Yu Di picked up Vimala from the floor. He held her up as gently as he could. He couldn’t afford to hurt her with his refined body and uncontrolled emotions.

  “Vimala, listen, stop crying for a minute,” he said. “Now more than ever we have to unlock the secret and retrieve your power. Otherwise, your entire city is going to burn. Not once in over a thousand years has my country or its Demigod emperor ever lost a son. There is going to be devastation.”

  Vimala continued sobbing, but stood up on her own. She wiped her face as best as she could with her face mask. “I’m not sure if I can anymore. What’s the point?”

  “Don’t tell me that you’re waiting until now to give up on your duty to protect this city.” Yu Di swiped at the artifact and pulled the view out toward the sky. “Look at all those people clustered in this city. Men, women, and children. They’re all going to die if you don’t help them.”

  The artifact’s viewing screen began its free fall from the sky. It was most likely transmitting from a flying device that met the barrier’s defensive functions to collapse it. It hit the ground with a swift crash and stopped sending back images.

  Yu Di smiled weakly toward the pissed off attendant. “Sorry. I forgot.”

  The attendant ignored him and walked away to another station.

  “We can’t go right away,” Vimala said. She lowered down to a whisper. “The entrance won’t fully open for at least four more days during the full moon.”

  “Then we will wait back at the inn,” Yu Di said.

  The attendant walked over and tugged Yu Di’s sleeve. He pointed to the other station and walked over.

  Was this man mute or something?

  Yu Di walked over with Vimala. On the artifact’s screen was Abbot Lokenatha. He stood on a raised platform with all his high priests flanking him. An army of soldiers stood in neat files and ranks in front of him.

  “Today, we’ve caught a terrorist within our city,” Abbot Lokenatha said. He pointed at Ying Fusu’s body. “This man was a spy from the Celestial Jade Empire and a part of the army now invading our city. We have hung him to tell his people and his army that we will not bow down to them. They should ask how Shah al-Rahman’s army felt being bombarded by our cannons. They ran with their tails tuck behind their legs. We will do to them as we have done to their terrorist. We have the protection of the Goddess!”

  The army cheered.

  The attendant cursed and spat on the floor.

  So he can speak. Yu Di had a few questions for him after the viewing.

  “However, we still have terrorists among us,” Abbot Lokenatha said. He projected an image of Vimala into the air. “This one has been under the thrall of the terrorist we hung. She is a former priestess of Miryana. She has been fooled into thinking she is working for the good of Miryana. We desperately want to save her from the clutches of terrorists. There’s a hefty reward for anyone that brings her to the Pavilion of the seven Phoenixes.”

  “Speaking of terrorists, we also have this man.” Abbot Lokenatha projected an image of Yu Di in the air. “He holds the key to our city’s peace. He is the Menace of Miryana that has haunted our city for over twenty years. He doesn’t need to be brought back alive. If he resists, kill him.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair,” Yu Di said.

  “Finally, to ensure the safety of our citizens, I ask that everyone stay vigilant. The foreigners among us are no longer the peaceful traders they once were. Now they’re all spies and terrorists. We have begun corralling all foreigners that can’t prove their birthright citizenship of Miryana and evicting them out into the desolate outer section of the city where they will have to fend for themselves against the sand worms and enemy armies.”

  “That means they’re kicking out everyone that looks like me,” the attendant said. “Was it not enough they killed my prince? Now they want to execute us. We have done nothing but help this city. Miryana can burn for all I care.”

  “My brother, don’t despair,” Yu Di said. “We will survive this.”

  The attendant looked surprised at Yu Di before his face turned into a scowl. “You know nothing foreigner. You can speak my language, but you have no idea what the prince has done for you and your people.”

  Yu Di was confused then he remembered he changed his appearance with his technique. He took in a breath and then breathed out the Qi holding his technique in place.

  The attendant’s face went from shock and confusion to anger. “It’s you. The prince would still be alive if not for you.”

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  “What do you mean?” Yu Di said.

  “The prince had to beg for the high priest’s forgiveness both times you were caught out there, doing whatever it is you were doing. He had to swear up and down that you were trying to help the city and gave up many stores of his resources to do so. I wish you never showed up. Go crawl back into whatever hole you’ve been hiding before your karma comes and bites you in the ass.”

  Yu Di wanted to argue that Kutan only let him go because of the elixir he gave him. But then again, knowing Kutan after their few short exchanges, that wouldn’t have been enough. The high priest believed himself to be next to the Goddess herself where his position was concerned. If he didn’t know any better, he might be the abbot’s son or something with the way he acts.

  “I apologize for what I have done.” Yu Di cupped his hands and bowed. Again he bowed for something he never asked for, but nonetheless his actions caused it. Karma was really coming to bite him in the ass and he didn’t understand why.

  “It doesn’t matter. My prince is dead. I no longer have any reason to stay.” The attendant packed away his viewing artifact in a leather sack.

  “Wait, you have a way out of here?” Vimala asked. “Maybe we can bring all the children here out?”

  The attendant shook his head. “I don’t, but I know my country’s army will come and liberate this city with utmost speed now that they know our prince is dead. It’s why they came in the first place.”

  “Wait, Ying Fusu called the army here?” Vimala’s back straightened.

  “No, his mother did. She heard of his mistreatment and danger and sent his brother to come resolve this. Unlike this Menace of Miryana, he’s still an actual Demigod. Our reports indicate that Shah al-Rahman’s army is on the retreat before our army gets here. Your people, the people you love, are going to be washed away like dirt off vegetables.”

  “Why are we washing vegetables?” Vimala asked.

  “It’s an expression,” Yu Di replied. It was an interesting exchange for him watching both of them speak their own languages and understanding each other.

  “Please, Yu Di, help me convince him to protect the city,” Vimala said.

  The attendant laughed. “You can’t manipulate us anymore, you whore. The prince is dead. He was the only one charmed by you. The rest of us just want to survive the cleansing so we can go back to our families.” The attendant shook his head like a father talking to his daughter. “You know, the worst of it was that he probably died thinking of you. Despite all that he’s done for you and your city, you wouldn’t even give him the satisfaction of knowing you were with him. He died a sad, broken man. Our prince who would be Emperor. I hope you two burn for what you’ve done to the prince.”

  The attendant walked away further down the tunnel.

  “I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Yu Di said.

  Vimala stayed silent, staring at where the image was projected by the artifact.

  “I didn’t ask for his help. I didn’t force him to give up his resources and make an ass out of himself. Hell, I didn’t ask to be sent to this stupid city.” Yu Di felt the anger rushing into him. His prized logic and pragmatism left him. He hadn’t felt this way since… since before he began cultivating. He didn’t even feel this way when Elder Li tried to kill his daughter, twice!

  “To be blamed by your people, I can understand,” Yu Di said. “But for this attendant to think he can talk to me like that and live? Who does that mortal think he is?” By the end, he was yelling.

  Vimala laid a hand on his shoulder, feeling the gentle Goddess Qi calming him down. It was the lightest and gentlest touch that calmed the anger in Yu Di’s heart.

  “We have to go back to the inn,” Vimala said. “We’ll have to break through to the inner chamber before the Imperial Army arrives.”

  “Finally,” Yu Di said. He didn’t want to add that all it took was the death of her prince to move her.

  “Do you think you can do it?”

  “I’ll need a day to cultivate to restore my body, but then I should be ready to go.”

  “Then I’ll prepare myself as well. The tests within are going to be grueling.”

  “Tests? What tests?”

  Vimala frowned, looking away. “Getting through the defenses of the vault is the easy part. There’s a network of mazes and tests that we’ll face within before we can get into the chamber itself. It’s the stop the wrong people from claiming the power.”

  Yu Di had a headache. “You’re telling me that even after we defeat those guarding it, we still have to deal with another roadblock?”

  Vimala nodded.

  “What kind of tests are they?”

  “They test the understanding of the Goddess’ philosophy. Something I’ve been trained on for most of my life.”

  “So then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Vimala rubbed her arms.

  “Out with it woman! I don’t have time for this.”

  “The maze will also completely suppress any powers you might have while inside. You will effectively be mortal.”

  Yu Di wanted to slap this woman. “Let me guess, there’s a good chance I will die from this and we might never make it to the center.”

  Vimala nodded.

  “You didn’t tell the prince because you were afraid he’d take your power. You didn’t tell him because you didn’t want to risk his life.”

  Vimala nodded.

  “But you’re very willing to risk mine.”

  Vimala looked away.

  The gall of this woman. If she hadn’t stopped Yu Di in the first place, he could have gotten their secret and been on his merry way. The city would still have its Goddess protecting it and none of this would be happening. Why was this happening to him?

  Yu Di took a deep breath, calming the anger boiling in his heart. Where had that come from? “Fine, whatever. I owe you and this city for what I did. If I can fix it at the cost of my life, then so be it. Maybe this was why I was given a second chance.”

  Curse unlocked: .4% lifted.

  Oh shut up you. Yu Di couldn’t stand the timing of the stupid curse unlocking, whispering sweet nothings in his hear, giving him the hope that he would break it eventually and regain his former glory. But if this experience taught him anything, the Gods were not that kind. They keep throwing him into something worse every time.

  “Give me a day and I will be ready,” Yu Di said.

  Two other attendants dressed in brown were running toward them. “Get out. The high priest has sent men to raid our building upstairs. It’s only a matter of time before they break in here. We’ll buy you some time.”

  “Of course they’re here.” Yu Di reapplied his face changing technique. He did it in a hurry and he didn’t have a mirror, but it will have to do. Hopefully if he gets caught, he won’t be executed on the spot. “Let’s run.”

  Together, Yu Di and Vimala ran down the tunnel, hopefully toward an exit that didn’t have the high priest’s men surrounding them.