A small black shadow appeared at the front door, cast by a familiar feline. The cat slinked toward us before sitting at the top of the temple steps.
“Master Southpaw,” I said with a smile.
The cat examined us with narrow green eyes. I smiled at him as I ascended the stairs and held out a hand for him to sniff. He hissed, his hackles rose, and he bolted inside. Kumi stifled a laugh, and Faryn put a hand on my shoulder. The trembling in her shoulders told me that she was trying not to laugh, too.
“Master Softpaw obviously isn’t in the mood for affection,” Faryn said.
“Maybe he’s disappointed I haven’t come to visit before now.”
We climbed the steps, ducked under the lintel of the temple’s front door, and went inside. Dusty floorboards creaked underfoot as we moved into the depths of the shrine. I caught a whiff of incense from a side altar. I strode into the small room Tolin liked to retreat to and saw him prostrated on the floor. In front of him was a statue with a wide mouth full of shark-like teeth.
Was he praying? I’d lived with the guy for months, but I’d never seen him pray.
His tattered garb hung off him like a bedsheet off a scarecrow. His filthy white beard twisted its way down his thin chest, and his face was one of serene calm. He gave no indication that he’d noticed me enter.
“This place is a wreck,” I said from behind him. “No temple assistants to clean your halls for you?”
He didn’t move from his position on the floor. “Not since the last one left Flametongue Valley to destabilize dictators, kill cultists, and inflate their own egos to a bursting point. It’s funny what travel can do for the mind. They say it extends your horizons, but I think it’s just added to your self-importance.”
“Tolin, it’s lovely to see you!” Faryn brushed past me.
She dropped to his side and wrapped her arms around him in an affectionate hug. Tolin coughed at the contact, but she squeezed him a little tighter before letting go and ruffling his hair affectionately.
“I didn’t take you for the praying type,” I said with a nod to the shrine. “Sure, you meditated, but I never saw you prostrate yourself before a single one of these statues.”
“I am the caretaker of the Temple,” Tolin answered. “I do as I please.”
“Are you praying for a new set of robes? Or a maid?”
“I have budding Swordslingers to fetch those for me.”
I grinned. “I don’t see any jumping to help you.”
“The gods may very well provide.” He stood up with a groan, cursed his creaking bones, and turned to glare at us. “Princess Kumi of the Qihin. I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced, but it’s good to see that you’ve taken up with my insolent pupil. Someone has to keep him in line.” Tolin lowered his voice so that only I could hear him. “And ensure he doesn’t polish the temple lamp too hard.”
I raised an eyebrow at him, and the barest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Tolin was pleased to see me, despite his typical asshole behavior. He limped forward and beckoned for us to follow him into the temple’s main living area.
Kumi, Faryn and I sat across from Tolin at a low table as Master Softpaw dropped from the rafters to join us. A swell of warmth filled my stomach. I’d begun my journey in Augmentation here, and now, the journey had returned me to where it had all started.
“So, what do you want?” Tolin asked as he brewed a pot of tea.
“We were sent by the Archpriest of the Dying Sun to follow up on some missing monks,” I explained. “Apparently, this was supposed to be their last stop before they returned home.”
“You mean those bowing and scraping baldies in the red robes? They arrived two night ago. Secretive, subtle types who love to pour honey in your ear, each and every one of them.” He stroked Master Softpaw’s ears idly. “Let me guess. They requested you personally once they decided they’d had enough of hiding.”
I nodded. “They’ve been teaching us Physical Augmentation.”
“It’s nice to hear they’re being useful once again.” Tolin grunted. “Those who visited here didn’t stay long. I decided I’d had enough of their damned chanting and singing at my door.”
“I’m sure it was a polite encounter,” Faryn said, “and their departure had nothing to do with your sparkling personality.”
Tolin harrumphed good-naturedly. “They take almost any objection to their presence as heresy, or an affront to the gods. Monks are wont to do that. We’ve never seen eye-to-eye. They’ve always been happy in their temple on top of the mountains. When the wars began and people needed help, they hid themselves away. Oh, they’re powerful enough, but their oh-so-sacred knowledge is only to be shared with the most deserving.”
“It sounds like you have a history with them,” I said.
“Never did, and never intend to. Simply put, the ones who came to my temple didn’t stay long. They soon left for the depths of Danibo Forest to seek out the Lost Shrine and reclaim it. That’s all I know.”
Faryn frowned. “I’ve explored Danibo Forest for decades. I’ve never heard of the Lost Shrine.”
“I think that’s why it has its name,” I said with a wink.
Faryn flushed. “I’ve lived here for the better part of a century, and now the monastery and this shrine are only just beginning to be talked about. Forgive me, but it’s a gap in my knowledge that’s difficult to comprehend.”
“Every province has ancient secrets,” Kumi assured her. “There are places in Qihin City that I’ve never seen, that are only spoken of in the rituals and legends of our people. And Flametongue Valley has had its share of war and blood. Things are bound to be lost in times of strife.”
Tolin poured himself a
