Xianghua lead the way down the mountain, singing in Chinese the whole time. He voice was well cultured in song, happy and clear. Even Maxi didn't ask her to stop, despite his not being able to understand all the lyrics. His seaman's knowledge of Chinese picked up in the trade routes was fine for bartering cargo fees, but far from complete. Kilik seemed especially comforted by the singing, slowly rocking his head in time with the tune as they walked. Maxi tapped Kilik's shoulder to get his attention.

"Can you understand what she's singing about?"

"Yes, I grew up in China."

"That must be some kind of song to put you in a good mood," he stated.

"It's a child's song. A rhyme to help learn the numbers and simple math," Kilik grinned at the sight of Maxi's skeptical face.

"Math?" Maxi repeated. "You're grinnin' over math? You wouldn't be putting me on, would you?" His voice dropped to a whisper, "Is she really singing about unbridled passion? Lovers meeting at midnight?" Kilik shook his head grinning at his friend's ever amorous imagination.

"Truthfully, it is a song for children. I heard, and sang it many times in boyhood. My sister, Xianglian, taught it to me."

The two young men returned their attention to the road they walked. Downhill was certainly a welcome change from the climbing they had done to get up the dangerous peak. Xianghua knew the paths incredibly well, never hesitating between two different roads. By nightfall, they had reached the foot of the mountain.

The three of them gazed out at the land ahead. A large moon lit the land, it was quite flat, the horizon only interrupted by an occasional black silhouette of a tree. Exhausted, the three settled for the night with little more than mumbles of "Sleep well" said before they began their dreams.

Perhaps the heavy sleep was from exhaustion, perhaps it was from something else. Whatever its cause, it was unfortunate timing for our travelers. Dark forces were no strangers to these lands, even the Imitae had long ago fled to the peaks in fear of the shadowed elements that claimed many lives. For many years it had lay dormant, indifferent to those that trod the land in ignorance. But now, there was that pulse; a fragment buried in human flesh calling out the maliciousness of this soil...

* * *

"What happened?! Where are we?!" Xianghua's shrieks quickly awakened the other two. They ran to where she stood, and stared where she stared. The flat open land they had seen the night prior was gone. Instead there was a thick tangle of twisted trees choked by vines, decomposing shrubbery carpeted the ground, pools bubbling gray mud were scattered between the trees, releasing foul smelling gas into the muggy air.

"I don't understand..." Kilik murmured, "How did we get here?" Maxi turned around, gazing at the mountain that still stood tall behind them.

"We haven't moved, there's the mountain we just came down!"

"Then, this swamp has manifested itself in the night..." Kilik thought out loud.

Xianghua suddenly looked very determined and walked a few steps forward.

"You mean, we gotta go through that!?" Maxi whined.

"What else do you suggest? Go back over the mountain and then around it? Fly over this swamp maybe? Wait for it to burn to the ground?" Xianghua shouted back.

"You don't have to be so sarcastic about it," he pouted as Kilik and himself followed Xianghua into the depths of this boggy marshland.

Progress was slow, they picked their steps carefully, keeping their fingers crossed that they stayed in a straight line and weren't wandering around in circles. Did one hour pass or several? It was hard to tell with the sky filtered by a canopy of black leaves.

Xianghua stopped a moment to empty a rock from her shoe as the two men picked their way forward. She balanced on one foot as she wrestled her shoe off. The gray mud bubbled near her. Her balance began to give way, she hopped sideways to adjust, but the ground was unusually slick. She fell with a sploosh into the gray mud pool.

"Eeeew!" She screamed in irritation as she started to climb out. Maxi began laughing, while Kilik tried his best to hold a straight face. "Just keep on laughing, pirate! You'll have reason to cry as soon as I get out of this— hey!" Xianghua suddenly began sinking into the goop. "It's pulling me down!" The men began running towards her immediately. Xianghua reached for her sword, but she was pulled down until her shoulders were nearly submerged. "Hurry!"

"Grab her!" Maxi said, quickly laying on his stomach to reach into the muck, blindly searching for her arms to grab hold of. Her ears were submerged now, her breath became quick and panicky.

"I'll get you out!" Kilik promised, "Calm down, take a deep breath, Xianglian!"

Xianghua's head sunk under the mud.

"Xianglian!" Kilik took off his coat, "Give me your sash!" he demanded. Maxi took his sash off, a little astounded that Kilik could speak so fierce. He handed it to Kilik, and watched him tie one end of the sash to his own mirrored belt, and the other end around his coat's tattered hem. He tossed the collar of the coat to Maxi, "Whatever you do, don't let go." With that said, Kilik plunged into the mud head first trusting Maxi to hold the cloth rope steady. It took a great amount of Maxi's strength to hold the lifeline.

"Come on..." Maxi breathed, "Hurry up!" A jerk on the line made Maxi lose his balance for a moment, but with some struggling, he managed to anchor his footing on some tree roots. Two very muddy heads finally surfaced, gasping for the odorous air they had shunned only a few hours before. Maxi reeled his friends in as they worked to regain solid ground beneath their feet. When they were clear of the mud pit, the two collapsed, breathing hard. Xianghua had landed on her side, and stayed very still.

"Are you all right, Xianglian?" Kilik gently rolled Xianghua on her back and wiped the mud from her face. Her eyes opened and she nodded.

"I'm alive," her brows pinched together for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Kilik asked immediately.

"Maybe there's some mud in my ears, but I could have sworn you called me 'Xianglian'." Kilik's gaze dropped to the jewel, faintly shining despite the coating of mud at his throat.

"Did I?" he replied without making eye contact. "Forgive me, Xianghua."

"Xianglian... isn't that the name of that sister you were talking about?" Maxi asked lightly as he retied his sash around his middle. "You never struck me as the type to have a sister, he mused. Kilik's face became slightly pained.

"She was my sister in all ways but blood." his eyes closed for a moment as if he were focusing on a memory just beyond his reach. When he opened them once more, the amber eyes lifted to Xianghua. "I can't help but think of her when I see you. Perhaps you do not look exactly as I remember her, but your Chi feels like hers."

"You talk of her as if she's gone," she said quietly.

"She is. I killed her."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, finally chapter 8 is here! Probably the last update for this month, so,

Season's Greetings and Happy New Year Everyone!! ^_^