"I agree," said Tong. "We can handle the gate."

"Surrender!" a voice called suddenly from somewhere below. "You cannot win! It is hopeless!"

Tong moved back to the battlements and looked out across the heads of the mercenaries who were struggling to crawl over the top. "Well look who it is!"

It was Kang. He sat on his horse, some distance from the wall. "Do you hear me, Dao?" yelled the elf. "If you surrender now, you may yet live! I am a merciful and forgiving opponent!"

Dao sneered but said nothing.

"Well why don't you go down there and get him?" Bei challenged Tong.

Tong looked around his feet until he found an abandoned crossbow. He snatched it up with a huge grin.

"A coward's weapon," said Bei.

Tong ignored him, took aim, and fired. The bolt sliced through the air and struck Kang in the face. The elf fell soundlessly from his saddle. Several of the mercenaries ran to their fallen leader, horrified. They lifted him to his feet, and Daylen could clearly see the bolt sticking through his face, entering just below his left cheekbone and exiting below his ear, the tip gleaming wetly in the moonlight. His men hauled him, bleeding, from the field. Tong turned to Bei with a triumphant smile on his face.

"Any weapon that works is a good weapon," said the troll.

"Doesn't count," Bei grumbled.

BOOM.

"Let's go!" Su Shen, Bei, Kai, Tong, Lu Fan, and Daylen, along with a dozen handpicked soldiers, rushed down to form a crescent formation in front of the gate. Daylen stayed just behind them.

"Kill anyone who manages to get through," Bei told him.

They stood poised, staring at the gate with a grim determination as it pulsed with each strike of the ram. Small fractures appeared in the dark wood, revealing lighter colored splinters beneath. The heavy wooden crossbeam remained intact, but the wood around it began to crumble and split.

CRASH!

The gate flew open with a tremendous noise, and behind it rode a wave of steel and fury. The adepts' crescent formation formed an impenetrable wall that the mercenaries could not breach, and the surge of bodies soon packed shoulder to shoulder in the gateway.

Above, Daylen saw that the mercenaries had managed to gain another foothold on the wall and were beginning to push the defenders back. But then Dao was there, and his blade glimmered in the moonlight, crimson streaks following its deadly arc. Limbs flew free into the air and mingled with the screams; Dao moved like the conductor of death, the screams of rage and the screams of agony composing a grisly symphony.

Daylen stood still and silent as he numbly watched the death all about him. The smell was horrendous as the corpses released their bowels. Blood ran like waterfalls down the steps from the wall. Daylen thought it was strange how all of the wounded screamed the same. both the mercenaries and the soldiers. Some of them lay side by side, their anger abandoned and replaced with fear and pain. Some of them wept as they died or repeated the same, peculiar wailing moans that sounded more like a wounded beast than a Name-giver. The more carnage that became framed in his vision, the more he felt like he was not really there. He felt detached and apart, staring at the slaughter like some casual observer.

He looked back to the gate and saw that the adepts were making quick work of the mercenaries as the latter came at them. The split-open bodies were piling high, submerged in growing pools of their own blood. The adepts climbed atop them to gain the high ground. Not one mercenary had managed to break through their deadly ring, though out of the twelve handpicked soldiers that came down off the wall with the adepts, only four remained standing.

A vicious cry sounded suddenly from above. Daylen shifted his gaze and saw Dao crossing swords with Blood Tusk, who had gained the wall. The ork threw himself in a red fury at the beleaguered commander, who staggered backwards while fending off the ferocious onslaught. The commander raised his sword to block a savage stroke aimed for the top of his head, and when they met his blade snapped off at the hilt. He stumbled and fell hard on his back. Blood Tusk stalked after him, preparing for the kill.

Daylen snatched his dagger from his belt. Bei had shown him once, long ago, how to throw blades. He had practiced from time to time, but at that moment he wished he had practiced a lot more. He held out his left arm like a sight and pulled the blade back past his ear and then threw it as hard as he could. He was aiming for the ork's head, but as the blade spun through the air, Daylen could tell that its arc was too low. Through some measure of luck, however, the dagger struck Blood Tusk in the side of his leg, biting deep. The ork howled and clutched his leg. Dao seized the opportunity and grabbed a sword off the walkway and leapt to his feet, driving the blade through the ork's mouth and out the back of his head. Blood Tusk's legs folded beneath him and he collapsed, limp and lifeless.

The commander smiled gratefully down at Daylen, who returned a grin of his own. He wished Bik-Bik had been there to see that throw; now the little ferret would never believe him.

Daylen was only dimly aware of the catapults launching in the distance, so it was a surprise when the stones appeared, raining down upon the wall, striking attacker and defender alike. The one that caught Dao in the back of his skull was not very big, and it almost seemed impossible that it could kill him, but just the same, he pitched forward, dead before he fell. He landed on the cobbled road near Daylen. The merchant could see the fleshy pink through his broken skull.

"Dao!" yelled Tong. The troll broke ranks and rushed to his fallen comrade, though nothing could be done.

More died upon the wall when the stones continued to pour. Upon seeing the death of their commander, the defenders routed.

"We must fall back to the warehouse!" yelled Kai when he saw that they had lost.

"Tong, let's go!" Lu Fan grabbed the troll by the arms and yanked him to his feet. "He's dead, now let's move!"

They retreated through the city, the mob of mercenaries not far behind. When remaining defenders reached the warehouse, they plunged inside and dropped the portcullis.

Safely inside, Kai looked to Tong and Lu Fan and said, "You must warn the king."

"We're a little busy right now," replied the troll.

"I am going to send you to him. When you reach him, warn him about the plan to take Min Yan."

"What about the rest of you?" asked Lu Fan. "Why don't you come with us?"

"No," said the Scholar. "We will make our stand here. If necessary, we will detonate the barrels."

"Whoa, wait a minute," said Daylen. "If all those barrels go, we'll go with them."

"Don't worry," said Kai. "We will be gone before they explode. In the meantime, you two must warn the king." He slammed the butt of his staff on the floor. There was a brilliant white flash, and when Daylen reopened his eyes, both Tong and Lu Fan were gone.

Just then, a familiar voice called to them from outside the warehouse.

"Su Shen?" called the Witch. "Su Shen, are you in there?"

They stared beyond the portcullis and saw Chi-Len surrounded by mercenaries. Next to the Witch was a young girl, perhaps five or six years old, whom she held by the hand. The young girl trembled, and tears ran freely down her puffy cheeks.

"There you are!" said Chi-Len, delighted when she saw them appear. "Please come out. Let us end this now."

"You will not get the egg, Chi-Len!" Kai promised.

"Kai, don't be a fool," she said. "Pan foresaw his return a thousand years ago. You are not qualified for the task you have set for yourself. You are too insignificant to halt fate."

"I have trodden upon the bones of ten centuries to stop you, Witch!" he spat back.

"Pity," she said, "that you had to wait all that time just to fail now."

Kai growled and spun to Daylen. "I am sending you and the egg far from here," he said. "We will light the barrels and then follow."

Before Daylen could respond, the Scholar slammed his staff against the floor, and nothing happened.

"Something, something is suppressing my magic!" he said.

"Is something wrong, Kai?" asked the Witch, innocently. "Finding it difficult to use your teleportation spell?"

Kai's thick eyebrows pinched together as he frowned in concentration. Finally he said, "We have no choice but to detonate the barrels."

"Let's not be hasty," said Daylen. He had already blown himself up once before, and he did not care to do it again.

"You wouldn't be thinking of doing anything foolishly heroic like blowing yourselves up along with my barrels, would you?" Chi-Len asked sweetly. "Because if you do, I promise that each and every person in this city will die a horrific and painful death. starting with this little girl." Terrified by the Witch's words, the girl began to sprout fresh tears.

"Shhh." soothed Chi-Len, stroking the girl's long black hair.

Su Shen's eyes burned like green fire. "We cannot allow them to kill these people on our account," she said to Kai.

"If we blow up the barrels," said Daylen, "they'll get the egg anyway. If we surrender, it may give us a chance to think of something." Daylen hoped his plea sounded logical and not cowardly. He felt better when he saw Bei nodding along out of the corner of his eye.

Kai let out a long, slow breath.

"Very well," said the Scholar, defeated. "Open the gate."

Chi-Len kept her promise and did not kill anyone from Shao. As for the rest of them, she had a far more gruesome fate in mind.

"You will be sacrificed to fuel the nethermonks' unnatural lives," she told them in her deceptively innocent, child's voice, as if she were telling them that they had all just been invited over for dinner.

The mercenaries loaded up the barrels from the warehouse and marched east, taking Daylen and the adepts as prisoners. They all had their equipment stripped and were kept under constant guard. They were fed once a day with some strange, bland gruel that caused Daylen's stomach to feel queasy for an hour after choking it down. The trip took several days, and by the time they reached the coast, the moon hung full in the night sky.

Chi-Len spent most of her time taunting them with little comments, though the adepts did not take the bait. Bei threw her sullen glares but said nothing. "Yen-Li will be so pleased that I returned the Heart of Pan," she told them casually, as if bantering with old friends. "He is eager to fulfill the prophecy."

Waiting just off shore for them were two large Cathayan sailing ships known as war junks. Between them sat a massive and familiar silhouette framed by the moon.

"The Mighty Sparrow," whispered Daylen.

"Yes, Ning-Xa is going to help us smuggle the barrels into Min Yan," said the Witch, sounding pleased.

The mercenaries, along with their siege equipment, were loaded onto the two war junks. The rest of them were taken aboard the great treasure ship along with the barrels. As they marched through the narrow halls below deck, Daylen noted how he never would have guessed the last time he was there that the next time would be as a prisoner. They were led to the ship's brig, which was a large, square room deep in the bowels of the vessel. In the center of the room sat a low wooden table, and around the perimeter were a series of empty cells. The cell doors were made from thick, reinforced wood with iron bars filling each door's upper half. They were all crammed into the same cell and then left alone without so much as a word.

"So," said Daylen sometime after the mercenaries left. "Now what?"

"We must hope that Tong and Lu Fan were able to warn the king, and that Min Yan will be prepared for the assault," said Bei. The obsidiman sat, slumped against the wall, his forearms resting over his knees.

"We will find out soon," said Su Shen. "It should not take long for this ship to sail there."

"If Chi-Len doesn't sacrifice us to the nethermonks first," Daylen muttered.

"We must stop Chi-Len from using the Heart of Pan," said Kai. "That is what matters most."

"Do you think there's a way out of this cage?" asked Daylen. He tugged on the bars. They did not budge.

"The bars are magically reinforced," said Kai, examining them astrally. "I cannot use my magic to open them."

"That's right," said a voice.

Ning-Xa stood in the room's doorway with his right-hand man, the red-scaled t'skrang, Tsa-Hung.

"I paid a lot of gold for that enchantment. I am glad it works," finished the merchant lord. Several of his mercenaries entered behind him, carrying their equipment. "Set it on the table and then leave," he told them. After they were gone, he and Tsa-Hung strolled up to the bars, though they were careful to keep their distance.

"Tsk, tsk," said the merchant lord, looking at Daylen. "Such a sad state you have found yourself in, my foreign friend. You and I could have made each other a great deal of wealth. If only you had been wiser in the choosing of your friends."

"You certainly keep strange friends, Ning-Xa," Daylen said, gripping two of the bars and pressing his face between them.

"Oh, you mean the Shadowed and the Witch? Well, they pay with gold, just like everybody else," he replied smoothly.

"You're a traitor!" spat Su Shen.

"I'm a merchant," he corrected with a smile.

"You would sell out your own people?" asked Kai softly. "Betray them to the horrors that Pan will bring to this world?"

The merchant shrugged. "What does it matter who does the killing? Cathay has been at war for a century, and by the looks of things it will go on for several more. Either way, someone will still be needed to supply the merchandise. It doesn't matter who rules. There will always be people, and there will always be a need. A merchant must concern himself with business, and concern himself with politics only as much as it affects that business." He looked back at Daylen. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you Daylen?"

"There comes a point where the rationalization for profit rings hollow when compared to the suffering it causes," Daylen answered.

Ning-Xa snorted. "I should have guessed that would be your answer. I suppose that's why you burned our contract."

Daylen thought back to the contract he had made with Ning-Xa so long ago. The merchant lord had wanted to purchase two hundred windling slaves; windlings were unknown in Cathay, and Ning-Xa wanted to be the first to import them as a novelty. The knowledge that he had, for a time, agreed to such an appalling proposal made Daylen feel nauseous.

"And I suppose," said Daylen, "that you had this planned all along? When I spoke with you in Min Yan, and your miraculous rescue of Chi-Len?"

The merchant lord laughed and flashed him a mocking smile. "Yes, that was her idea. When you first told me about her, I knew that I must inform them. I figured they would just kill you. It was all rather fortunate, really, since she needed to get back to you so you could lift her curse."

"Glad I could help," said Daylen sarcastically. He was wondering if he would be able to reach Ning-Xa's throat from between the bars when a thought occurred to him.

"Where's Bik-Bik?" he asked.

"Bik-Bik? Oh, the ferret? He's in my study, waiting for the Witch to drain his life. It's a shame he has to die, really; I've never owned a Cathayan ferret before."

"He still lives, then?" said Daylen, relieved.

"For now," Ning-Xa studied him. "You should really be more concerned about your own lives, and that is precisely why I'm here." He motioned to the table, where their equipment lay. "I know that many of these items are magical. I need their secrets."

Though Daylen was not an adept, he understood some magical theory. He knew that in order for an adept to be able to unlock the magical powers of an item, he must first learn the item's history, beginning with its Name.

"If you tell me what I want to know," he said, "the Witch has agreed to spare your lives. You will be my slaves, and sent to some mines I own. Grueling work, I know, but at least you will live."

"How do we know you will keep your word?" asked Daylen.

Before Ning-Xa could answer, Su Shen said with a fierce resolution, "We will not cooperate."

"Besides," added Kai, "my Moon Staff can only be used by Scholars. But if you hand it to me, I'd be more than willing to demonstrate how it works."

Ning-Xa laughed. "I think not. Still, there are several other items here of interest."

"Forget it," growled Bei. "We'd rather die."

"I knew you would be obstinate, and I have more important issues to attend, so I will leave you in the hands of my capable assistant." With that, Ning-Xa spun on his heel and left, leaving Tsa-Hung behind. The t'skrang stood, clicking his beak-like nose while studying them.

"We're not going to tell you anything," said Bei. "But if you come a little closer, I'd like to show you something."

Tsa-Hung ignored the obsidiman and walked in slow circles around the table, staring down at the various items displayed upon it. He walked with a certain arrogance, biding his time, his long tail slowly swishing back and forth with each step. Finally he stopped and plucked Kai's tiny, spiked ball off the table.

"This is interesting. They say they got this off of you, correct?" The t'skrang addressed Kai.

"That is correct," replied the Scholar evenly.

Tsa-Hung walked casually up to the door, holding the ball between thumb and forefinger, studying it. "What is it? Some sort of weapon, I suppose?"

"It is," said Kai.

"It does not seem to be very threatening," the t'skrang said. "Tell me; how does this little trinket work?"

Kai's eyes narrowed, and a small smile slowly crept onto his face. "Let me show you," he said. "Tuatha!"

The runes on the ball flared a brilliant red. Tsa-Hung gasped, startled, and his fingers flew open. The small ball fell, tumbling end over end.

"Get down!" yelled Kai, dragging Daylen to the floor with him.

There was a great, withering blast and rushing wave of heat. When it was over, Daylen sat up. Through the smoke that stung his eyes, he saw that the door to their cell had been blown wide open. Beyond it, heaped upon the floor, was Tsa-Hung's twisted and ruined body, his brilliant red scales charred a gruesome black. The t'skrang twitched in a peculiar way as he tried to lift himself off his back. He watched Bei with his one remaining good eye as the obsidiman stalked up to him. With a certain grimness, the Warrior stomped down on Tsa-Hung's throat, crushing the t'skrang's windpipe and snapping his neck.

"We must hurry!" yelled Kai as he rushed to gather up his things. "Avaktu!" He hissed, and his fantastic little weapon reformed in his hand. "We have to stop Chi-Len from releasing Pan!"

"We have to save Bik-Bik!" said Daylen.

"We'll split up," said Su Shen. "Do you know where Ning-Xa's cabin is?"

Daylen nodded. "Yes, I've been there before."

"Good. I'll go with Kai," she said, "and Bei will go with you."

Bei lifted his sword off the table with a grin. "Lead the way."

XXX

Daylen and Bei rushed through the cramped, narrow halls. They could hear commotion throughout the ship: the explosion had definitely alerted their captors. Daylen followed the familiar course toward Ning-Xa's study. He hoped the merchant lord would be there; he would like to see Bei run him through with that sword of his. When the door leading to his study appeared at the end of the hall, Bei suddenly stopped.

"Yen-Li!" yelled the obsidiman. He was staring up a flight of stairs to his left. At the top stood Yen-Li the Undying—clutching the Heart of Pan.

"I have to stop him!" yelled Bei. "Will you be all right?"

"Go, I'll be fine!"

The Warrior wasted no time. With a roar he threw himself up the stairs. Seeing him coming, Yen-Li turned and ran.

Daylen watched them vanish through a door at the top of the long flight of stairs, and then ran to Ning-Xa's study and threw himself inside. Bik-Bik hung from the ceiling in a golden cage. Other than the ferret, the room was empty.

"What took you so long? Is it just you?" Bik-Bik asked as the merchant took the cage down. "Where's Boo Boo and, uh, the other one?"

"How many times do I have to tell you?" said Daylen, opening the cage, "their Names are Su Shen and Bei."

"Yeah, I'm never going to remember that. Hey, keep the cage! It's made of gold, we can sell it."

Daylen gave a bemused shake of his head and lifted Bik-Bik to his shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

"All right, fine," said the ferret, casting a mournful look at the cage. "Well, what's the plan?"

"Um..." Daylen had not really thought beyond this point, "to save you."

"And then what?"

"Well. find the others?" At least, he hoped he would be able to find them before running into any of Ning-Xa's hired thugs.

Bik-Bik sighed impatiently. "Do you have any idea what the Shadowed plan to do?"

"Yeah, they're—"

"They're going to blow up Min Yan!"

"Well, they're going to blow up the wall—"

"That means they have a LOT of explosives on this ship!"

Daylen frowned. "And?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Let's blow up their ship!"

"What?! Are you crazy?"

"Hey, they had me in a cage!" The ferret said angrily. "She was going to kill me! Yes, I want to blow them up!"

Daylen had a rough idea where they were storing the barrels. He might be able to get there and make a trail and light it from a safe distance.

"What are you waiting for?" demanded Bik-Bik. "Let's go!"

"Let's hope I live to regret this," mumbled the merchant.

XXX

Bei watched Yen-Li duck through a door at the top of the stairs. He burst through after the huge man and found himself on the top deck. surrounded by a wall of grim faces and sharp swords. Yen-Li stood beyond the mercenaries, the Heart of Pan gripped under his arm in one hand, with his other hand and foot placed on the rigging, preparing to climb.

"Kill him," said the large human before pulling himself up the vast web of ropes.

Bei gripped his sword with both hands and fell into a defensive stance. The mercenaries moved around him like a snarling pack of wolves. He cast a glance at Yen-Li, who was climbing the ropes quickly, vanishing higher and higher towards the center mast that soared far above the deck.

"Coward," thought Bei. He could not let him get away. He counted fourteen mercenaries around him. That would only slow him down a bit.

He threw himself at the nearest one, bringing his sword up and under the mercenary's guard in a vicious arc. The steel tip dragged up the man's inner thigh, across his hip, up his ribs, and through his left breast. Bei spun away immediately, not checking to see if the man dropped; when he was younger, he had almost lost his life because he had the habit of stopping to check and see what kind of damage his attacks caused. Now he trusted in his experience, which told him the man was out of the fight, and brought his sword around against the side of the nearest mercenary's face. That was all he managed to get in before the remaining twelve surged in to attack.

The problem with so many people attacking at once is that they often get into one another's way. Bei maneuvered, putting them in a line so they had to fight past each other to get to him. He ducked a wild swipe from the first to reach him, and as he drove his sword through the man's belly, he thought about how sloppy the man's attack had been.

"Not trained," he figured. "This will be quicker than I thought."

He yanked his sword free just as he saw the next mercenary stepping in for an overhand blow. He interrupted the man's attack by kicking him in his leading shin. It caught the man off balance, causing him to pitch forward. Bei stepped casually out of his stumbling path and smacked him in the base of the skull with the edge of his sword. The man fell to the deck, dead.

The rest of them paused and shrank back, and Bei could see the confidence wavering in their eyes. He shook his sword, flicking the blood off onto the deck, and flashed a large, toothy grin.

"Who's next?"

Su Shen followed Kai as he ran through the ship. She wondered if he knew where he was going. The treasure ship was enormous; they could end up searching it for hours. But they did not have to search for long, for Chi-Len found them. They flew into a large, empty room and found the Witch standing at the far end, calm and smiling.

"Looking for me?" she asked.

Anger flared in Su Shen's heart when she saw the golden-eyed child. anger mingled with sadness. Chi-Len seemed to sense it.

"You're still so angry with me, aren't you Su Shen?" she asked in a mockery of pity.

The Daughter of Heaven raised her sword so its length ran next to her temple and its tip pointed at the Witch. "I will feel better once this blade pierces your heart."

Chi-Len ignored the threat. "You're both too late, you know," she said. "Yen-Li is performing the incantation right now that will release Pan. You have failed."

"I guess I'll have to make this quick, then," said Kai, stepping forward.

"Tuatha!"

His spiked ball flew from his hand. Chi-Len lifted her arm, and the ball stopped in midair. She swept her hand toward a small, round porthole, and the ball flew out into the night, exploding in a great geyser when it hit the Emerald Sea.

Chi-Len extended her arms out in front of her, her palms facing the floor, and then lifted them above her head. From the wood before her rose wispy, smoky tendrils like writhing, gray serpents.

"Let's play," she giggled.

The last of the mercenaries fell beneath Bei's blade, and just as the man hit the deck, something struck the obsidiman's left arm. It felt as though someone had punched him. He looked down and was at first confused by the feathered quarrel sticking out of his bicep.

"Now where did that come from?" he wondered. Then he saw him—a mercenary high in the riggings, reloading his heavy crossbow.

"A coward's weapon," he grumbled while removing his dagger from its sheath. He flicked it through the air just before the man could reload his crossbow. The blade winked through the moonlight before it sank into the man's eye. He dropped quietly from the rigging, landing tangled in the ropes below.

Bei sheathed his sword and started to climb. As he passed the corpse he tugged his dagger free. He wiped the gore on the dead man's shirt and put it away.

Far above him, standing atop the far end of the uppermost sail yard, was Yen-Li. His voice floated down to Bei, clear and powerful, "Aktu anu faranok..."

The runes etched into the Heart of Pan began to glow like fire, while in the sky above, dark clouds began to gather.

"... aranoth barenon tython..."

Bei climbed swiftly. When he reached the opposite end of the yard and pulled himself up onto it.

"Hey!" he roared, pulling out his sword.

Yen-Li turned towards him but did not stop his incantation.

"... loktwar ewaktu danu..."

The clouds swirled above them in a vortex. Thunder clapped through the night. Bei charged. He swung his sword at Yen-Li's face.

"... eeroonan..."

Yen-Li lifted the egg. Bei's sword met the stone, and there was a tremendous flash and pulse of energy that threw him backwards off his feet. His sword went flying from his hand, and he plummeted back down towards the twilit deck.

XXX

"Look at all of them!" Daylen gasped. He and Bik-Bik were in one of the lower holds. The room was large, stretching the entire width of the hull and at least forty feet long. At one end, stacked one on top of the other on their sides, were the dozens and dozens of barrels. A large rope net lashed to the floor held them in place. They ran in two long aisles, one against each wall, stretching for nearly half the room.

"So the plan," said Bik-Bik, "is to cut those loose, break one open, leave a trail, light it, and send this ship to the bottom of the sea!"

"I lost my dagger," said Daylen, studying the thick ropes and wondering how he was going to cut through them. "Well, I didn't actually lose it. I threw it at this guy who was—"

"Yeah, that's a great story," Bik-Bik cut him off. He hopped down off Daylen's shoulder and scurried over to the rope, at which he began to gnaw.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind them. Slowly, Daylen turned and found Kang standing in the entrance. The elf's face was swollen and bandaged where the bolt had struck him. In his hands the elf held Yen-Li's massive warhammer.

"I somehow had a feeling one of you fools would come for the barrels," he said, stepping into the room. Daylen looked around helplessly. Seeing this, the elf sneered. "There is only one escape," said Kang. "Your death!"

He charged, swinging the war hammer. Daylen ducked and threw himself forward into the empty half of the hold; he needed room to maneuver. Kang was surprisingly quick with the unwieldy weapon, and he came back around with a downward swing that whistled just past Daylen's face and smashed the wooden planks. Daylen looked back at the exit; he thought about fleeing, but hesitated. Kang swung again, and maneuvered himself between the doorway and the merchant.

Again and again Kang swung, and again and again Daylen just barely managed to dive out of the way. Slowly, the floor became unstable, until finally one of Daylen's legs collapsed through it. He let out a startled cry as he fell over. He fought down the panic when he could not free his leg. Kang stood over him, glaring down with his horrible, disfigured face.

"Nowhere to leap to now, little bunny," Kang sneered, raising the weapon for the killing blow.

There was a loud snap as Bik-Bik bit through the last of the rope. The barrels tumbled out of the rope net in a great, thundering avalanche. Kang turned just as the first one struck him in the legs. His upper body pitched forward while the heavy, cumbersome barrel rolled onward. There was a tremendous crack when both of his legs snapped at the knees. The impact of the collision forced him backwards to the ground like a whip. The back of his skull bounced savagely off of the floor, and the barrel rolled up his chest and across his face. By the time the barrels grew still, Kang was buried beneath a pile of them.

"You're welcome," said Bik-Bik. "Now quit fooling around!"

XXX

Bei braced himself for the impact, but instead of the hard, unyielding ship deck, he landed safely on the ropes. Far above, Yen-Li continued his incantation, in a voice that boomed as powerfully as the thunder that tore apart the night sky. He raised the egg high above his head, stretching it towards the gathering clouds.

"...sanaptra..."

Bei reached for his dagger, but he knew that the angle and range were too great. Near him, resting on the ropes, he spotted the crossbow that his foe had dropped. He snatched it up and found it unloaded.

"A coward's weapon," he mumbled to himself, tearing the crossbow bolt from his bicep and reloading the weapon.

Yen-Li's voice boomed like the sundering of the heavens as he drew the incantation to a close, "...nee'ay'u'pu—!"

Bei fired. The bolt streaked through the air, hitting Yen-Li in the throat. Shock and pain filled the giant's face. He grabbed his neck, but still held the egg high above his head with his other. He tried to finish the incantation, but only managed a choking gurgle. Blood spilled out over his lower lip, and poured in dark streaks from his throat.

A purple bolt of lightning stretched out from the clouds like a crooked finger and caressed the Heart of Pan. The fiery energy surrounded Yen-Li like a twisting cyclone, crawling across his skin in snapping, jagged lines. The egg exploded into red, molten chunks, and Yen-Li was hurled backwards, the purple energy leaping and dancing around his body as it sailed out into the darkness, beyond the ship and into the dark, still waters below.

The night calmed; the clouds parted and then dispersed. Bei looked at the crossbow in his hands.

"I'm going to have to rethink my position on these things," he decided.

XXX

The whipping tendrils of gray smoke burned like icy fire whenever they licked Su Shen's flesh. They rose like a sinister forest before the Witch, who used them to both attack and defend. Su Shen could not reach her, and the Witch used them to intercept Kai's golden rays that he flung from his Moon Staff.

"You cannot win, Kai," said the Witch. "I defeated you and Feng Po, and I will defeat you and this whelp." A tendril whipped out and split Kai's robe, as well as the thigh beneath.

Kai grimaced and lifted his staff. Before he could throw forth another beam, one of the tendrils snapped out like a serpent and sliced his Moon Staff cleanly in half. The artifact, weakened from its immense age, could not withstand the attack. The soft, pale orb winked out of existence, and the ruined pieces fell with a clatter to the floor.

Su Shen sliced through a tendril that snaked through the air towards her. The severed half dispersed and vanished. However, it was merely a distraction; another wrapped around her ankle and yanked her off her feet. She landed hard on her back, the impact jarring her sword free from her hand. Before she could recover, her wrists were seized, the smoke burning her flesh. She struggled against the bindings, grimacing in pain. They tugged on her limbs so she was flat on her back, her arms and legs stretched towards the four walls of the room. More hovered over her, menacingly. She strained against them, but they were too strong and held her fixed to the floor.

She could not die like this; she could not allow Chi-Len to win. Her mind raced, but she could think of no way to escape. She looked to Kai—he was their only hope. The Scholar was weaving the threads to a spell when tendrils suddenly whipped out and wrapped around his wrists. With a powerful yank, they dragged him down onto his chest.

Hope sank in Su Shen's chest; Chi-Len laughed, powerful, wicked, and cruel. They were defeated. She had failed. A sickening helplessness blossomed in her belly; the same feeling she had when her family was killed. She let out a frustrated scream.

"Your pain will be over soon, Su Shen," said the Witch. "Should I pierce your bodies or tear you limb from limb?"

Then Chi-Len spied something she had not seen earlier. She guided a tendril out, slowly, and wrapped it around Kai's talisman; the small carved phoenix had come free of his robes during his fall and dangled from his neck. With a sharp yank, the tendril tore it free. It carried it back to Chi-Len and dropped it into her outstretched palm. She held it up before her face, examining it closely.

"So this is what kept you alive all of these years outside of the tower, is it?" She looked at it with her astral sight. "Yes, this is powerful magic."

"It is," Kai agreed, and bit into his forearm hard enough to draw blood. He uttered a few words of magic, and a crisp, chill wind swept suddenly through the room. The confidence melted from Chi-Len's face.

"What. what is happening?" she asked in a wavering voice. Su Shen noticed something else had crept into her voice as well: fear.

The smoky tendrils vanished immediately. Chi-Len looked at her hands. The skin was wrinkled and old.

"The immortal magic," said Kai weakly, "is for Scholars and Daughters only."

Chi-Len looked at the talisman in horror. She threw it away from her, but it was too late. Her face grew drawn and hollow, and the flesh seemed to sag. Her hair turned gray and her golden eyes grew dim while she tried desperately to use her magic to save herself. Her efforts were futile.

"No!" she screamed. "This cannot be! I cannot die! I cannot die!" She sank, diminished, to the floor. She began to cry, a low, mournful wailing. She thrashed wildly as her body aged, becoming older and older, until finally her limbs grew stiff and hard, and her hands locked like crooked claws. Her mouth twisted open, wide, in one last terrible shriek, and then she was still.

Su Shen leapt to her feet and rushed the talisman to Kai. The Scholar lay on his back, his breathing shallow and weak.

"It is too late, Su Shen," he said. "The magic of the talisman is undone. Nothing can save me now."

"No!" she refused to believe it. She laid her hands on him and began to summon her adept magic. "I can heal you!"

"No, Su Shen," he gently removed her hand. "You cannot. and I have for too long lived in twilight. I have earned my rest." He smiled up at her and squeezed her hand. She nodded, smiling sadly.

And there, deep in the bowels of the Mighty Sparrow, Kai the Scholar, the Immortal, closed his eyes. and died.

XXX

Daylen had the barrels scattered throughout the perimeter of the room, spread out so when the first one exploded, it would ignite the nearest, which would then ignite the one closest to it, and so on. The barrels still stacked behind the second rope net would cause the most damage, he figured. He was pretty sure the room sat beneath the waterline of the hull; the explosion would send the ship to the bottom of the sea. All he needed to do was open one of the barrels and make a trail out of the door.

"Stop what you're doing," said Ning-Xa who appeared in the doorway, pointing a heavy crossbow at him.

"I told you to hurry up!" Bik-Bik scolded.

The merchant lord stepped into the room. He passed Kang's crumpled corpse and shook his head in disgust.

"Worthless," he spat. Then to Daylen he said, "I'm not sure how you escaped my cell, but it doesn't matter. This is the end of you, I'm afraid."

"So you're a murderer as well as a merchant, is that it?" Daylen stood tall. He would not cower before this man.

"I don't understand people like you," said Ning-Xa. "You're not even from this land. What do you care what happens to a bunch of peasants? Why is it any of your concern? There are plenty more where they came from."

"Maybe I've learned the value of life," said Daylen, believing his own words. "Maybe I've come to realize that the pursuit of lavish wealth and power don't free you—they burden you." A sudden elation gripped Daylen. It was true; he did feel free from his greed and selfishness. He felt suddenly calm and at peace, free from the diseases of the mind. It was a great sense of relief, but at the same time, he felt a certain sadness for the rest of the Name-givers of the world who were stuck in the prisons they created for themselves, with walls made from envy and greed. People who killed and betrayed each other for a transitory and illusionary sense of control. People like Ning-Xa.

"You sound like some prattling Monk," Ning-Xa sneered. "I have no use for such worthless philosophies."

"Pssst!" Bik-Bik hissed. Daylen looked down and saw the rodent motioning towards the merchant lord's feet.

"No?" asked Daylen. "Well perhaps you have a use for this!" He lunged for a nearby barrel and, heaving it with all of his might, sent it rolling towards Ning-Xa. The merchant lord tensed, but quickly relaxed when it lumbered across the floor towards him. It came to a cumbersome halt at his feet.

Ning-Xa looked almost incredulous at first, but then he erupted into a deep laughter. "Was that it? Was that your bid for freedom?" He laughed even harder. "My dear Daylen, you are as lousy of a killer as you are a merchant!"

"Yes," Daylen agreed. "I suppose I was a lousy merchant. but I wasn't aiming at you."

Ning-Xa stopped laughing and cocked his head. There was a sudden groaning from the wood under his feet, caused by the added stress from the weight of the barrel. Ning-Xa had been standing over the hole where Daylen's leg had fallen through, the entire area weakened from Kang's clumsy attacks. Understanding slowly drew over the merchant lord's face. There was a terrible crack as the floor collapsed beneath him. He let out a yell, his finger squeezing the crossbow trigger, and as he and the barrel vanished beneath the floor, the bolt sliced through the air, nicking Daylen's cheek as it passed. Daylen barely noticed.

He ran to the hole in the floor and looked down to find Ning-Xa pinned beneath the barrel in the hold below. He scooped a copper lantern off its hook on the wall. The merchant lord stared up at him, pain and fear mingling together across his face.

"Daylen," he said, "we are the same, you and I. I can pay you; shower you with more wealth than you have ever dreamed! I am a very powerful man!"

Daylen took a long, steady breath. "There are plenty more where you came from," he said, tossing the lantern down on top of the barrel. It crashed open, and the flames spread out across the wood with a dull whoosh. Ning-Xa began to struggle, terrified, but he could not free himself.

"I think we should go now," suggested Bik-Bik. Daylen agreed. He tore himself from the sight below, picked up his ferret companion, and ran, leaving both the spreading fire and Ning-Xa's screams behind.

XXX

Su Shen, Bei, Daylen, and Bik-Bik met up on the top deck.

"We need to get out of here," said Daylen, explaining what he had done. They found a rowboat, but realized it was not enchanted to fly—apparently Ning-Xa did not believe the safety of his crew was worth the price. They quickly lowered the rowboat over the side and clambered down into it. Daylen thought it was strange that Bei took a crossbow with him; he would have to ask the Warrior about that later. The obsidiman tugged mightily on the oars, and they made it perhaps twenty yards before an enormous fireball tore through the Mighty Sparrow, sending a great cloud of flaming debris high into the sky and turning night into day. The explosion rippled Daylen's cheeks and rocked the small boat. Fiery wooden planks rained down all around them, and soon there were small islands of fire floating along the surface of the water. The inferno aboard the Mighty Sparrow twisted and roared like some great living thing, terrifying and hungry. The flames licked the sails, and soon the riggings and the masts were consumed, looking like tall, twisting serpents of fire. The heat was so great that it felt like Daylen's eyebrows were beginning to burn. Bei rowed away as quickly as he could. By the time they got to a more comfortable distance, the great treasure ship began to list, and Daylen could see dark shapes—the various members of the crew and the mercenaries who had survived the explosion—throwing themselves overboard into the sea.

"Uh oh," said Bei.

Before Daylen could ask what the Warrior had seen, he saw them, too: two war junks moving towards them. In their small rowboat, they were exposed out in the water, the great flaming wreckage that was the Mighty Sparrow illuminating everything around it for hundreds of yards.

"I don't suppose you can row any faster?" asked Bik-Bik as the great, looming shapes drew closer.

Daylen flinched when he heard the boom of a fire cannon, though the fireball struck one of the junks. He was confused at first, but then beyond them he saw several ships appear, all waving the banner of Feng Dei, a red phoenix with its wings spread against a crisp white field. There were five ships, each larger than the war junks. Volley after volley ripped into the junks. Daylen watched the reflections of the fireballs as they raced along the water. It all seemed strangely beautiful, the fiery explosions set against the blackness of night and the still, dark waters. The battle went by quickly, and soon the two junks were smoldering wrecks just like the Mighty Sparrow.

The flagship eased alongside the rowboat, Tong and Lu Fan at the rail.

"There's plenty of room up here! Unless, of course, you prefer your rowboat," the troll called down.

Daylen laughed at Bei's grimace. A moment later, Su Shen started to laugh as well. Bei's frown deepened, but finally his face split into a wide grin, and his gusty laugh joined the chorus. "You're all crazy," said Bik-Bik. "Can we please get out of this tiny boat? I'm starving, and I suspect there's food up there."

The three continued to laugh, tears springing to their eyes, while beyond them in the waters the three ships continued to burn, sending thick black smoke silently up into the heavens.

Somewhere a bird twittered.

He flexed his fingers, digging them into the sand. He lifted his face. He was lying on his chest upon a golden beach. The surf sprayed against the rocks to his left and right, and washed up around him, leaving silvery lines when it retreated while the sun warmed his back.

"Stand up."

Yen-Li the Undying leapt to his feet and looked around. "Who's there?!" he tried to roar but could not. Instead, his voice came out as a croak. There was a scar where the bolt had pierced him. How did he survive?

He gazed as far as he could up and down the beach. There was no one; the beach was empty, save the noisy birds in the trees that rose perhaps thirty yards from the shore. He reached up and rubbed his throat.

Then who had spoken?

"I did." The voice whispered again like a menace in the dark.

"Who are you?" Yen-Li uttered in a hoarse whisper. He coughed. His throat was dry and painful.

"You know who I am," said the voice.

Yen-Li did not understand.

"Youfailed to complete the incantation," said the voice, like a dark serpent slithering through his mind. "Now I exist within you, stuck sharing your body. But no matter."

This was not what was supposed to have happened. Yen-Li should have been consumed by Pan. He should no longer exist. He felt frustration welling up inside of him. And then he felt something else; he felt Pan's impatience.

"Enough of your self-pity," said the Nethermancer. "Your self-loathing is not my concern. Walk closer to those trees."

"Why?" Yen-Li croaked.

"You will do as I command!" Pain lanced through Yen-Li's head, dropping him to his knee, and then just as quickly it vanished. Yen-Li stood and stumbled closer to the tree line.

"Stretch your hand out towards that bird," the voice commanded. Yen-Li spied the colorful, twittering bird on a branch and did as he was told. A surge of energy coursed through him, starting in his belly and racing down his arm to his fingertips. The bird squawked as its tiny little bones shattered like brittle glass. It fell, dead.

"Excellent," spoke Pan.

Yen-Li suddenly felt very powerful. He looked at his hands; his giant, monstrous hands, turning them over, flexing them into fists.

"Yessss," the Nethermancer cooed. "You have the body, and I have the mind. We will accomplish much together, you and I... as long as you are willing."

Yen-Li smiled and began walking away from the beach, his powerful legs taking him in great strides. In his mind, Pan smiled as well. This man was willing, and that was all it took.

As long as darkness existed in the hearts of men, Pan would live forever.