He blew out a steady stream of air again, perhaps buying a moment to think. Then he folded the shirt in his hands, staring down at it as if it held the answers to the universe. “I was young when I made the goal of befriending humanity. Too young to really understand how much work that would involve. I stubbornly set about it anyway, but I’ve spent five years now slowly battling dragonkind into submission, and I really didn’t have much result to show for it. I’d never spoken to a human for more than a few minutes at a time. I’d not formed a friendship with one. It was incredibly frustrating and I was beginning to lose heart until you called out to me. You ask me why I trust you.”
Shunlei turned to her, his voice deepening, turning rough along the edges. “Are you blind, Mei? Do you not see the situation for what it is? Every day, you give me another reason to trust you. You’ve shielded me with your own magic and body. You’ve given me a defense against magic itself. You look at me and see a friend. Of course I trust you.”
“Oh. Well. Put like that…” She trailed off lamely.
His eyes were penetrating even as he grinned at her, the smile encouraging her to join the in-joke. “Your trust in me makes even less sense. You were going off a rumor.”
“A correct rumor,” she pointed out.
“Isn’t that the greatest oxymoron in the universe? A correct rumor?”
“I must say, I have to agree. But nevertheless, here we are.” Mei Li did feel better having put this out in the open with him. So, he trusted her because she trusted him, in essence. Really, she should have suspected that. That’s generally how trust operated.
Shunlei shrugged in agreement and extended a hand toward her. “Let’s eat and sleep early. We’re going to be up at the crack of dawn.”
“A full day long pursuit,” Mei Li sighed mournfully, accepting that warm hand. “I don’t want to.”
“None of us want to,” Shunlei assured her sourly. “I’m even less inclined to stay on horseback than you are. I’d fly ahead if it was safe to do so.”
“You might need to anyway, at least as a scout. Just so we don’t accidentally head off in the wrong direction.”
“You’re assuming I’d be able to spot this thing from the air.”
Mei Li grimaced. “True. Well, hopefully we catch up sooner rather than later.”
Shunlei touched his mouth with light fingertips and then tossed them toward heaven. “From your lips to the gods’ ears.”
Grueling was the word for the second day on the road. Mei Li clung to her saddle grimly and focused solely on keeping up with the group, nothing more. Shunlei was in the same state. After three weeks of riding, his body had adjusted to it, but even then the demanding pace they set was too much. It made their days of riding before look like a casual jaunt in comparison. He almost fell out of the saddle that night, his thighs cramping. Mei Li caught him, then Melchior stepped in, helping him stretch his legs so he could use them without hobbling.
If the second day on the road was bad, the third was worse, just because they were all tired and sore. Not to mention snappish and out of sorts. It was hard to keep an even temper when all anyone wanted was to be horizontal and comatose for eighteen hours. Still, they stuck with it, not stopping until the sun had set.
By the fourth day, Mei Li just prayed they were going the right direction. Kiyo had done a seeking spell again last night, trying to divine a more accurate bearing, but to no avail. Priest Edmond’s blood had faded out. They were riding south, blindly, and hoping for the best. At the moment, it was all they could do.
The southern highway met up with the East Sea and followed it down. The sea wind was crisp and salty as it flowed over them, seagulls squawking noisily above their heads. It felt oddly cool for being so late in the spring, but then oceans were naturally cooler than inland. Mei Li was grateful to have Shunlei’s warmth pressed up against her back, as she would eventually have started shivering without it.
The road narrowed at one point, crammed as it was between the ocean and the rolling foothills, leaving only a narrow pass. They had to reshuffle and go in one at a time and they stayed in that formation even as the road widened back out.
Peanut blew out a breath as they dropped back down to a walk. Mei Li stroked his neck, soothing him. “I promise carrots and apples and all the oats when we stop in the next town, my friend. Thank you for being so patient.”
The horse flicked an ear at her, showing he was listening. He really was a good-tempered gelding.
“Lady Mei.”
“Hmm?” Mei Li turned her head a little toward Shunlei, partially to hear him better. The crashing of the waves against the shore was thunderous in this section, the sound echoing back from the hills.
“You said you were on a journey to find your master when you came across us.”
“I did, yes.”
“How did you lose contact with him?”
Mei Li phrased this carefully in her head before answering. “Well, there was a bit of a disaster in my town. We took separate ships when leaving, with plans to meet up in a particular place. But my ship didn’t make it—we were shipwrecked. I was the only survivor. It took me two years to get back, and by that point, no one knew where he had gone.”
“Oh.” Shunlei ruminated on this for a moment. “It’s just that I haven’t seen you ask for him anywhere we’ve been.”
Mei Li silently kicked herself. Shunlei was observant—she had to remember that. “So far, we’ve crossed through areas I’ve already searched.” Five thousand years into the future, anyway.
“Ahhh. That makes sense. Where have you not searched?”
“The far south and the far north-east.”
“I see. When we reach those areas, I will help you search.”
Such a sweet, gentle soul, this man. “Thank you.”
“Can you—” Shunlei cut himself off, stiffening.
She looked around hastily, trying to see what had caught his attention, but it was just the road stretching out ahead of them. Well, no, farther along were signs of civilization as rooftops peeked into view over the rise. “What?”
“You said that a Bai Gu Jing would have a very distinctive smell,” he said slowly, before inhaling deeply. “For just a moment, I caught a waft of something that smelled of the grave, entwined with a strong, flowery perfume.”
“That’s it.” Raising her voice, Mei Li called out strongly to the head of the group. “HAWES!”
Hawes immediately stopped and stood in his stirrups, looking back at her. “Trouble?”
“Shunlei smelled it!” Mei Li navigated Peanut forward so she was more central to the group. Everyone moved around to hear better.
Shunlei was still breathing in deeply, grunting with dissatisfaction. “I can’t pick it up again, though. It was just for a moment.”
“Bai Gu Jing?” Melchior inquired hopefully.
“Yes.” Shunlei growled low in his throat. “The scent wasn’t strong, and only for a moment. I’d say she passed through here rather than stopped. We’re going the right direction. That’s all I can say for sure.”
Hawes made a noise that was a mixture of relief and grimness. “That’s all we need to know for now. Let’s keep going. Shunlei, switch and ride with me. I want you to guide us forward.”
“Yes, of course.”
Mei Li locked her elbow, something he could hang onto as he slid down. He gave her a quick smile before maneuvering over and hefting himself up behind Hawes. All the practice of mounting and dismounting made the motion more fluid now than the awkward clambering he’d done initially.
They continued riding. Mei Li kept a sharp eye on Shunlei this time and saw him lift his head and scent the air several times, like a bloodhound trying to find the trail. As they got closer to the town, he reached around Hawes and pointed, saying something, his hand illustrating. With them moving at a canter now, Mei Li had no prayer of hearing him, but he must have picked up on the scent.
Finally! Some noticeable progress.
; Mei Li had no idea which town was ahead of them—in her current timeline, nothing stood here—but it was something of a commercial hub, with ships coming in and out of port. Tracking the Bai Gu Jing in an urban area would make it that much harder on all of them, not only in tracking her down, but in fighting.
Shunlei’s finger came up again, this time to the right, and her head swiveled to see where he pointed. A large shrine sat on the rise above the town, set a little apart from the populace. Mei Li’s lips spread from her teeth in a feral smile. Of course the Bai Gu Jing would head there, hoping for some priestly meat.
But that also meant they would have the space they needed to fight her properly. Assuming they could catch her outside of the two-story building and in the walled-off grounds of the shrine. Mei Li wasn’t counting on it. Frankly, her luck never ran that good.
They reached the base of the hill on which the shrine sat. There was a stepping stone at the path, and they all dismounted there, tying the horses to the hitching posts. Peanut immediately put his head down into the watering trough. Mei Li spared him a pat even as she reached for her kit, pulling out talismans and putting extra ink, paper, and the rope-trap she had made for this very purpose into her belt pouch for easy access.
“Welcome, travelers,” a female voice intoned formally from the base of the stairs. Mei Li craned her neck around Peanut to see the speaker. She was a petite woman, thin in body and face, a cowl draped over her head in such a way that it hid her hair completely. A pleasant smile rested on her face as she asked, “Are you seeking peace?”
“We’re seeking a Bai Gu Jing on your grounds,” Hawes answered bluntly.
The priestess gave a startled intake of air. “There’s a white bone demoness here?!”
“We’ve been tracking it for weeks. We believe it’s here—or at least its scent is quite strong here. I’m Hawes.”
“Giselle of Ocean Shrine. Please, come with me. We can confer with the head priestess.”
“After you.” Hawes made to follow but passed the word quietly back, “I’ll talk with the head priestess, you fan out and find that thing.”
Mei Li nodded and forced her aching legs up the multitude of steps to the shrine gates. After this, she would demand a hot bath and the chance to sleep on a real mattress tonight. But that was a fantasy for later.
Upon reaching the tall, dark wood gates, they did split up. Mei Li went right, following the gravel path that led between old, twisted peach trees in full bloom and the pond lovingly tended in the center of the small courtyard. She heard Shunlei follow, so she turned to ask him in a low tone, “Do you smell her?”
“Yes, but it’s confusing.” He paused, brows furrowed together in frustration as his head panned the area. “Her scent is literally everywhere. It’s like she paced this area several times.”
“Looking for an opening to get a priest alone, maybe?”
“Perhaps. I’m not sure. I just know I can’t get a fix on her. She was here very recently, though, that I’m sure of. And I didn’t smell her leaving this area, at least not from the main entrance.”
“That’s something.”
There weren’t many people out here in the courtyard, just a few either meditating on the long rock benches or crossing to another destination. The shrine itself had two stories, an open wrap-around porch for each, with the doors open on all sides to let the ocean breeze through. Mei Li had a decent view inside, but obviously couldn’t see everything from where she stood. Since everyone else had already headed for the back, she chose to head into the main level.
Mei Li got all of three steps inside when screams erupted from the back. Swearing, she immediately raced around the altar, the cushions lining the walls, and the curious people popping up from their prayers, pushing her way through as necessary. Shunlei, faster than she, beat her outside by a sizeable margin.
The back garden was no longer the pristinely kept landscape it once was. In the twenty seconds it had taken her to get out there, destruction had reigned. Kiyo and Nord were already unleashing spells, talismans held up in front of them by their first two fingers, Melchior on the other side, hemming in the quarry. Mei Li took two seconds to catch her bearings.
The Bai Gu Jing stood between them, lips curled back in a feral fashion, her mouth stretched too wide to belong to a human. She wore the clothes of a matron in mourning—the easiest clothes to wear with the veil to cover her face, mask her features. They were excellent shape shifters, but when aroused by prey, their mimicry fell apart. This one had been smart enough to take precautions when in a target-rich environment.
She was hungry, and her true form showed through in little flashes, discernible to one looking for the signs. The black on black highlighted the bones starting to show through the façade of her skin. It was a macabre appearance, with half of her face and part of her hand more bone than flesh.
Shunlei didn’t hesitate. He spat out a fireball, and for a moment, it looked as if he’d catch the Bai Gu Jing off-guard. But she spied the attack from the corner of her eye, twisting and flailing in a graceful move like a dancer pirouetting. Only the wide sleeve of her arm and the black veil were scorched. She flung both coat and hat off, preventing herself from being burned, then turned and spun again to avoid Nord’s attack of earth.
Mei Li readied her rope, looking for a good chance to throw it, snag her prey. But with Shunlei in front of her, her team on either side, she couldn’t find the right opening without risking snagging one of them instead. The garden was not so large that they could easily fight without being right on top of each other. It was likely the reason why Shunlei stayed human instead of shifting to his deadlier form.
“Dragooooon~” the Bai Gu Jing crooned in a hiss, eyes nearly green with greed. She launched herself at Shunlei.
Alarmed, Mei Li shouted, “DON’T LET HER BITE YOU!”
Whether or not Shunlei meant to heed her was a moot point as the Bai Gu Jing crashed into him. Shunlei rocked backward, lost his balance against the uneven surface of the pond’s edge, and went down with the Bai Gu Jing on top of him.
He grabbed her chin, shoving her head up and away, preventing her from biting any part of him. The other hand tried to cage her against his own torso, but she was already struggling to get free. Her kind was notoriously strong, so much so that she was a match in physical strength for even a dragon.
Mei Li snatched her bag around to the front, frantically rooting through it for spells. Even as she searched for the right talisman, she requested sharply, “Holding spells!”
“On it.” Kiyo leapt into the fray, slapping a talisman onto the Bai Gu Jing’s legs and locking them together with a sharp click of the ankles and knees.
Melchior was there in the next second, grabbing the Bai Gu Jing’s other arm, keeping her from raking her claws against Shunlei again. She’d already scored him once, and the wounds bled brightly.
It felt like an eternity instead of seconds, but Mei Li found the talisman she needed. She’d prepped four of the things in preparation for this very moment, so why they decided to hide in her pouch, she didn’t know, just cursed. Darting in between everyone, she slammed the talisman onto the back of the struggling demon. “From the earth you’ve come, to the grave you’ll return!”
The Bai Gu Jing howled like the lost soul it was, writhing in all their grips, desperate to get away now. But as much as she was hurt, she shouldn’t have the strength to howl. She should have just gone poof.
Cursing, Mei Li realized that in her exhaustion, she didn’t have the usual reservoirs of magic. Between everything she had done in the past three months, she had overextended herself. She was currently no match for the Bai Gu Jing. “Nord!”
Nord, bless him, immediately leapt in as well and slammed his hand over the talisman, pouring his magical power into it and re-activating it all over again. This time, it worked as it should have. The Bai Gu Jing’s howl turned into dust motes, lingering on the wind as she abruptly became nothing but ash and memory.
They stood there for a second, shaking with adrenaline in the aftermath. Then Mei Li fell to her knees, pulling the ruined shirt aside to look carefully at Shunlei’s injury. The claws hadn’t gone in particularly deep, but she’d scored three across his upper torso and along the top of his shoulder. It looked so incredibly painful. Her own chest clenched in sympathy, and she hissed in a breath. Mei Li hated that he had gotten hurt. Both Future and Past Shunlei somehow always took the brunt of the battle. “Shunlei, how bad is it?”
“Burns,” he admitted between clenched teeth.
“They’ve got blessed water inside.” Kiyo was already gathering up her skirts, dashing that direction.
Hawes came puffing out, carrying white cloth. “I saw what was going on up above. I’ve got some makeshift bandages.”
Mei Li accepted them and pressed them against the wound. “I need to get him inside.”
Melchior was the one to reach down and lift him up onto his feet. Shunlei wobbled a little, a grimace of pain on his face. He hadn’t landed easily, and having a demon slam him into the rocks couldn’t have been pleasant either.
“Don’t bring him in just yet.” Kiyo darted back with two vials of water in either hand. “Let’s wash those out here, not inside. Easier to clean up.”
Good point.
As Kiyo carefully rinsed out the wounds, an elderly priestess came out, her mouth round with horror as she took in her wrecked garden and the blood splattering the area. Her voice creaked and squeaked with age. “Oh my. Oh my oh my. Is everyone alr—no, clearly everyone is not alright. Is the white bone demoness gone, at least?”
“Yes, she’s defeated,” Hawes reported to her. “I’m sorry for the mess we made.”
“No, no, I’m horrified it was even on our sacred grounds to begin with. Don’t mind this. Rather, let’s get this young man inside and attended to. You are welcome to stay here as you mend.”
First of Tomes (The Tomes of Kaleria Book 2) Page 13