I expected this news to shock Xiong and the others, but they exchanged heavy expressions that told me they already knew. Even Ba didn’t seem surprised.
“Yes, I’m afraid we didn’t discover the true nature of his intentions until it was too late,” Xiong said. “One of our warriors stumbled across the traitorous god as he was confiding in one of his allies in secret. Erlang Shen fled the New Order, but he’d already collected enough information from us to do quite some damage, I’m afraid.” Xiong shook his head. “As for Nezha and Guanyin, they left to do reconnaissance and convince some other gods to join our side.”
While we’d been gone, it seemed as though the New Order had been through a lot, too.
“And the good news?” Ren asked.
“All hope is not lost,” Xiong said, a grim smile on his face. “We received a crane from Nezha and Guanyin earlier today. One of the most powerful goddesses, Nüwa, will join our fight.”
Cheers rose from the monkeys. We had the mother goddess of the Earth on our side. Maybe there was hope after all.
As the warriors chatted among themselves, my father turned to me with a smile stretching across his face. I couldn’t help but smile back. My heart hadn’t felt so light in years.
“Nǚ ér,” he said slowly, as though relishing each syllable. “Daughter. Falun. Won’t you give your father another hug?”
I threw my arms around the warrior I thought I’d lost forever. My father. Ba. Maybe if I hugged him long and hard enough, it would make up for all the hugs we’d missed over the years.
For the moment, nothing else mattered—not the war, not Alex’s stubbornness, not Erlang Shen’s betrayal. Nothing mattered but the fact that here, at long last, in Ba’s arms, I was safe. I was home.
My father pulled back and held me at arm’s length, examining me from head to foot with a tearful expression in his eyes. “I’m so proud of you, Falun. We have quite some catching up to do, don’t we?”
“Yes. Yes we do.” I blurted out, “Nai Nai said my mother—or her spirit—is trapped in Diyu. With a Demon King.”
Ba’s eyes widened, and horror dawned on his face. “That won’t do. The first thing we’ll do after this is pray to Ye Ye for help,” my father said. “Now, then. About your brother. He … he’s turned over to the other side, hasn’t he?”
“Yes, but … not completely.”
Alex had helped me complete the memory elixir for Ba’s sake, after all. He wasn’t beyond saving. He only wanted to find his own blood-related family and do what he thought was right.
Alex was still the brother I’d grown up with for twelve years. Just as Jordan and Ashley had always fought for each other, I now had to fight for Alex. Even if he tried to kill me in the process. Or I tried to kill him. After all, what are siblings for?
Besides, I didn’t have to do any of this on my own. I had Ba’s help this time.
“How are we going to save Alex and my mother? And the world?” I hoped my father still had all the answers, like he did when I was younger.
Ba smiled at me—a warm, intelligent smile, with a familiar hint of mischief. “Don’t worry, nǚ ér. We’ll make a plan.”
DEMONS AND DEITIES THROUGH THE DYNASTIES
A Glossary
Hello! Author speaking. As I said in the last book, I drew the following definitions and interpretations of Chinese mythology below from my own research and experience, including the stories I learned growing up. Most of it comes from the classical Chinese text Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en and the guidebook Chinese Mythology A to Z by Jeremy Roberts. There are other versions of Chinese folklore out there, so this is not by any means a comprehensive guide. But I do hope it will teach you a little bit about the mythology that appears in The Fallen Hero—and make you want to do your own research to learn more!
DEITIES
Dragon Kings: The Chinese believe in five Dragon Kings, four who rule over the seas and one who commands them all: the Dragon King of the North Sea, the Dragon King of the South Sea, the Dragon King of the East Sea, the Dragon King of the West Sea, and the Dragon King of the Center. Hmm … I’m seeing a pattern in their names. These beings live in crystal palaces beneath the water. The Dragon Kings don’t just own pearls and jewels, they eat them. Sounds like an expensive grocery list. They’re powerful enough that they watch over the seas, move mountains, and create massive tidal waves. Plus, the Jade Emperor relies on them for reports about the seas every year.
Erlang Shen: Erlang Shen’s official title is “True Lord, the Great Illustrious Sage,” which is pretty apt since he’s an epic warrior. He’s the god of war and waterways. He’s also the nephew of the Jade Emperor. Erlang Shen has a third, truth-seeing eye in the middle of his forehead that can sense if a man is honest or not. The eye also gives him X-ray vision, not to mention a surefire way to mess with humans and demons alike. In many stories, his loyal dog, Xiao Tian Quan, never leaves his side. Don’t mistake Erlang Shen for a dog-loving softie, though. Those two combined have and will really mess things up in Heaven. Xiao Tian Quan may be small, but he’s fierce and powerful, and he helps Erlang Shen subdue evil spirits.
Guanyin: Guanyin is commonly worshipped as the goddess of mercy. In some traditions, she’s considered male, but in others, she’s considered female to better represent the qualities of mercy, compassion, and purity, traits customarily thought as feminine. Many pray to this goddess in the hopes that she will relieve suffering or provide help to others.
Jade Emperor: If you thought the Jade Emperor seemed intense
