Wu knew where she was going, though she didn't know what she was going to find when she got there.

The waterfall behind the school trickled into the dark, making the caves dank. She paused, kneeling to sift through the ashes of a toppled censer. She'd kicked it over in her fight with one of the many ghosts she'd found here during her first journey; ghosts drawn to her amulet.

Her fingers curled into a fist, trapping the ashes in the palm of her hand. Master Li had been so certain that she would survive. What if the censer had toppled her instead and she'd died by spectral hands in the dark? Where would Master Li and his fool-proof plan had been then?

Her fingers pressed into her palm. If she could imagine one place Sun Li would be sent to be punished, it would be here, under the school where the master before him had died at his hands. A fitting punishment, but -

"I can't believe this was under our school," Dawn Star whispered.

But Dawn Star did not need to see her real father again, in the flesh or not.

Wu stood up, brushing her hands together to rid her skin of the ashes. If there were vengeful spirits down here, she would deal with them. She would disperse them or bind them as she saw fit; and by the Hundred Handed One, if her old Master were down here, he'd soon understand what his brother had felt all those years as Death's Hand.

Ever since Wu was a child, she loved fighting. It was not bloodlust or a love of competition that drove her; it was the rightness of the sword pommel in her hand, of the lightning at her fingertips, of the ice in her veins, of the power pulsing in every strike.

She leapt aside, landing on her hands first, and then flipping herself back onto her feet. The sand shifted slightly when the ogre she had been fighting fell to the ground and she relaxed. The crowd cheered and she waved quickly, flashing a smile, before jogging off towards the fighter's entrance.

She muscled her way past the student fighters that were waiting for their turn for glory or failure. She nodded at a recently bruised Hapless Han and ignored Iron Soldier, who ignored her right back. Zu was waiting for her near the betting booths.

"I won," she said, not knowing if he'd seen her match or not.

"I would hope so."

She should have expected as much and tuned Zu out. She signaled to the bookie and he nodded, stepping away from the counter for a moment. She paid him a bit of her precious silver to keep an eye out on the house's take. It gave her an edge when she tried to squeeze a bit of extra from Qui. Zu kept talking.

"You were only against a single ogre. I've seen you fight more at once - and without the luxury of a cheering crowd or a giant arena." Zu went on. "And you should wear your hair up nex time."

She almost missed the bookie signaling the house's take. Her hand went to her hair, pushing it out of her eyes. "What's wrong with it the way it is now?"

"I saw you wipe your hair out of your eyes at least three times. That will be a liability in later matches, when your opponents are not strong but quick and clever."

"Thank you for the advice." That made more sense than what she had thought he might be implying and her hair could be a nuisance. But she was not seeking advice; she was still looking for a way out of this dangerous and round-about plan. "Has there been any word from the others?"

"No. Nothing."

Which meant that she had to continue on this path - catering to the whims and desires of her enemies. She chafed at it. Corruption to the left of her, corruption to the right and all she could do was remind herself that she had to do this to save Master Li.

But her quest was not free, so now was the time to collect her winnings.

Zu followed her up the stairs toward Qui's office. They had to cut through the patron's viewing areas, where she was roundly congratulated about her latest victory. Yet through the congratulations, there was one silent spot. Gentle Breezes was in the corner drinking tea. Wu noticed her lift the teapot stiffly and she saw a bruise on her wrist that had been covered imperfectly with makeup.

Zu noticed as well. "I think one person would not mind Judge Fang...disappearing."

She lowered her voice. "There is no doubt that the man is disgusting, but he's the enemy of the Lotus Assassins for now. They need more enemies, no matter how perverse those enemies are."

"The Inquisitor's way seems the quickest way of reaching your Master."

Zu had this way, she noticed, of saying the most infuriatingly true things in a matter of fact way.

"I'll do this my way or not at all." She leaned against the wall, waiting for Qui to finish talking with another new fighter. She kept her voice low when she added, "And I will not dance for the Inquisitors."

He would not stop pressing his point. "But you're still taking the path of the Enforcer."

"Because I know where I stand in the arena, corrupt as it is!" she snapped. A few of the other fighters in the room looked at her, then looked just as quickly away. She flexed her fingers purposefully, calming herself. "I can win the Silver Division without ruining anyone's life."

"Are you sure of that?"

She forced confidence into her voice. "Like the princess, Qui and the serpent need me. They'll let me have my way - to a point."

"But if you have to bend, can you do it without breaking?"

She felt the muscle in her jaw tighten. "I will do what I must to save Master Li - even if it means shattering."

Zu could not contain his agitation any longer. "You don't understand what you're saying."

"I understand that every time Sky tries to contact one of the Guild, they warn him that questions like that bring Assassins. I understand that Kang, who may be mad but isn't short of brilliant ideas, can't think of one way to get the Marvelous Dragonfly into the palace without the Imperial Army blowing us into pieces. I understand that even Chai Ka can't pull celestial strings to get us there." She threw her hands into the air. "But if you have any other way to get us into that palace, I will do that instead."

His next words were quiet but were spoken with such a certainty that it froze her heart. "If you go into the fortress, you will change."

It worried her more when he did not speak fiercely. She closed her eyes, forced herself to keep her hand off the amulet under her shirt. "Even so, I have no choice. I must go there or Master Li dies for sure."

"If he isn't already dead."

"If he isn't already dead," she repeated. "But I hope. Against my better judgment, I hope."

The promoter scurried past her and she followed him, shouting "Qui! Where's my silver?"