Leila really did wake Yuelan and the others before dawn the next morning and at first light they headed off into the woods on the far side of the river from where the boats were anchored. As previously agreed, Leila led the way and Guangfeng took up the rear with Yuelan, Willow, and Byakko in the middle.

Yuelan started to tire after a couple of hours of walking. Leila had made sure she and Willow had good shoes for walking in, but Yuelan’s feet still hurt. She regretted not taking the time to exercise every day. If she’d taken even a few minutes to run around her garden every day she’d be in better shape for this trek. She resolved to exercise every day from now on. There were more temples she needed to visit after this one and if they were as remote as this was she was going to have a hard time getting to them.

Another hour after Yuelan thought she couldn’t go on any farther, Byakko suddenly roared next to her. It sounded more like a challenge than friendly and it startled Leila, who turned around and had her whip in her hand and ready to use against the tiger. Byakko ignored Leila and stared into the woods as he roared a second time.

Guangfeng frowned at the Tiger’s behavior and pulled out his sword. “Leila, I don’t think he’s angry with us. Something’s coming.”

The ground started to shake and Yuelan staggered into Willow, who caught her and helped to steady her.

“Move to the side. They will not stop.” Byakko’s voice was deep and gravely and he started nudging the four humans toward a thicket of bushes nearby. Yuelan, Willow, Leila, and Guangfeng stagger as they’re shoved through the bushes into the middle of the thicket. The thorns on the bushes tore their clothes and the four humans crouched down.

Outside the thicket a horde of furious creatures of all kinds stampeded past just a few feet away from the thicket. Manticores, kilin, ravens, rhinos, foxes with snowy fur and multiple tails, and many others rushed past where the group was hidden with Byakko standing between the humans and the strangely mismatched creatures.

The stampede continued for an hour before it finally stopped and Byakko let them come out of the thicket. The white tiger shifted into his human form and looked at Yuelan with his golden eyes. “This is not normal behavior for those creatures,” he informed the priestess. “They would never travel together nor ignore a challenge from one of the four divine beasts.”

Yuelan nodded. “What do we do?”

“We find the Azure Dragon as quickly as possible. I believe those creatures may have been running from where the Azure Dragon is.” Byakko’s tone is solemn. “You may need to form a contract with them as well.”

“Then let’s go.” Yuelan brushed herself off and pulled a couple of sticks from her hair that had gotten caught when she was shoved through the bushes by the tiger. “It shouldn’t be too hard to follow the trail to where they came from.”

It was indeed easy to follow. The creatures had left trampled plants and even pushed down trees in their path. Yuelan walked with the others until her feet were throbbing and Byakko made her get on his back. After a couple of minutes riding the tiger, Yuelan fell asleep.

Guangfeng frowned as he watched Yuelan swaying dangerously on Byakko’s back and when she started to fall he hurried forward to catch her only to discover that she’d somehow changed positions and was lying securely between the great tiger’s shoulder blades instead of falling. He blinked.

Byakko huffed. “I would not let her fall off. Worry about your own task.”

The prince returned to the rear and kept an eye out for potential dangers.

***

The group continued until it started to get dark and Leila called a halt. “It’s too dangerous to travel at night when we can’t see. There’s a cave over there we can take shelter in for the night.” She pointed to a group of rocks stacked into a hill shape. In the middle of them there was a hole. “No fires, so eat the rations we packed.”

Guangfeng frowned. “Why no fires?”

“Fires attract the creatures here. We need rest, so we shouldn’t ask for a fight. I’ll take first watch.” Leila headed toward the cave and the others followed behind her.

Willow set out blankets for Yuelan to sleep on and pulled out the rations for them to eat before making up her own blankets to sleep on.

Even though Yuelan had taken a nap earlier in the day, she was exhausted. She barely managed to eat her share of crackers, dried meat, and fresh fruit before falling asleep in her blankets.

Byakko shifted into his human form and studied Yuelan for a bit before looking at Guangfeng and Leila. “This area is draining her. She will ride on my back tomorrow and rest. We must find the Azure Dragon quickly.”

Leila frowned. “Draining her? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It is pulling her magic from her. The temple here must be in even worse shape than the one in the west was. She will need all her strength to repair it.”

Guangfeng thought back to what he’d learned when he went with Yuelan to Kilin and he paled a little. “If we stay here too long she’ll die, won’t she?”

Byakko nodded. “At least until the temple is restored, yes. There is very little magic here. It’s what drove the beasts insane. It is affecting even me. I am safe because of my bond with the Priestess, but most creatures are not so fortunate.”

“Sounds like we need to hurry then,” Leila interrupted. “Get some sleep. Guangfeng, you take last watch and wake us up at first light. Willow can have second watch and we’ll just let the priestess sleep.”