"Oh, oh, Zhuzhen, could we stop?" Not waiting for his answer, I plopped down on a tree stump. My feet ached and I stripped my shoes and stockings off to see red, raw skin.

"Those shoes are murderous," Margarete commented. "Glad I'm not wearing them anymore." My shoes were very obviously not designed for traveling. It was apparent in the way the sole was wearing through and the stitches were coming apart. I doubted they could be repaired, but all my feet required was a healing spell. I stuffed my feet back in the stockings and slipped on the shoes before rising. "Sorry about that, I'm ready now."

"We'll be there soon. Wuhan temple isn't far."

"That's good."

Zhuzhen nodded, his lips curling in a small smile. The Adept seemed to be looking forward to this; little wonder, I thought, recalling his stories about Wuhan at breakfast. It was not another town, as I had first thought, but the temple where he had trained under a Master Xifa-along with Dehuai. I frowned. Exactly what sort of place was this temple?

The two smugglers were also wary. They had insisted on coming with us and had actually hastened our departure with the revelation that both Dehuai and the Japanese army were coming to Wuhan for the last of the Four Gods' votives. Margarete had been put out by this sudden haste because she'd wanted to try the pitfights Zhen had mentioned. Her opinion of the two was at a new low. I didn't like them either. Though the woman could keep her cool enough to fool me, her subordinate told me clearly enough when she was lying by his mounting nervousness. But we did need to retrieve the White Tiger votive as soon as possible. I just hoped the smugglers didn't want it for themselves. The man seemed a decent enough person, if caught up in the wrong sort of business...maybe he had fallen on hard times, just like-

I kicked a pebble on the path, furious with myself. No, I am not going to think about him. Still Sasha's haunted visage appeared in my mind. In one moment, he had been ready to kill me, to let me see my father. In the next, he had pushed me away, horrified. And then the harbor...it was not simply a matter of having had a hard life with him. There was something wrong with his mind, something missing.

Wooden boards creaked beneath me as I stepped onto an old bridge. "We're here," Zhuzhen announced.

I looked up and found we were. Wuhan temple sat low to the ground, a heavy air of foreboding smothering the derelict building. "Hey...no warlock, no soldiers," Margarete announced. I sensed no life near besides the plants creeping up on the temple. "What gives?"

The smugglers walked past us without responding.

Margarete tsked and folded her arms. "We've got two liars here," she murmured.

Zhuzhen shook his head. "Enough, Margarete. They haven't done anything to harm us."

"Yet."

Inside the temple it was slightly dusty--and there were places where the dust had clearly been disturbed. Margarete passed by these areas, scanning each spot briefly. "Maybe they were telling part of the truth," I suggested.

The blonde nodded. "Someone's definitely been here." Then she took her ponytail in hand and shook it; her hair had fallen into some dust, which was now floating on the air. Zhuzhen sneezed.

"God bless you." A few quiet giggles took hold of me. I simply couldn't help it. We had entered into a forbidden place and the curse upon our trespasses was sneezing.

The elder waited for me to be serious again and led Margarete and me through the temple. There was a turn to an outside path where the smugglers were standing--waiting for us? I wondered--but Zhuzhen continued straight on until we were standing in front of a large statue.

"Let's see...from here, I have to say the unlocking rites..."

"All right, shoot," Margarete said, standing back to let him do his magic. I looked curiously at the statue, wondering if it had something to do with this. "Zhuzhen?"

The Adept was shaking his head in embarassment, his face tinged with red. "...how did they go?"

Margarete's deep blue eyes widened. "Hey old man, don't go senile on us!" If he couldn't remember, there was no way for us to get the votive picture.

"Just shut up and let me think!" he snapped.

"Oh, GOD," she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. The spy grabbed my arm and began dragging me off. "Let's give him some peace, Alice."

"What're we supposed to do?"

"Don't know. Wait, I do. Let's check up on those smugglers. Make sure they're not getting themselves into any trouble."

They weren't. When we backtracked and followed the outside path we found them in nearly the exact same positions we'd last seen them in. They were talking quietly--at least, the boss was, and her subordinate was paying rapt attention. The flow of low, hushed words stopped when we caught her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she barked. Margarete bristled.

"Zhuzhen's having a senior moment. It might be a while. So make yourselves at home...if you haven't already," Margarete said snidely. The smuggler did seem quite comfortable in the decaying temple. Her arms were folded and her expression was that of a mannequin, detached from everything around her...including Margarete, who seemed to be getting more upset at the smuggler's lack of reaction.

"Come on, Margarete," I whispered, plucking at her jacket's sleeve. The spy glowered at them both before turning away.

"I-don't-like-them," she muttered.

"Yes, but let's not get them mad." I turned back to Margarete, amused. "You know it'll cause trouble, and you still do it. How'd you get to be a spy?"

She scowled, her deep sea blue eyes shifting. "You sound like Alex."

"Who?"

"My superior. He's a bossy jerk, always lectures me. Just try to make the guy happy. He'll rain on anyone's parade."

"Do you like him?"

The blonde stopped short and stared at me. I was grinning, knowing my intuition had been right. Her irritation hadn't sounded genuine.

"That's classified, Demon Eyes," she said.

I laughed. "I'll be sure to remember that. Oh, Zhuzhen!" I called, seeing the Adept. He was still in front of the stature, his head bowed as he mumbled. "Not having any luck?" I asked gently.

"Well...we'll see." Zhuzhen raised his staff, murmuring words full of power. Once enough energy had gathered around him, he struck the statue with the rod and it slid aside, bringing up a heavy layer of dust. "Ah, that musty aroma...brings back memories..."

Margarete and I were coughing too hard to respond and settled for glaring at his back as he descended the stairs. Below, the walls had changed to rock and dirt as we moved into a cavern. "You trained here?" Margarete said incredulously. As my foot came off the bottom step, I pitched forward and fell against Margarete; the ground was rumbling beneath us. Dirt fell on us as the walls shook. Was the temple collapsing? No-no... "Something's coming!"

Margarete grabbed her pistol, her eyes darting around. "Enemies?"

"I doubt it..." Still Zhuzhen seemed a bit wary as he scanned the room. There appeared a great flash of light.

"Meow, meow!"

We stared at the small boy who had appeared in front of us. Margarete thought to speak first. "...So?" she asked, folding her arms.

"What do you mean, 'so'? What kind of response is that! I am Master Xiaofang!" 'Master' seemed a ludicrous title for one so young, but he was serious by his tone. "I guard this temple. Nice to meet y'all."

"And, so?" Margarete asked again. I was also wondering what the boy wanted with us.

Xiaofang's almond eyes narrowed, making his angular face catlike as he stamped his feet. "Meeeeow! You insult me! I'll kill you!" Coming from a child that looked about ten or eleven years old, the threat surprised me--but Zhuzhen laughed.

"Hey there, Master Xiaofang. You're talking a lot more now, I see."

At the gretting, the boy started and turned. "Oh, Zhuzhen. Long time no see, meow!"

The Adept chuckled. "We've come to see Master Xifa. So how is the old man, anyway?" Just how old was Master Xifa, I wondered, for Zhuzhen to call him 'old man' like that?

A broad grin parted Xiaofang's lips, showing his sharp teeth. He really was just like a cat. For a second I was taken aback, remembering Zhaoyang, but then I rationalized to myself that surely Zhuzhen would not be so friendly to him if he was dangerous. "The meowster knew you'd be here. He told me to welcome you. That's why I'm here, meow."

"Great," Zhuzhen answered with a nod. "How about you take us to him right away, then. Using the short cuts, of course."

The boy seemed to be offended by the very thought of it. "No way, meow! You gotta follow the rules to get to Nirvana palace!"

"Don't be that way, Xiaofang! I'm sorry, but we just don't have time to play the old man's games right now. If we don't hurry, Dehaui's men or the Japanese army will get here."

A crafty smile found its way onto Xiaofang's face. "Some Japanese soldiers have been here already," he boasted. "They're all dead now, meow! Meow! I ain't afraid of no soldiers!"

"As cocky as ever, eh? If you keep going like that, I may have to turn you back into a cat," Zhuzhen muttered darkly.

This threat wiped the smile right off as Xiaofang jumped back from the Adept. "No!" he yowled. "You can't cheat! Follow the rules, meow! You have to go through the Spiritual Trials before you can enter Nirvana Palace, meow."

"Spiritual trials?" I asked. Testing our spirit...how would they do that?

"It's not as grand as it sounds," said Zhuzhen. "They're like little tests of nerve. They can get rather tricky though."

"Let's see, who's gonna take what trial, who's gonna take what..." As he paced in front of us, he said the words in a sing-song voice. This only further annoyed Zhuzhen.

"Xiaofang, there are only three of us. Four are required for the trials. If you don't stop this nonsense now, my joke about turning you back--"

"But there are four," the feline boy interrupted. "I can come with one of you! I already know what trial I'll take. Jiang palace!"

"Shortest one," Zhuzhen muttered. "Lazybones."

Xiaofang stuck his tongue out at the Adept. "I know I'm not taking you with me, old bag o' bones." He turned to Margarete and me. "Who wants to come with?"

We exchanged glances. Xiaofang was only a boy, and he didn't seem like a reliable person. Who wanted to be stuck with him? We both stayed silent.

An irritated growl rose from Xiaofang. "Fine then! I'll decide." He examined both of us, his slitted pupils glancing back and forth. Margarete almost slapped him when he leaned forward to sniff us. "You!"

I smiled, trying to hide my dismay as he eagerly grabbed my hand. Margarete walked over to Zhuzhen before asking, "So what's our trial?"

"Oh, you have to go through Dan Tian court and Ni Wan palace."

The spy frowned. "Two places?" I was starting to realize why Zhuzhen had said the path through Jiang was shortest. Maybe I had come off better then--though I still would've felt much more comfortable with Zhuzhen. "Hey, Alice, we're going to need some supplies then."

With a start I remembered I was the one carrying the bag. "Right, sorry," I said as I opened it. "How should we divide this?"

"Hm...looks like you're a little low," Xiaofang said gleefully. "I have some stuff I could sell to you."

The elderly Adept looked suspicious, but Margarete's curiosity had been piqued. "Are they good?"

"Oh, I think you'll like this stuff," Xiaofang said cheerfully. "It's top quality weapons and armor, picked it off the soldiers myself."

At this we all stared at him. "You did WHAT?" Zhuzhen demanded.

"Well, it was just going to go to waste with them..."

"We're not going to get haunted, are we?" I asked. Disturbing corpses merely to gain a profit...what kind of 'master of Taoism' would do that?

"Of course not, meow!" Xiaofang said, full of indignation. "They were already haunting Jiang Palace, meow. And they deserved it. This is holy ground! Meow!"

Jiang Palace...that's the one I'm going into, I thought miserably. Is that why he chose me? Maybe he could tell I'm an exorcist...how many are there?

"Did they have any weapons?" Margarete asked curiously. Next to her the Adept sighed in weary defeat. But the cat was pleased.

"Lessee..." His narrow almond eyes passed over all of us as he judged what we needed. "A book, gun, staff. Yep, I got something for all of you!" First a book appeared in his hands. This Xiaofang faced towards me, so I could see the cover. "This is the Tome of the Moon." The reason for the name was obvious with the luminous moon on the cover, veiled at the bottom by clouds. It was much stronger than the tome I possessed, but I wasn't sure. "Can we afford it?" I asked Zhuzhen.

He nodded. "Especially if he takes these," he said, showing the guild card. No, wait, he had two cards; the second had a picture of a star on it. Xiaofang groaned.

"Awww...you guys are with the guild? No fair!" He exclaimed, pouting. "Oh well...you have two, so that means you get twenty percent off."

I smiled as I took the tome in my hands, then looked at the Shooting Star Tome. "Should we sell this then?"

"Nah, keep it as a back up," Margarete said, waving her hand in a dismissive fashion. "You've got to be safe."

"And here's a gun," the boy said, handing Margarete a pistol. The barrel was unique in being both longer and thinner than her other guns, but I couldn't tell much else about it. The spy raised the pistol.

"You mind?" she asked.

"Go ahead, meow. Try it."

She shot at the cave wall, making me wince with each bullet. I was somewhat glad I wasn't going with her, since gunfire still put me on edge. After five shots she was satisfied and turned back to us. "Alright."

"And for ol' bag-o-bones, there's this," Xiaofang announced. The wooden staff shone with a blue light. "It's for pilgrimers."

We paid for the weapons, and then Margarete sold her mouser and Zhuzhen his old, gnarled staff. They already had other weapons to serve as backups. I put a hand on my bible, wondering if they would ask me to sell it too. I prayed not; it had been given to me by my father for our travels. The book was precious to me. Fortunately, neither of them said anything, and it appeared we had plenty of money for armor. Zhuzhen got a studded harness while Margarete and I both were handed studded bustiers.

"...How can these be a stronger defense? They cover less," I pointed out, putting the armor against my body.

"More protection for vital organs," Margarete said simply. "Come on, let's just put them on. Turn around, boys."

As they turned around we did too, our backs to theirs. I first removed the long trench coat I had worn to keep the cold outside at bay, and then I took off my shoes and stockings at the same time so as to not dirty my stockings by standing with them on the cave floor. Margarete was in the middle of taking off her blue skirt as I checked behind to make sure Zhuzhen and Xiaofang were still turned away. Once reassured I quickly took off my white shirt and ruffled skirt. Anxious not to be standing in my undergarments long, I started to pull the metal bustier up. My awkwardness was compounded when I heard Margarete laugh. "You're supposed to take your bra off, Alice."

Zhuzhen and Xiaofang must have heard her. I could feel my face burning a hot red as I glanced at her. She was already changed and had also let her hair flow freely around her shoulders. With her helmet and belt she might have been a blonde Amazon, if her clunky combat boots hadn't ruined the image. And she wasn't wearing a bra.

"Could you-would you turn around too then?" I asked the spy and she obliged. I quickly finished changing, though I kept fussing with the bustier. The metal was a bit cold and very uncomfortable. I gave up, resolving to change out of it as soon as I could. I wrapped myself up in the trench coat and put my shoes and stockings back on. "Alright, I'm done," I announced, turning back to face everyone else.

Zhuzhen had put his heavy, clunky harness over his red Adept robes, though he had taken off his necklace to do it. He regarded me with a quizzical expression. "You changed?"

"Aw, you hid it," teased Margarete. "I bet you looked nice in it."

"Nice?" I said disbelievingly.

Zhuzhen shook his head. "Well, we had better get going. Hurry up and put the seal on."

Xiaofang smiled, his eyes narrowing to slits in his glee. "Alright, you have to stand next to each other."

The spy looked slightly confused, but did as he asked. The boy meowed long and loud as light engulfed Margarete and Zhuzhen, spiraling down to form a ring around each of them on the ground. Suddenly Margarete's bag was gone and she stared at her empty hands in astonishment.

"Where'd our gear go?" she yelled at Xiaofang, but then the circle faded and the bag reappeared in her grasp.

The boy was grinning devilishly now. "Those circles of judgment will flare whenever a monster comes near you, so you won't be able to use items while fighting."

Margarete's blue eyes widened in shock, but Zhuzhen merely sighed. "Do we really have to do this...?"

"Get ready!"

Before I could even register that Xiaofang had been addressing me, he was yowling again and I was surrounded by white. As the circle formed around me, I realized something was wrong; I could still feel the heft of my bags on my arm. It took me another second to realize that something else was missing. My heartbeat seemed to slow to a crawl, stopping before the ring faded.

"You mean...I've got to go without magic?" I whispered. "And...fight?"

"Catch on quick, don't ya?" Xiaofang teased.

I'm not sure what I looked like, but the terror I was feeling at this thought must have been written on my face, because Margarete spoke up. "Hey, we need to switch, kitty," she told him. "Alice will do better in Dan Tian court--"

Xiaofang practically hissed at her. "I'm the one calling the shots!" he said bossily.

Margarete pulled herself up, squaring her shoulders. She had not taken the cat's attitude well and opened her mouth for what would have been a scathing reply. Before she could say a word, the Adept at her side raised his blue staff. "Xiaofang's right. Let's not waste time arguing. Don't worry, Alice. The trial is one of nerves; mind and will. You should do fine."

"Al-alright," I said, feeling a bit reassured. If Zhuzhen was agreeing, there had to be a good reason. Maybe I was making the trial worse out than it really was.

Though, my fear did rise up again when, as they were entering Dan Tian court, Zhuzhen looked sternly at Xiaofang and told him, "Go easy on her."

"I will!" Xiaofang sang out. I could already tell he had no intentions of the sort. "...if she gives me a good reason to," he added quietly. His slitted iriuses rested on me idly, as though he was sizing me up.

Dear God, they've left me with the devil, I thought. There was nothing I could do about it either; the door had shut behind them and only Xiaofang could open it.

"Come on Alice! What are you waiting for?" Xiaofang asked, dragging me into a dark passageway. I went along reluctantly, knowing it was too late to turn back now. We passed through an open wooden door and came to the interior of Jiang palace.

From its name I had expected an immaculate room, carved out by ornate architecture. I was sorely disappointed by the continuing cave walls. There was a path to our left and right, both curving away. Xiaofang walked decisively to the right and I hurried to follow.

I couldn't keep track of where we were in the caves, mostly because Xiaofang kept turning onto different paths to finish "cleaning up" after soldiers. Within moments he had turned up a packed tent and a long, sharp tooth. I stared at the second item in puzzlement; I could feel the traces of a sacred power within it, but why in an animal's fang?

"That's not from an animal," said Xiaofang indignantly after I asked. "It's from the Black Tortoise God."

"Oh," I murmured in surprise. I had thought there were only votive pictures of them. There was an echo of my exclamation, then a second one-louder. I turned around, taken off guard by the cave's strange sounds.

"Oh. Oh," a voice moaned. "Not my daughter. Not her too. My poor, poor baby."

It was speaking in English. Astonished, I walked towards the source. Though the voice was dry and hoarse, broken in its mourning, it sounded almost like...my mother. She was talking about me.

"Mother," I called, wanting to comfort her, but then my common sense broke through. My mother couldn't have known where I was, she thought I was still with the missionaries. Why on earth would she come here? I looked down and sure enough, the circle around my feet was glowing brightly. My magic was just beginning to drain away.

"I was wondering when you'd notice," Xiaofang muttered.

I flushed so deeply I almost gave off my own light in the dim cavern. So much for giving him a reason to go easy on me. Hoping to not give my embarrassment away, I pulled the Tome of the Moon closer to me and asked, "What is it?"

"Them," corrected the cat. "Formed from the dust of graveyards, meow."

"But this isn't a graveyard."

"No," he agreed. "But it holds plenty of corpses."

I just hope it won't hold mine.

His voice seemed to have gotten deeper, closer to a growl. I resisted the urge to look back at him though. I had to pay attention so I wouldn't be caught off guard.

And still I was. Unaccustomed to the poor light and unsure what to look for, I was startled when smoke rushed towards me. Too late I raised my tome and it collided into me, bit me before I could ward it off. Blood welled up on my cheek as two others appeared. Each monster was a trio of skulls, with a light gray mist around them. Each skull had a bullet hole through its forehead. Presumably the soldiers had tried to stop them, but bullets hadn't worked. How could a book?

To test me the trio swung down again; I first backed away and then sidestepped to avoid the horrible monster. Xiaofang caught my eyes as he ran forward to meet the other two, claws outstretched. Claws? Teeth just as sharp sank into my shoulder. I screamed and tried to pull away, failing before I firmly planted my tome's spine into the offending skull's jaw hinge. Its jaws popped open and the trio of skulls backed away. They seemed warier now. I stared at it, and it stared at me-and then I realized light was gathering around the monster. Oh, this was just delightful, the monsters could use magic and I couldn't!

Wanting to head it off, I raised my book and lunged at the skulls. The middle one opened its mouth, revealing a ball of light. As I raised my tome about my head it shot. The light arrow pierced my arm, but I still brought the book down firmly. The skulls shuddered, and then they fell, fading as they rolled along the ground.

The Tome of the Moon fell too. I held my arm and spun around, thinking to check if Xiaofang needed a healing item more than I did.

He was doubled over, in a trembling ball. Was he injured? I approached him to find the "trembling" was only his efforts to twist enough so he could lick his side, quite difficult in a human form. His green shirt was torn, revealing the long scratch he was trying to tend.

As the monsters were gone, I knelt at Xiaofang's side and healed it myself. "Did you beat those other two?" I asked him.

"Yeah, they're not that hard. It's the soldiers you have to watch out for."

If he meant that as reassurance it backfired. The monsters might not be so bad. I hated fighting people. First the tortured souls in Zhaoyang, then Japanese soldiers, and Li Li's rotting corpse...I hoped the ghosts of the soldiers would be easy to put to rest, but from Xiaofang's words it was probably a vain wish.

As soon as my arm was healed Xiaofang took off, leaving me to follow. I left enough distance so our circles barely touched. I didn't want to seem too anxious.

He wasn't nervous at all; immediately he was scavenging again. When he came across packs he would shake out all of their contents: rations, matches, equipment--some still had a few rounds of bullets in them. Xiaofang snorted in derision when he found these. "Too afraid to use them I bet."

"Why do you say those kinds of things about them?" I asked.

"Because only fools trespass on holy ground," he replied.

"But they didn't have a choice. They were ordered to."

"They should've known what they were getting into."

I couldn't think of what to say to that. The army should have gotten better information about Wuhan, true; then lives wouldn't have been wasted like this. But what did Xiaofang think the soldiers should've done?

It was apparent they hadn't known what they were getting into by the glassy-eyed terror evinced in the first corpse we found. It looked like he might've died of sheer fright, but something had gotten to him and torn his chest open. I looked away as the ghoulish boy patted down the shredded uniform. I heard a soft clack as the soldier's belt was removed.

"You already have one, so I guess this'll go in my shop...or maybe I'll wear it. They're a little big. Nah." As I turned my head back to him, Xiaofang idly tossed the belt back onto the dead soldier and walked away. For his indignation that the soldiers hadn't given Wuhan the proper respect, he treated them like...like they weren't even human.

Then again, he's not, I remembered. He was a cat who had been turned into a human boy. Though he might have retained some feline characteristics; I was sure I had seen claws on him before. Real claws, not the kind Sasha had used--

Not thinking about Sasha. No no no. I needed something to distract me.

And something did. I was broken out of my thoughts when something brushed my shoe. I looked down and saw the soldier's hand, his fingers curling up against my boot. I must have nudged him by accident. My involuntary shudder turned into a scream when I saw the glowing circle beneath me.

"Oh, you saw the skulls?" Xiaofang asked. Since I hadn't, I turned around to see two groups of skulls. I felt relieved. It was just the skulls, and only two this time. This fight shouldn't be so hard. I began to walk forward to meet the monsters--and stopped mid-step with something gripping my left ankle. I lost hold of my tome and fell as it yanked me backwards. Nails dug into my right calf. "Xiaofang!" I shoulted, struggling against whatever was dragging me.

It was the soldier. He let go of my ankle to grab my arm and pull me onto his chest. My right hand slipped into the cavity in his chest, scraping past broken bone to be caked in coagulated blood. I gasped and quickly drew it out. I hit the soldier in the face, hoping he would let go. He did, for a second--long enough for him to pick up his rifle. A blow to the side of my head disoriented me. He pinned me to the ground and his hands moved up to my throat, squeezing it. I gagged. There wasn't anything I could do. My Tome of the Moon was out of reach, and the Shooting Star Tome was in one of the trench coat's pockets, blocked by the corpse's legs. I continued to hit him, but he only pressed down with a steady iron grip until I saw everything turning black.

Suddenly the weight was taken off. I rolled onto my side and gasped for air. Only after I had gotten my breath back did I look. Xiaofang had managed to tackle the soldier, who was much lighter than most men from disembowelment. The cat tore at his head with unmatched ferocity, stopping when the soldier was good and dead again.

I rubbed my neck, feeling ashamed. Not only had Xiaofang taken care of the two spirits, he had also saved me from a zombie. But that deep shame did not prepare me for when Xiaofang turned slitted eyes on me. He was mad, and his anger was unmistakably directed at me. There seemed little boyish about him; I only saw an angry feline.

"One out of six," he said.

"One out of what?" I was paying more attention to his long claws, which had not retracted yet, than to his words.

"You're hopeless," said Xiaofang, bluntly. This got my attention and I looked up at his face. "If I wasn't here, you'd be dead by now."

"That's not fair, Xiaofang!" I protested. "He took me by surprise--"

He interrupted, "and he was taken off guard too," with a nod to the corpse. "I already told you what I think of that."

The soldiers didn't get any sympathy. What made me any different in Xiaofang's eyes?

With Xiaofang glaring at me balefully I couldn't think of any kind of answer. Finally he spoke again: "You'll have to take your trial alone."

Alone? "What? Xiao--" the boy disappeared in that same flash of light he had appeared in. "XIAOFANG!"

There was no response. He was gone. I stared at where he had stood and then suddenly sat down. My legs wouldn't support me anymore.

I was dead. I was so dead there wasn't a point in continuing. I couldn't fight off a zombie, and if a group of those skull trios attacked I was sure to lose. Even if I was strong enough to face these monsters without my magic, I'd be hopelessly lost in this labyrinth. I'd never get out.

No. No, that wasn't true. My father and I had negotiated a hedge maze once; my father thought it would be an enjoyable experience for his thirteen-year-old daughter. I had been worried we would get lost amongst the tall bushes until my father had told me that even a blind person could get through a maze. The trick was to keep your right hand on the wall all the time. That way you'd never take the same path twice.

I put my hand on the wall. It was slightly wet with a trickle of cold water that sluiced the blood off of my hand. With my left hand I healed my throat, sore from both being strangled and yelling, then conjured a light to see by. It was necessary now that I didn't have a guide to follow. My book lay on the floor; I took my hand off the wall to grab it and tuck it into my bag.

"Alright," I said to myself. "Let's go." After all, I'd meet with monsters either way; at least this way I'd have a small chance of getting out before they found me. And Margarete and Zhuzhen would be waiting for me on the other side; I had to at least try.

I took slow, exact steps forward. I had to be cautious. My hand was pressed so hard to the wall it scraped the skin of my palm open. From then on I kept only my fingertips against it.

Keeping to the wall, I made my way through the convoluted cave. After two turns I could discern movement at the back of the tunnel. Then my light, made by magic, was extinguished by the circle, plunging me into darkness.

For a few, precious seconds I could see nothing. My eyes had to readjust to the cave's darkness. Xiaofang was right, I thought as I reached for my tome and backed away, I really am hopeless.

As I was regaining sight, the barrel of a rifle appeared as it was shoved into me. I fell down but had a new appreciation for the bustier, which had taken most of the impact.

I observed two objects glinting in the circle's light. Two lights, two rifles, two soldiers who could kill me if they had half a mind to.

They didn't shoot though. They raised their rifles. I scrabbled backwards on the ground as both were swung down, accompanied by heavy grunts.

I stood and looked at them. Which one should I take on first? One of the soldiers was noticeably shorter than the other one, around my height. I raised my tome and ran at him, hoping the zombie would be caught off guard. But as soon as I was within his range, he swung the rifle like a club, bashing my cheek.

I spun in my fall and caught myself on my hands. A heavy blow fell on my back and then a hand clamped down on my shoulder. I screamed and lashed out with my legs, hitting my assailant and tearing out of his grip. I ran away to get out of their reach.

No...I can't run away. What if this is the path leading out?

They were following me at a slow and stiff pace. At this distance I could just see their rifles; how the soldiers held them at their sides, with one hand.

This gave me an idea and I stopped, facing them. Neither of them aimed at me. It had finally registered; the soldiers didn't know how to fire a gun anymore. They didn't even realize their guns had that capability.

Come a little closer, I thought, eyeing the shorter man's gun. Just a little closer... I held my book close to my chest in a defensive pose, but dropped it when the zombie was no more than six paces away. I flung my body at his side, my eyes on the rifle. He brought the weapon up and caught me in the stomach. I lost my breath, but my arms wrapped firmly around my prize. In the next second I was on my back with a zombie over me. Panting, I fumbled with the rifle in my hands and squeezed the trigger repeatedly in my fright. It only fired the first time. The shot illuminated the cavern for a brief second and I realized with a start how youthful the soldier's features were as the bullet entered his eye.

He fell forward, onto me. I cried and hit his head with the rifle to knock him off. As he lay on the ground I raised the captured rifle, intending to hit him with its butt. I brought it down on his neck. There was a fearful crack and he stopped moving. I shuddered violently, feeling I would throw up.

But the other soldier was upon me and swinging his rifle wildly. One blow hit my chest, another my leg as I moved away from the reach of his rifle and towards his left side. He was following me around but I was quicker, and when I saw the chance I swung my rifle with both hands into the back of his knees. He fell, and I didn't give him the chance to get back up. I beat on him relentlessly until I was sure he had not moved for over a minute. Then I rammed him in the chest again. You couldn't be too sure with a zombie.

The circle beneath me faded and I sighed with relief. That hadn't been as bad as I'd though; I was still alive after all. Sore though. My head was reeling both with a dizzy excitement and a load of pain. I healed myself and then summoned a light. I had to get myself reoriented and figure out which way I had come from. My eyes remained steadfastly away from the soldiers-until I remembered the gun I had taken was out of ammunition. Xiaofang had found ammunition in another pack. But, the idea of stealing from the dead...

I can either spend a half hour feeling guilty, or a hundred years rotting in this 'palace'.

The sudden idea persuaded me to search the packs each soldier had carried. The younger soldier had nothing, but the older and taller one had four bullets in his pack.

My next problem was reloading. I had seen Margarete do it, but the rifle was different from her pistol in reloading; it seemed to me harder. Worse, the gun would only hold one bullet at a time. With the constant reloading and low ammo, I decided to reserve my shots for the soldiers. I had beaten the spirits with just the Tome of the Moon...speaking of which...

The light managed to reach to the turn I had arrived from. Part of the tome's cover glittered from where I had dropped it in the dirt. I picked it up and lightly brushed the tome to clean it, though my touch was probably dirtying it even more. My hand had been in a zombie's chest of decaying organs. It was a disgusting thought. My trench coat was stained with blood and death too, and I could feel the coat of dirt on my face.

I'm going to take a very long bath once we're out of here.

After placing the book in my bag and stepping out along the wall, I extinguished my light. I didn't want to enter another fight blind. The rifle was heavy in my arms, making me wonder if I could really fire it. The soldier had been so close to me last time and the shot had still been pure luck. In this light, aiming would be difficult at best.

Just take one step forward, I told myself, trying to stop worrying. This isn't the time to think of that. You'll just get yourself nervous.

One step forward. Two steps. Three...the weight of the gun was much easier to carry when I hugged it to myself (not too close-I didn't want it to discharge on accident) than when I held it outward as if to fire.

Dead end. Turn around. At once I was feeling both more confident and more scared. On one hand I had a weapon better suited for physical attacks than my tome. On the other hand I was starting to wonder how big this place was. How long would I have to wander through here to find the exit?

"Stupid Xiaofang," I muttered to myself. I was doing well enough for being on my own right now. If Xiaofang was still here I'd have no problems. Though, if he was still here, I'd never have been desperate enough to grab a gun like that.

Ahead of me moans started. I stopped and listened; it could be either a spirit or a soldier. But a zombie wouldn't speak to me.

"Alice...my dear...come to me..."

I almost dropped the rifle. That was my father's voice they were using, marred by a disgusting rasp.

"Go to him..."

"Go see your father...he can protect you from the warlock."

My grip on the rifle tightened in anger. They were using the voices of the two dead missionaries--and my father's. I would come to them, certainly, and they wouldn't like it when I did. I marched ahead and found three sets of skulls, one for each dead person they had mocked. As the first swooped down at me they were batted away hard and into the wall. It'd teach them for trying to use my father's memory.

The other two groups swooped down on me, hitting me in the back. I turned to them, holding out the rifle to fend off more attacks. But I was struck in the back once more, this time by the one I had hit. These monsters were rather intelligent. They were trying to divide my attention. I turned back and struck the first monster, killing it. As I faced them, the two remaining groups retreated to a safer distance, just a bit further then the rifle could reach. Clever indeed. It wouldn't do them much good.

I charged the one closer to my right, swinging the gun in a downward arc. The skulls fell to the ground. Their struggle to rise up was ended with a hard blow. The third group bit my calf before I swung the butt of my rifle into it. It was also defeated in a few short minutes.

Sighing, I was about to move on when I noticed something small and wooden in the dirt floor. I bent down and reached my arm out to it as the circle's glow went out. My fingers searched the ground and found a small figurine. Its shape was familiar to me; after all, I had used a voodoo doll before. Mine had broke while fighting Li Li, so this would be a helpful replacement-if it wasn't already broken. Making a light, I examined the wood doll. It didn't seem broken... "Can you help me?" I asked aloud.

The figure's crude lips curved up in a blank smile. It wasn't broken then.

"Good." I returned the smile before carefully placing it in one of the trench coat's pockets. Its arms and head stuck out from the top, all askew.

The next thing I came upon was a yellow seal on the ground at the end of a path. I tapped the seal with my foot. The magic inside it wasn't harmful or malicious, but I was at a loss for what it was supposed to do...and if I really wanted to know.

Still, if it wasn't made out of hatred or greed, what harm could it do me? So I stepped onto it. Nothing happened. Maybe I needed something for it to work? It seemed too similar to the circle around me not to be a part of the trial...they were even the same size...

Aha. I moved to the center of the yellow seal, then looked around. The lines of both circles were almost touching and I shifted slightly for them to rest on top of each other. There was a bright flash of light, blinding me badly as I tried to shield my eyes with my hand.

Then, cautiously, I took my hand away. Despite the magic I had felt, nothing seemed to have changed. I felt the same as before, and I couldn't see anything new in the circle's yellow glow. What did it do? I wondered.

There was a footstep from behind. It was so light I might have imagined it; but immediately I turned around and raised the rifle. Of the two kinds of monsters, one made footsteps: a soldier.

All movement abruptly stopped. The silhouette I was aiming at was very small. Were there boys in the army?

"Meow...you're not that mad, are you?"

"Xiaofang?" There was no rasp, so it couldn't be one of those skulls. I lowered the rifle and almost felt relieved before I remembered: Xiaofang had abandoned me. "What are you here for?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'm impressed, meow. I didn't think you'd make it this far." As he stepped closer, his eyes picked up the light from the seal, reflecting yellow back at me. It was rather eerie. "Good job."

"'Good job'?" I said incredulously. "You leave me on my own to fight zombie soldiers and skull things and you pop up just to tell me 'good job'?"

"I was teaching you a lesson-"

"By killing me! Xiaofang, I ought to skin you!"

I regretted saying this immediately, as Xiaofang took me at my word and vanished to save his hide. But he hadn't gone far; I could still sense his aura. He was probably waiting for me to calm down. I counted the seconds, taking steady breaths. Finally:

"You know I didn't mean that Xiaofang."

The echoes hadn't died down before the cat answered, "I'm not sure I trust you with a gun."

My ire rose again. "Well what did you expect me to do? I couldn't get near those zombies with a book, so I had to grab a rifle."

"How'd you get it?"

"Tackled a soldier. He hit me in the stomach for it."

The cat chuckled and I noticed one of his eyes peeking out. "See? It was a good thing I left you alone. You're not so afraid to fight now."

This really made me mad, especially since it was true. "Says the fraidy-cat who's trying to hide from me."

I could just feel Xiaofang's fur bristling. "Bravery is not the same thing as a death wish."

"I didn't know gumption was the same thing as death wish!"

"Of course." My lips parted into a broad smile. No wonder he made me so mad. They were a lot alike. "Come on out Xiaofang, I'm not going to do anything to you." He came out from his hiding spot, both eyes glinting in the darkness. "Was there anything else you wanted to tell me, or just good job?"

"Well, I was going to help you...if you wanted me to. You've proven you can handle your fair share of the fighting, and you're taking the Trial seriously."

He'd been mad because he thought I was trying to just breeze through the Trial with him doing all the work. "I'd be glad if you would help me."

Xiaofang nodded and walked towards me, taking my hand. "All right then, let's go!" I had to stifle my laughter, not wanting to make him mad again...but he was certainly impulsive.

Jiang palace was much less fearsome with Xiaofang around. He continued scavenging, turning up a two small hourglasses, one with bits of gold in it and the other with silver; a strange red liquid he called a witch's broth; and a thera seed.

He also found bullets, invaluable in our fights against the zombies. In the first battle I nearly wasted all the ammo. Aiming here required both my physical eyes and my "Demon Eyes", especially to avoid hitting Xiaofang by accident. I wondered how Margarete would manage it; I could only aim reliably when aiming at the torso, and even those missed often. Still, once I got used to reloading, the gun was a much better weapon than my tomes. My only complaint was the recoil; every so often I'd have to heal my sore shoulder after the end of a battle.

"We're near the end," Xiaofang said as we came to a red seal. "Baigu is next."

"Baigu?"

"Master Xifa said that Baigu is an insect that lives in peoples' hearts. It causes depression and shortness of breath. The Baigu were about to face," he added, "has lived in many peoples' hearts, and led them all to despair."

"But no worries, huh?" I said at his light tone.

"We'll be fine." He stepped onto the seal, leaving me to follow. It led to a door that Xiaofang had already pushed open...and past that was a small but magnificent shrine. To my right there was resting circle, but Xiaofang was already walking past it, since neither of us were hurt. "You ready?"

"Hold on..." I checked how many bullets I had. With Xiaofang's scavenging, there were eight bullets. It was a good thing the shrine was lit with candles. Less bullets would go to waste. "Um...would Master Xifa get mad if I, um, missed?"

The cat hissed, his eyes narrowing. All right then...hopefully this Baigu would provide a big enough target.

"I'm ready."

Xiaofang nodded and was about to put his hand over a light in the altar when-

"Xiaofang! C'mon, kitty-cat, we've been done for half an hour!"

I smiled at Margarete's voice. "Sounds like she's getting impatient."

"Well she'll just have to stay put until we're done. Ni Wan palace won't open until then." He put his hand over the light and the altar shook. I raised my rifle as Baigu emerged; the insect had wings and resembled a chubby lower arm, eyes covering the fingers and parts of the palm and...the monstrosity was nearly as big as me.

"You call that an insect?" I said incredulously.

"It gets bigger the more hearts it feeds off of."

It must have lived in hundreds then. As the insect roused itself I shot at the eye-covered ball at its base. It might have been some kind of joint. Xiaofang rushed in, his claws unsheathing to rip into Baigu's palm. The fingers curled around Xiaofang and lifted himinto the air. But a shot in the soft lower arm made him let go. I loaded another bullet as Xiaofang buried his claws into the meaty ball, backing away before the fingers could grab him again.

With Xiaofang drawing the monster's attacks and letting me shoot, the fight wasn't nearly as hard as I had expected. The only time I was panicked was when the arm straightened up, its wings flapping slowly, and pointed a finger at us.

Blue flames flared from the ground, filling me with dread. The fire licked my skin, burning as arms rose from the dirt, grabbing at me. I fought them off, but not without being clawed. I felt dizzy and lightheaded; there was indeed the shortness of breath Xiaofang had mentioned. As I tried to catch my breath, Xiaofang finished Baigu off.

His clothes were also burnt. He'd been caught in the attack too. I healed us both.

"I'm gonna go let your friends through now," he told me before vanishing.

I moved to the resting circle and waited. It was not long before I heard Margarete screaming, "XIAOFANG!" and the cat hastily reappeared.

"What did you do now?" I asked, laughing.

He had an indignant expression. "I didn't do anything," he protested, "just got them ready for the next trial. She's mad she can't use her grenades anymore."

"She can't?"

The young boy shook his head. "Nope. No items, no special abilities, no magic."

"That's horrible."

"Now do you see why I didn't want you two switching?"

I had forgotten all about how Margarete and Xiaofang had argued, and Zhuzhen had agreed with Xiaofang that Margarete and I couldn't switch. Of course Zhuzhen had agreed; he had already been through the Trials once.

"I suppose that was the best choice," I said. "I probably would've been too scared stiff to go through Ni Wan palace."

"Well, you might've made it through with the rifle." He fiddled with something at the altar and then tossed it to me. It was a lariat, decorated with heavy pieces of coral. "Baigu dropped this."

"I can have it?"

"Sure."

"Thank you." As I placed the lariat in my bag, I noticed a piece of paper sticking out.

"Meow! You have a lottery ticket?" Xiaofang asked, squatting down next to me. "Wanna play?"

"Um...sure...I don't know how though."

The feline produced a tiny device, shaped in a circle. There was a button in the middle, a line extending from the button along the radius, and several areas were marked on the circle. Was this what Sasha had been playing in Dalian?

"You press the button and the line starts moving around. You press the button again when the line's where you want it to be. The smaller the space you get it in, the better your prize."

Hearing this, I examined the areas; red was the smallest. I pressed the button and watched the line sweep around. When it was just about to enter the red zone I pressed again. The line made one more sweep, slowing. I bit my lip, thinking I'd pressed too soon, but it just inched into the red area. Xiaofang pouted but gave me my prize: a flash badge.

Suddenly he yawned, showing his sharp incisors. He lay down on the resting circle and curled into a ball. "Taking a catnap?" I teased.

"Meow...yeah, sure...meow..." To my surprise, and then amusement, Xiaofang nuzzled his head on my knee. Then he rubbed his cheek against my leg. The little meows continued until, on a hunch, I scratched gently behind his ear. He rested his head in my lap, purring with a silly grin on his face. He looked absolutely adorable. Maybe I'd be a cat lover after all.

Although I didn't find him cute simply because he was a cat. The way he fought, his attitude, some of the things he said...he was like a younger Sasha. Xiaofang had mentioned he'd been a street cat when Xifa had taken him in; Sasha had been orphaned when Roger Bacon took him. They had both taken on new identities: Xiaofang that of a human--make that semi-human--boy, and Sasha had dropped his birth name and become a criminal. They both admired the men who had shown them kindness, and this led them on completely different paths.

Why can't I get him out of my head?

Xiaofang's chest was vibrating as he purred in a content sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to rest as well.

"Xiaofang! What are you doing now?"

This time it was Zhuzhen calling. After blinking in confusion for a few seconds, I shook Xiaofang awake. "Zhuzhen wants you. I think they're done."

The cat stretched lazily, rubbing his cheek against me one last time before he stood. "All right, come on."

He went to the left wall and pushed it open. There had been a hidden door that led to a staircase going down. At the end of the staircase, Xiaofang pressed the seeming dead end to reveal another shrine and Margarete and Zhuzhen.

"Hello!" I called to them.

"Hey--" Margarete's eyes were drawn downward. "I thought you didn't like guns."

"Oh, well--I needed it," I said, "my books aren't very good for physical fighting."

"Alright," Zhuzhen said, "you've got no grounds for denying us further Xiaofang. Take us to see Master Xifa."

The cat nodded and I set aside the rifle, glad to hear we wouldn't have to fight anymore. He strolled to the left side of this altar and opened yet another hidden door in the back.

Inside was a storeroom, crammed with shelves full of books and scrolls. There was only space along the wall for a desk and bed. How it was illuminated was a mystery, as I couldn't see any candles. At the desk an old man stood, attired in a dingy yellow shirt with a yin-yang symbol on his back.

"Meowster, I'm back!" Xiaofang called cheerfully. "I brought everyone here."

The man turned to us. For being an 'old man' to Zhuzhen, his eyes possessed a sharpness that belied a still agile mind.

"Welcome back, Zhuzhen. Nice to meet you ladies." As he spoke to us, his wizened features became doubtful for a moment. "Strange..." He shook his head, casting whatever trouble thought he'd had away. "I've been so bored lately. Today's Trials were quite a pleasant change. I'll give you back your power and items now. I've added something for finishing the Trials."

My magic rushed back to me, unbounded. It was so powerful I felt light-headed for a moment and came back to myself to hear Zhuzhen saying, "...we don't have much time for a joyful reunion. This place isn't safe."

Xifa snorted. "I don't care how much strength Dehuai has...he can't break through this seal so easily. Just as I cannot leave it, he cannot come in."

Then why had Zhuzhen brought us here? I wondered. And why had Zhen been so worried? But then I realized; Xifa had not seen his old student in at least fifteen years. Like Zhuzhen had not known about Shanghai's change, Xifa did not know about Dehuai's.

Master Xifa was looking at me curiously. Noticing his gaze, I came out of my thoughts and introduced myself. "It's an honor to meet you, Master Xifa. I'm Alice."

"Ah! So you're the blue-eyed prophet I've heard so much about," he said with a knowing smile. "My, you do have incredible power... No wonder Dehuai is drooling over you... He probably would succeed in his Valorization if he had you in his possession."

A...prophet? Was that really how people saw me? Was that what Zhuzhen thought of me? My throat was dry and I swallowed. "My father lost his life protecting me from a warlock with similar plans, in a country far away...Tell me..." If I'm a prophet, why couldn't I do anything? "Why do people like Dehuai attempt such awful things?"

I couldn't ask my real question. It would either seem rude or plaintive. Besides, the answer was obvious to me. I was no prophet. I only half-listened as Xifa gave his explanation:

"The reason is simple. They believe they are superior beings, but are the sons of humans not also human? They're motivated by vengeful hearts... They sacrifice many victims to their idol of revenge. I'm sure Dehuai hasn't fully considered how the Demon's Gate Invocation might change the world. Or course, I don't know what would happen, either... but it must be stopped. ...Oh, I almost forgot. There was something you came for, wasn't there? Xiaofang!"

"Yes, Meowster?" Xiaofang asked. He had been fidgeting as we talked and seemed very happy to have been called on.

"There's a Votive Picture tablet of the White Tiger on the back shelf. Please fetch it for me."

"Gotcha!" The cat ran over to the bed and searched the shelf next to it. "Ah, here it is. I found it, meow!" But as he turned around, from out of nowhere a flash of light bolted down and struck him, startling us all. The boy yowled loudly in pain.

"Wh-what! The barrier may have become slightly weakened by the Trials, but... this cannot be!"

I went to kneel by Xiaofang, but Margarete nearly pulled my arm out of my socket as she yanked me back.

Xiaofang struggled to stand, pulling on the bed's white cloth for support. "M-meowster," he gasped. "Meooww..." His face was screwed up in pain until a light burst from within him; then, his expression sagged. His lips parted in a low laugh that was not his. It was Dehuai's.

"Long time no see, Master Xifa. I've finally made it inside your seal!"

"Bastard!" Zhuzhen shouted, "What have you done with Xiaofang?"

"Too late! The Votive Picture of the White Tiger is mine!"

But what about Xiaofang? His eyes seemed to be frozen in a state of terror, pupils set wide. Dehuai was tormenting him by manipulating his body.

"Zhuzhen!" Xifa called. "Give me a healing talisman. We must seal the entire temple!"

Dehuai cackled from within the cat's body, amused at our plight. "I'll bring this temple down around your heads before you can!"

There was the scream of a child as the light ripped away from Xiaofang's form. The light spread to encompass the whole room and the ground shook, sending books falling from the shelves. At the same moment, the feline boy dropped to the floor in a mess of limbs. His eyes were glassy...he had been dead the moment Dehuai had left his body.

A/N: Bad place to leave off? Well, you should know what happens after this.

Since no one asked about the cross, I'll put off an explanation until Kuihai (next chapter). That chapter should actually be shorter so...if you have a question, ask it now and I'll answer it there. :p

This chapter has changed some things about Wuhan, like the layout of the Trials. So…it's a little more A/U. lol

P.S. After trying to upload once—Word almost gave me heart attack about it not being able to read my disk, with no backup copies. O.o