“Yer hurt.”

“It'll heal.”

They sat within the anqa's cave, the walls giving them some protection from the night winds. Sunny carried a burning stick carefully into the cave and Sou Yuet set up the campfire anew, burning their sleeves in the process. All three collapsed in an exhausted pile, huddled together for warmth.

“Where... Where'd ye get the knife?”

“Si fu gave it to me before I left Yuen Mei. He said it might help in certain circumstances.”

“Like?”

“It has a strong Fire attribute. It makes up for my personal shortcomings. I follow a Wood-based practice,” they explained, when the necromancer looked confused. “There are five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water – and everyone has them to varying degrees. I have a strong Wood attribute.”

“Right.” It still didn't fully make sense, but Sou Yuet looked so exhausted that the necromancer didn't want to press them. She was exhausted herself. It occurred to her that with them seated next to each other, her head could rest on top of the monk's very comfortably. How nice.

“I should have brought more medicine with me.”

“Eh, I can't die and you can heal yerself with yer magic powers or whatever. It's fine.”

“I was careless.”

“Hey, that's enough of that. I'm alive, you're alive, Sunny's alive-”

“The anqa is dead.”

The necromancer sighed. “There's nothing else ye could do, Ah Yuet. Ye did yer best.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, gods damn it. Stop beating yerself about with guilt. Do yer think it'll help anyone?”

“I suppose not.”

“Ye've... never had to kill anything, have ye? Not like that.”

“... have you?” Sou Yuet's voice was very small.

The fire spat and flickered.

“Yes.”

“I see.”

“How'd ye like me now?” The necromancer laughed harshly.

“I'm sure you had a reason.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes... gods damn it.”

Those words, so unexpected from the monk's lips, made the necromancer laugh, then wince. “Why are ye so much fun?”

“Who was it?”

“Let's... not talk about that now. It's not... that I don't want to tell ye, I'm just... We're just so tired right now. I don't think it's the right time. Later, yeah?”

“Yes... I understand.”

Sunny snuffled in her sleep, stretched out across their laps.

“She's getting big. We won't be able to hide her much longer.”

“That's alright, she's got enough teeth to bite any eejit who tries to put a hand on her.”

Sou Yuet fidgeted. “I should see if there's another town nearby, and if they have any medicine to speed up your healing.”

“Rest.”

“What if Alam Wesa informs them-”

“Sunny'll bite them.”

“Don't teach her bad things.”

“I'm a bad person.”

“No, you're not.”

“Neither are you.”

That brought the monk up short. The necromancer nudged them.

“Come on, get some sleep. I doubt anyone will want to come over here right now.”

“... There is one.”

“Who- Ah. Our foxy friend. Ye have a point.”

They looked at each other, and at Sunny, who was fast asleep.

“I'll set up an array,” Sou Yuet said.

“A what?”

“It's a... An area spell, I suppose. They can be used for a few things – protection, summoning, detection. I'll set up a protection array.”

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“And how much energy will that take?”

Sou Yuet offered their familiar placid smile, although it looked more strained than usual.

“Oi!”

“I might be able to draw some of the anqa's residual energy to help out.”

“Ye won't stop, will ye?”

“How can I?”

The necromancer's face expressed exactly what she thought, but she said nothing. Sou Yuet stumbled out of the cave, down to where the anqa's body lay. The necromancer carefully placed Sunny to one side and dragged herself to the cave mouth to watch.

The monk had their hands on the body, and their head bowed. They sat there for a long time.

At last, they drew back bloody fingers, and began to draw in the air. A cool breeze whipped around them, wind and blood combining in patterns that whirled around the anqa's body. They glowed emerald green and ruby red in the dark.

Sou Yuet could barely stand, but it still wasn't finished. There were gaps – maybe more blood was needed? A silver form drifted past and settled in the space.

And another.

And another.

Five little silver creatures floated in the gaps in the array. They looked like small puppies with the heads of birds, long lion-like tails curled around themselves tightly, their wings small and lacking pinion feathers. Although their eyes were closed, they all faced the anqa as if watching her.

“I found 'em. They said they... wanted to watch over their mam.” The necromancer leaned against a rock, unable to stand. “I'm just... going to pass out now, okay?” She slid down and out of sight.

With the last of their energy, Sou Yuet bowed as low as they could to the ghosts of the unborn anqa, as ghosts and array alike faded from view, then slowly, slowly, crawled back to the cave, sinking into the sand. They were coated in blood and grains by the time they reached the necromancer, and they fainted beside her.

----------------------------------------

They both woke to the sound of Sunny's roar.

The necromancer tried to stagger upright and immediately collapsed to his knees, stabbing pains taking his strength. Sou Yuet rolled onto their stomach and peered over the edge of the cave as best they could.

Sunny was only a few metres away, the fluffy fur on her neck puffed angrily. Her tail whipped back and forth.

A group of figures stood by the body of the anqa. Several more shapes lay prone on the sand around them. One of the standing figures had a familiar shape.

“I should have known,” Lí said ruefully, his one pale brown eye apparently unable to keep from drifting greedily over the anqa's body. “Come now, you have no use for it, do you? I'll even pay you, if you like.”

“Ye could get fecked,” the necromancer suggested, keeping himself upright with the cave wall. “I'd like that.”

Sunny snarled. Sou Yuet called her back, and she retreated without taking her eyes off the fox demon. He sighed. “She's such a fine specimen. She would earn me a fair sum.”

“Why would a wu lei jing need money?” Sou Yuet asked quietly.

“A treasure needs to be surrounded by treasures,” Lí responded with a shrug. “Don't you think?”

“Ye've got a high opinion of yerself, fox.”

“I wasn't talking about myself.” Lí shook his head with a small, sarcastic smile. “You wouldn't understand.” His eye turned to Sou Yuet appraisingly. “Or maybe you might.”

Sou Yuet had to grab the back of the necromancer's robes to stop him from charging out. The movement made the healing cut on their arm twinge.

“You've lost me a lot of business. I'm here for compensation, that's all.”

“Your activities are illegal, Mr Lí.”

“Says who? I've made trades with most of the human rulers in the Four Kingdoms.”

Sou Yuet managed to pull themselves upright, the necromancer supporting as best he could. They looked pitiful, standing there with their limbs trembling weakly, but Sou Yuet's voice and expression were strong and grim in a way the necromancer had never seen before.

“Several months ago, a request came to the Yuen Mei School to investigate the disappearance of legendary creatures, and to find the culprit responsible. The message was sent to us by Yeung Tin Wong, the Dragon Empress under the Ocean, as proxy for her mother, Great Creator Goddess Leoi Wo. Your actions have been deemed crimes by the highest.”

This certainly sounded impressive to the necromancer, not that he recognised any of these names.

Lí pantomimed a thinking face. “Leoi Wo, huh... I vaguely remember a name like that. Leoi Wo, also known as Wong Tang, Yellow Earth Dragon at the Centre of All Things. I also heard that she and the other four divine guardians, the Ng Dzeung, left the mortal realm two centuries ago...” He smiled suddenly, and in the night, it seemed as though his eye hollowed into nothingness and his grin split his face from side to side. “So somehow I don't think they'll be coming for me any time soon.”

“What the feck...? His face-”

“Mr Lí,” Sou Yuet said softly, stepping forward a little. They no longer shook. “I was discourteous and failed to introduce myself properly when we first met.” They reached back and took a hairpin from their hair, which fell down in pale waves like the desert sand.

The necromancer looked at the hairpin. He'd never really given it much thought before, being a plain wooden thing, except to think it seemed oddly drab compared Sou Yuet's disciple talisman. He simply put it down to the monk's asceticism.

Sou Yuet bowed politely. “Yuen Yik Fung, Head Disciple of the Yuen Mei School of Healing, direct disciple of Lady Maang Dzeung, Azure Wood Dragon of the East, humbly greets you, Lord Tsaam Lei.” The hairpin in their hand glowed green and grew rapidly. In its place was a long staff, carved with a racing dragon from end to end. Jade glowed at the dragon's eyes and in her four feet.

All traces of insincerity left Lí's face. His lazy right eye sharpened. “... I see.”

Suddenly, the figures surrounding him flew forwards, directly at the monk and the necromancer. The latter readied himself to fight, but Sou Yuet motioned him back.

“I don't know what will happen.”

“What d'ye-”

Sou Yuet swung the staff. It smashed into two of the figures with the sound of wood on wood, bowling them back into several more of those pursuing. The strange sound made everyone pause, but only for a moment. Green hei was gathering all over Sou Yuet's body and along the staff as they jabbed it directly into another figure that leapt at him over the bodies of its fallen comrades.

Again, that wooden sound. Sou Yuet whirled around. Flecks of green were glowing in their eyes.

They raised their hand suddenly and sent the energy flowing out over the figures, both fallen and standing. They all fell limp in an instant and dropped in an unprotesting heap at the monk's feet. Sou Yuet flicked aside their clothes with his still glowing staff.

“Wood. Pine dolls.”

Lí, of course, was long gone. The array was fading again too, lying in wait for the next intruder. Sou Yuet sat down abruptly and closed their eyes, green energy still roiling across their body.

“Ah Yuet?”

Sunny leapt between the necromancer and the monk with a bark, warning him back. Although he understood this was for his own safety, the witch couldn't help feeling annoyed.

“Alright, ye damn mutt. I won't touch them. Gods...”

Sou Yuet sat motionless until the first faint light of dawn began to creep into the sky. The necromancer had been examining the fallen dolls, and found other objects among them – the remains of old umbrellas, wooden practice swords – it was like the strange collection of objects they had found back stage at the auction house.

Sou Yuet walked towards him, not stumbling, but still slow enough to indicate their exhaustion. Their face was sheened with sweat.

“Ye alrigh-” The necromancer, crouched by the pieces of wood, stared into Sou Yuet's face. Within the monk's eyes glittered little chips of pale green, like slivers of jade. They smiled.

“I'm alright.”