With the new day came the sun. The storm had thankfully passed overnight, and while the island’s forest was still damp, it wasn’t miserable.

  Ishin retrieved his spear from beneath a collection of fallen branches he’d hidden it under to keep it as dry as possible. Still, the dark ashwood shaft was damp, and at this rate there was a significant risk of mold growing. He’d bought the spear for its affordability, not its durability.

  Hopefully I’ll be able to get a new one in the Crimson Abyss Sect.

  Of course, he had to make it into the Crimson Abyss Sect first. Far easier said than done.

  Rhee walked over beside him, twisting her long, damp raven-black hair to squeeze water out. “I’ve never missed the Eight Oaths Resolve School so much before.”

  Ishin offered her a grin. “Not enjoying the outdoors?”

  “No. No I am not.”

  “I find it quite refreshing,” Lei said as he joined his two former schoolmates. His topknot had been undone and he was rubbing his own long dark hair. Ishin often forgot that Lei’s hair was long too, since he’d mainly seen it kept together as a topknot.

  “You would,” Rhee scoffed. Her tone then shifted into one of compassion. “How’re your wounds?”

  “Better,” Lei answered, rotating his arms. “I think the bleeding has stopped.”

  “They haven’t,” Tan Chen called out from beside a tree. She pulled out another roll of bandages. “Last one,” she said as she tossed it to Rhee. “Try not to get injured again, Lei.”

  Rhee walked over to Lei and began to remove his soaked and blood-crusted bandages.

  “No promises,” Lei laughed. “I’m a martial, after all.”

  Tan Chen shook her head, but Ishin noticed a slight smile grace her lips.

  Several minutes later, Lei’s bandages had been replaced and the group was ready to depart.

  Like before, Wen Mei led the group through the lifeless forest. The group remained on alert, everyone scanning their surroundings. Ishin found it easier to use his third eye as they moved in the forest, with Desolate Island lacking the endless ambient qi that normally overwhelmed his senses. In fact, this new method of surveillance made it easier for him to detect other presences. His own companions stood out like bonfires at night, and Ishin was certain that any approaching threats would appear equally obvious. Additionally, using his third eye frequently helped Ishin improve his stamina with the sixth spirit sense. By the time the group stopped for the first time, he’d managed to keep it open for almost thirty minutes.

  The pause was not brought on by exhaustion or an approaching threat. Instead, Wen Mei had called them to a halt upon the discovery of a familiar-looking corpse. Ishin recognized the dead man from their first night with the Collective Liberation Alliance. Yoa Pen’s decapitated body lay in a bloody mess on the forest floor, his head resting a few feet away from his body, bearing a shocked expression.

  Wen Mei was noticeably sad at the sight and fell to her knees before Yoa Pen’s head. With gentle hands, she cradled the head and closed her dead comrade’s eyes. “May you find better fortune in the next life.”

  Wei Long approached the body and touched the severed portion of the neck. Blood had pooled from the wound but had ceased to flow, with the remaining crimson liquid having begun to solidify. From its color, it was clear that the blood had combined with the rainwater, making it a lighter shade.

  He died before the storm let up.

  Looking around, Ishin saw tracks in the ground leading farther to the east, a byproduct of the rainfall turning the ground muddy. In a few more hours, the ground would dry enough to make further tracking difficult.

  Wei Long traced his finger around the decapitated neck, collecting a thin layer of blood. He brought it to his nose and sniffed. “Poisoned.” He lowered his hand, examining the wound. “And this came from a flat-bladed weapon.”

  Wen Mei rose, bringing Yoa Pen’s head with. “Isho Nel.” She set the head atop the fallen body.

  “Strange to find him this far out from the fort,” Tan Chen remarked. “How many miles away do you think we are?”

  “Thirty-seven,” Six said, seemingly unaffected by the sight of his dead comrade. “Too far.”

  “What do you think happened?” Lei asked. Ishin knew what his friend was really asking.

  Wen Mei’s expression was troubled. Clearly she understood the implication, but her heart was struggling to accept what her mind told her.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  This is hard for her. And nothing good can come from making her grapple with this unpleasant reality.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Ishin said, saving Wen Mei from further deliberation. To further shift the conversation, he pointed at the tracks leading east. “What does is that whoever was responsible went that way.”

  Wei Long seized upon Ishin’s observation. “Looks like there were three of them.”

  “Three?” Ishin had only seen two distinct sets of footprints.

  “Over there,” Wei Long said, pointing five yards ahead. Sure enough, there was a third set of tracks leading eastward.

  I can’t believe he noticed that. He’s a far better tracker than I am.

  Once again, Ishin wondered more about Wei Long’s history. Clearly, there was more to him than just being a skilled archer.

  “Is that the direction we need to go to reach the island’s center?” Rhee asked Wen Mei.

  Shaking her head, Wen Mei replied, “No. We continue this way.” She indicated a northeast direction. “I… I think we should do this.”

  “You don’t want to get vengeance?” Tan Chen asked. Ishin detected that Tan Chen’s question originated from her being impressed by Wen Mei’s restraint.

  “It’s not worth it,” Wen Mei answered. Her eyes lingered on Yoa Pen’s remains. “The smartest course is to proceed safely onward.” She glanced at the thin rays of light that pierced the canopy. “We should continue if we want to arrive before nightfall.”

  Tan Chen nodded, and like her, Ishin was impressed.

  They continued onward, their vigilance heightened.

  As the rays of light began to darken with the passing of time, Wei Long suddenly ordered everyone to halt. Without further preamble he knocked and loosed an arrow into the canopy.

  What did he see?

  “Find something to hunt?” Lei asked.

  “There was something red and orange above the trees,” Wei Long answered. His eyes remained on the ashen foliage. “At first I thought I was imagining it, but I’ve seen glimpses of it for the last half mile.”

  “Are you sure?” Wen Mei asked, troubled.

  Certain, cold eyes met hers. “Yes.”

  “Are there other spirit beasts on the island besides the vampire monkeys and apes?” Tan Chen asked, now watching the trees overhead too.

  “There shouldn’t be,” Wen Mei answered.

  “Spirit beast,” Six replied from their rear. “Eyes and pets around the crater.”

  “Eyes and pets?” Ishin asked. He’d learned that while Six sometimes spoke strangely, there was often significance in his words.

  “Spirit beast tamers,” Wen Mei explained, rubbing her forehead. “I shouldn’t be surprised. We probably attracted the notice of another candidate now that we’re only a few miles away from the crater.”

  “You’re saying what I saw was a spirit beast serving another candidate on the island?” Wei Long asked.

  “It has to be. Like Tan Chen said, there aren’t any other native spirit beasts on the island besides the vampire monkeys that I know of. I have seen other candidates with their spirit-beast partners. The one you saw—was it a bird?”

  Wei Long thought for a moment. “I never got a clear look, but its movements reflect something capable of flight.”

  “I think I know the one you saw. We are probably fine.”

  “You know whose spirit beast that was?” Rhee asked.

  “No, but I’ve seen it before during the last Pill Drop. It was a small red-and-orange sparrow-like fire spirit beast. It was only used to retrieve pills from the center, not to attack. We should still be cautious, but I don’t think we’ll be attacked.”

  “If you say so,” Ishin replied.

  Wei Long and Tan Chen looked less certain, but neither voiced further objections. Still, it was a sobering realization that they had been spotted by another on the island.

  We’ll have to be even more cautious if we want to make it out alive.

  “You said we’re close?” Rhee asked Wen Mei.

  “Yes. Another hour and we should be there.”

  Just one more hour.

  “Come,” Wen Mei replied, though she gave the overhead foliage one last look before continuing onward.

  The final hour of their journey passed in silence. Ishin was constantly on edge about encountering another candidate. He figured it was only the Heavens’ mercy that they hadn’t encountered a foe yet.

  When they did reach the island’s center, Ishin was stunned. A vast crater covering half a mile engulfed the island’s center, sloping down into the middle. The rough earthen ledges were a fiery red color and the crater’s floor barren. It looked like a god had scooped away a handful of the island itself.

  What could have caused this?

  “So that’s where the Pill Drop will be?” Rhee mused.

  “In the center,” Wen Mei confirmed.

  “Tell me, Wen Mei,” Wei Long asked. Unlike the others, his gaze was focused on the Heavens instead of the earth. “Does Elder Xie’s carpet ever move?”

  Wen Mei furrowed her brows, puzzled. “You mean the carpet we all travel to at first? No. It’s always above the island’s crater. Why do you…” Her voice trailed away.

  Curious, Ishin followed both their gazes. The flying carpet was gone, leaving an empty sky over the crater.

  “That’s not…” Wen Mei began.

  “Normal,” Tan Chen finished.

  “No.”

  “What about that?” Lei asked, pointing to a part of the crater’s edge two hundred yards to the right. A vast stretch of the surrounding forest had been blasted away, the trees splintered apart, leaving a long barren trail through the forest.

  “No,” Wen Mei whispered. “No, that was not there before either.”