Friya was excited when I told her what had happened earlier that night with Zhenwan and the Blind Monks, and she’d told me before how she desired to become a dragon in a similar manner to how she could shift into a werewolf.
“Then my dreams are coming to pass.” She smiled. “I could not understand one particular, persistent vision until now. Always I saw men with their eyes burned out in my dreams, and I took this to be a sign of doom. Now, however, I understand it to be a sign of hope. These Blind Monks will play an important role in the upcoming quest, I am sure of it.”
“They’re a good bunch, and when it comes to unarmed combat, I’d say they’d kick the asses of pretty much any Prandish warriors.”
“They will be excellent allies on this quest, then.” Friya gave me a gorgeous smile that seemed to thank me for calming her worries.
“So, why are you wearing your Cloak of Changing?” I asked. “And what are you doing up so late? I’m guessing you weren’t just waiting up to talk to me about your dreams.”
“You’re right. I was waiting for you so I could say goodbye.”
“Goodbye? Where are you going?”
“Look up at the sky.”
I glanced up and saw that the storm clouds had cleared, giving way to a starry sky and a bright full moon.
“This is when my werewolf powers are at their strongest,” Friya said, her eyes gleaming silver in the moonlight. “And my most recent dream has revealed to me that I must use my werewolf form to aid you in this quest now, but in a mission I must do on my own. I can travel with great speed and stealth through the night, and there is an object you will need for this quest that only I, in the form of a werewolf, can obtain for you. I will retrieve it, and rendezvous with you in the capital city.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own in a strange land?” I asked. “I can send some of my undead troops with you for extra protection.”
“They’ll only slow me down, Vance. I must do this mission alone, in my werewolf form. This is what my dreams have told me, and I must do what my dreams command. Trust me, I won’t come to harm. The vast majority of enemies would rather run from a werewolf than fight one, after all.”
She did have a point; as stunning as Friya was in her human form, when she transformed into a werewolf she was downright terrifying.
“As long as you’re sure this is the right course of action to take,” I said.
“It is. My dreams have never failed me before, and I highly doubt they’ll begin to fail me now. Goodbye for now, Vance. I’ll see you soon.”
“Goodbye, Friya, and good luck with your quest.”
We shared a fiery kiss before she leapt from the balcony and landed on the dark alley outside the inn. She pulled the wolf’s head section of the cloak over her head, and in a speedy blur of motion and distortion, she changed from a woman into a towering werewolf. The beast’s yellowy eyes glowed menacingly in the gloom, but as different as she looked with her fangs, claws, and fur, I could tell it was still Friya inside that muscular, shaggy-haired body. She stared at the moon for a few seconds, let out a piercing wolf howl, then bounded off, disappearing into the dark night.
“Good luck Friya,” I whispered to the empty darkness. “I hope you find whatever it is we need.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Before dawn the next morning, I said my farewells to Rollar and Drok—who were staying here in Gongxiong to keep an eye on the ships and the army inside them—and to Elyse, Isu, and Rami-Xayon, who were going off to ensure Rami-Xayon’s parents were safe.
A sparrow came to Tong-Tong’s tavern bearing a message from Rami-Xayon’s twin sister, Yumo, saying that she’d find and meet me along the road to the capital. After this, Zhenwan, Layna, Anna-Lucielle, and I left the Plump Herons inn and headed over to the temple.
I was dressed in civilian clothes, as were the women, so as not to attract unwanted attention from Imperial Army soldiers or the Emperor’s officials. We all had weapons concealed under our clothing, though, and would be ready for combat in the blink of an eye. Well, all of us except Zhenwan. I told him that if there was a fight, he needed to hit the ground and keep his head covered, and I’d protect him. Better that than him running around in a panic and getting in our way.
The monks were waiting for us, all twelve of them. Ji-Ko smiled and got down on the ground when he saw me. The others followed suit, and together they pressed their foreheads to the ground.
“We are here to serve you, God of Death,” Ji-Ko said in a solemn voice, “and we will gladly sacrifice our lives to that end.”
“Good to know, my friends,” I said, “but hopefully it won’t come to that. Come on, let’s get out of here. We’ve got a Dragon Gauntlet to find, a goddess to resurrect, and plenty of asses to kick.”
We made our way out of Gongxiong, taking one of the narrow, winding roads that led through the seemingly endless jutting karst mountains that extended out from Gongxiong in all directions. The air was no less humid in the mountains, I soon discovered, almost as hot as the coastal town. The foliage covering the steep mountainsides was dense and green, and alive with all sorts of strange birds and insects.
“Keep your eyes open in this part of the country, God of Death,” Ji-Ko cautioned. “There are dangerous wild beasts in these mountain jungles. In these times of chaos and anarchy, they have become overly bold and aggressive. Many unwary travelers have been dragged off into this jungle and
