“Well, well, this hunt didn’t last long,” Nan mused as she stopped her cadre of villains five feet from us. She folded her arms over her chest and revealed a mess of green scales all over her limbs. “I suppose we shouldn’t have expected much else from a heaven god, though, right, guys?”

“Right!”

“A bunch of pansies!”

“Too soft to put up much of a fight!”

“Pardon?”

My heart leaped at the familiar voice. The sound came from above us and the whole company cocked our heads back. Two figures descended from the sky and landed between Pampir and me, and the vengeful turtles. I let out a joyous meow at the sight of Prince Yushir and Eastwei.

I darted across the thick grass and over to the pair. Eastwei and Yushir turned opposite ways to face me and I hopped into the lord’s arms. He wasn’t completely prepared for my arrival but caught me just the same.

Eastwei held me up by my armpits and studied me. “You are dirty.” I wriggled and meowed, and tried desperately to lick his face

Yushir looked past me and at my fallen protector. A dark cloud settled on his brow. “Some grave injustice has been done to our friend.” He turned about to face our foes. “Would you happen to know anything about this man’s wounds?”

Nan’s confidence was rattled by the gods’ arrival, but her haughty demeanor quickly returned. “So what if we are?”

“W-we?” one of her comrades spoke up. “You were the one to attack him first!”

She sneered at him. “Coward! There are still more of us than there are of them!”

He kept his gaze focused on Nan and pointed a shaking finger at Eastwei. “B-but that’s Lord Eastwei.”

The color drained from her face and she whipped her head about. Her wide eyes examined the pair and her confidence sank to nothing. “L-Lord Eastwei? The Dragon Emperor? You’re really him?”

“And this is our friend,” Yushir spoke up as he nodded at the fallen Pampir. “You have admitted to gravely harming him. What do you have to say to that?”

Nan’s legs collapsed beneath her and she fell to her knees. The rest of the turtle clan also dropped to the ground and prostrated themselves to the high heavenly gods.

“Forgive us, Lord Eastwei!”

“Please show us forgiveness!”

“We didn’t know what we were doing!”

Yushir lifted his chin slightly and frowned. “They appear to have not noticed who I am, either.”

Eastwei tucked me into one arm across his chest and his free hand searched me. “They will know you when you have named their punishment.”

The prince sighed. “Yes. It must be done.” He strode forward while Eastwei traveled in the opposite direction over to Pampir. Yushir cleared his throat and all the self-subjugation ceased. “I am Prince Yushir of the High Heavenly House. You have grievously injured one of the subjects of my uncle and must be punished.”

All the faces before him were now a ghastly pale white. Nan sat on her haunches in shock with her mouth dropped open.

Yushir paced the ground in front of the group, eyeing each of them in turn. “For your transgression, you will all be banished from the fairs of the heavens until such time as you have proven yourselves worthy of such an honor, and any trade between the heaven realm and the turtle clan will cease immediately.”

A great moan arose from the clan members. Many hung their heads and a few sobbed into their hands.

Nan swallowed a lump in her throat and stood. “We accept the judgment of heaven, Prince Yushir, but as the leader of the turtles, I take full responsibility for what happened today.” She clasped her hands together and lifted her eyes to him. “I pray for mercy, Your Highness, and beg you not to cease the trade. We can survive without the fairs but we can’t survive without the trade. Our children and our old will starve.”

Yushir folded one arm over his chest and toyed with the ring on his finger. “As their leader, they should have been your first concern, not a ruthless hunt after one of the citizens of heaven.”

Nan bowed her head. “I understand, Your Highness. That’s why I offer my life to you in place of ending the trade.”

“Wait a moment!” one of the people shouted before he climbed to his feet. “We can’t get along without you, Nan!”

She turned her head to the side far enough to catch his eye. “My stupid choice for revenge has led to this. You’ll be better off without me.”

“Then take my life!” the woman who had hungered for my flesh chimed in as she stood. “I’m not worth much but I’ll be damned if I let Nan die!”

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“Me, too!”

“And me!”

In a few seconds, the whole crowd had stood and clamored for their own executions.

Yushir held up his hands and the turtles were silenced. “I will kill no one today, though had you killed our friend I would have sought just that. However, I will make concessions for trade, but the matter must be discussed with His Majesty.”

Nan and the whole group bowed low to the prince. “Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness. You won’t find a more loyal clan than ours.”

“If your loyalty is as keen as your thirst for vengeance then those are great words indeed,” he bitingly replied as he strolled up to her.

She shrank beneath the reprimand. “You’re right, Your Highness, but I swear this on my clan’s honor that we won’t attack anyone else who wrongs us.”

Yushir clapped a hand on her shoulder. She hesitantly lifted her gaze to him and he offered her a small smile. “Good words, but do not promise so far that you will not defend yourselves.”

Nan nodded. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

While the prince discussed diplomacy with the hunters, Eastwei knelt beside Pampir and set me down. He turned Pampir over so the god laid on his back and inspected the wound at his side. I was struck by the gentleness of his touch as he drew back the clothes to reveal the horrible stabbing wound from one of the sharp branches. I couldn’t help but look down at my bandaged leg, the one that had been impaled by the rotten tree. Pampir had risked that excruciating pain for me.

Eastwei held out his hand and his faint red specks appeared over his palm. I could feel their heat from my spot at his side. The magic floated forward and touched the bleeding wound. The faint stench of burning flesh filled the air and Pampir clenched his teeth without opening his eyes. He arched his back and let out a faint hiss. The fire magic sealed the wound and Eastwei drew his hand back.

Pampir’s eyes fluttered open and he stared at the sky in bewilderment. “Where am I-” The light of remembrance lit up his eyes and he shot up.

A little too fast.

He cried out and clutched his back. “My aching bones! Whatever have I done to deserve this treatment?”

“That is a good question,” Yushir mused as he joined us. I glanced over my shoulder and beheld the turtle clan disappearing into the forest. The prince smiled down at his old acquaintance. “Whatever happened to get you into such trouble? And why are you in this area to begin with?”

Pampir turned his head to one side and pursed his lips. “I. . .I desired to assist you in the search for answers to the plant.”

“And you brought along Lord Eastwei’s pet to help you?” Yushir teased as he nodded down at me.

Pampir blinked at him before he set his sights on me. “Lord Eastwai’s. . .pet?”

I plopped myself down at his side and meowed.

The color drained from his face before he scrambled to his knees. He set his hands on either side of his head and dropped his forehead to the ground. The effort shook his body and he swayed a little from side to side.

“Forgive me, Emperor Eastwei!” he shouted as he shrank closer to the dirt. “I did not know this was your pet!”

“There is no need for such prostrations. You meant no harm,” Yushir assured him as he looked me over. “The better question is why did she accompany you?”

I stood and wound my lithe body between Eastwei’s legs. He lifted me into his arms as Pampir cautiously lifted his head. “I. . .I do not know. She attached herself to me as I traveled through the gate and we followed your scent by her nose.”

“Attached?” Eastwei mused with twinkling eyes as he studied me.

“Meow,” I replied as I puffed out my chest.

Yushir chuckled. “It appears she has no regrets about tagging along and speaking of our mission, we really should be continuing to Lord Leiren’s home. Are you able to keep up with us, Lord Pampir?”

Pampir eased himself onto his feet and nodded. “I believe so. The strain of dodging so many magics is what caused me to fall from the sky in the first place.”

Some of Yushir’s good humor vanished as he looked to where the turtles had gone. “Yes. We will have to find a suitable punishment for the clan and I only hope my uncle will be merciful. But we have a journey ahead of us and will look behind when we return to the gate.”

The trio of gods swept into the air by the use of their magic, taking me along with them.