“Fox,” Sonam warns.
“I don’t believe you,” I continue, on edge and queasy. “What do you get out of helping us?”
Kelai looks at me with genuine pity. “You poor child. When was the last time someone was kind to you?”
My face heats. It’s a stupid question, but I can’t help but wonder. Whenwasthe last time someone was kind to me? I’ve been on my own for so long that I’ve rarely had the opportunity for such a thing. And even if I did spend time surrounded by people, I’m sure their attitudes toward me would quickly change once they realize what I am.
Offering kindness to a demon? How absurd.
My jaw aches, my innate compulsion to answer direct questions forcing words into my mouth. “I don’t recall,” I mutter bitterly.
Kelai rises from the table, so graceful I’d mistake her for a cloud in all her pearly white robes. “Let me find some parchment so I can draw you that map. I’ll return momentarily.” She leaves swiftly, so light on her feet that I hear no footsteps. Kelai doesn’t so much step as she does glide, disappearing beyond the doors of the kitchen to an adjacent room just out of sight.
Sonam plucks a bit of chicken between his chopsticks and places the morsel in my empty bowl. “Do you really think it’s a trick?” he asks.
“Absolutely,” I reply, reluctantly picking up my own utensils. I fumble with them awkwardly, unsure how to balance them between my fingers. “All this information, but at what cost? I don’t trust a word out of her mouth.”
“Neither do I,” Sonam says with a heavy sigh. “The food isn’t half bad, though.”
“I would wait to see if Wen keels over first.”
The guard in question looks up, his mouth stuffed full of rice and veggies. He swallows thickly. His face hasn’t turned green, and his tongue has yet to swell. “Tastes fine.”
“Stay vigilant,” Sonam instructs. And then, quieter, so only I can hear, “Eat what you’re able, Fox. Who knows how much longer we’ll be down here.”
His words are surprisingly gentle. I’d think it was sweet were it not for the fact that he probably wants to keep my belly as full as possible so I don’t eat his compatriots instead. He must be nervous about upsetting me.
Running my tongue over my teeth, I risk a small bite of the food he’s piled into my bowl. It’s fine. The taste is pleasant enough, though it won’t be long before I lose control. The countdown to ravenous, maddening hunger began the moment I finished with the drunkard back in Longhao. One wouldn’t expect a tiger tosubsist on a diet of vegetables, nor a demon on human meals. While not impossible, it goes against our better nature. I will need more than these few meager bites. All I have had is some stale rice, salted fish, and two fingers. I’m going to waste away at this rate.
Kelai returns with a giddy laugh, carrying an impressive collection of fabric in her arms. “Look what I found! You all look like you could use a hot bath and a change of clothes. Let’s see what fits you.”
She comes right for me and Sooah, ushering us to our feet. I take a step back, trying to avoid her excessive fawning. “A bath really isn’t necessary,” I say quickly.
“Nonsense! Believe me, you’ll feel a lot better once you’ve washed off all this blood and grime.”
“But—”
“This way, this way,” she says, practically shoving us down a nearby hall.
I clench my fists, ready to strike. This could be her strategy. Lower our guard, separate us from the group, and then torture us until the end of time in some perverse, wretched way. There’s a frenzied energy about her, I notice now, unstable and flitty like a hummingbird. Her old, feeble appearance won’t fool me. I know all about using my looks to my advantage. Sooah seems just as alarmed.
I throw an urgent glance at Sonam, but the star goddess is surprisingly strong. She leads us away before I have the chance to do anything.
24Yue
Hunting Log #387:
What must I have done in a previous life to deserve this one?
Ipause when we step intoa room full of steam. A bathhouse, built as an extension to the pavilion in its own standing structure. Moisture drips from the ceiling, coats the walls, puddles on the floors so that they’re slick and treacherous. A deep pool sits in the corner, dotted by a border of large, coarse rocks. The water is shallow and clear, trickling over the edges from some unseen underground current. I taste salt in the air, the warmth of the steam filling my lungs and revitalizing my airways. How odd it is to find such a heavenly place in Hell.
“You… really only want us to bathe?” I mumble.
Kelai laughs, bright and bubbly. “Of course, my child. Set your clothes here, I’ll leave new robes for you. Let me know if you need anything.”
I furrow my brows. “What about the map—”
“Anything at all!” she interjects loudly, before skipping off the way she came.
