A/N: Surprise, dear readers and lurkers! It's a little late for the New Year, but within the same week is good, right? Right. Please enjoy.

~ Chapter 3 ~

They had left Pigsy in charge of the kitchen; Sandy continued to be absent. With the feast set for early afternoon, Tripitaka had a few hours to herself. Well, so to speak. She didn't dare let Rune wander by himself; how he had kept alive under Monkey's hyper-scrutiny while she slept nearly 24 hours she'd never know. She had rather he stay near her so she could monitor him without a cunning plan from Monkey to kill him on the sly. Monkey was well-intentioned, if not honorable, and he would try to keep his promise to avoid killing Rune outright, but even sometimes Monkey could be easy prey to temptation and taunts.

The three of them were in the library where she had spent long, solitary hours in Devari's clutches. Dust and mold had disintegrated many parchments to mere scraps, but most were in good condition. After she rummaged about, she found the drawers of file cards- -even gods had to keep things organized- -and rifled through the alphabetized cards to find the relevant subject.

"We should be patrolling the village streets," complained Monkey from his seat on the window ledge. "It's a waste of time to look at meaningless old scribbles."

Tripitaka glanced from the open parchment in front of her. It didn't have anything to do with the sacred scrolls, but the topic had caught her attention on the card as she thumbed them. When she'd opened the folded parchment, the first line had her riveted…and curious. The fusty style of the writing would take work to translate, but it might be worth it if it augmented her woeful knowledge of demons and their artifacts. "Devari's plans may be in these 'old scribbles'. You could be helpful and search the throne room for any relevant information."

"Would master care for me to look?" asked Rune. He stood in a shadowed corner where he loomed like some sepulchral creature. When she had assigned him his name in the kitchen, he had not argued; he had not thanked her; he had sat with an inscrutable expression, almost as though he had absorbed the new name deep within him. The look had been a moment, nothing more, and in the next second he had jibed Monkey and everything had gone back to normal. "Devari did write messages to demons in control of other regions, and he also collected pertinent information about the sacred scrolls."

A tempting idea, but she could not let information about the scrolls' locations fall into a demon's hands under any circumstances. The god's language was beyond a demon's capacity to learn- -hence the reason Devari needed the gods to translate for him. Though she had a reasonable assumption that Rune could not read the god's language, he may tuck away a map or a slip of paper for later usage…or bargaining. She didn't think Devari would leave important translations lying around for anyone to see; as paranoid and power-hungry as he was, he'd have a secret box somewhere, and even should Rune find it, she didn't dare let him handle the documents, translated or not.

"No. I'll look through these parchments first and then we can search the throne room together," she said and caught the barest glint of annoyance in the demon's eyes. "Do you disagree, Rune?"

"Very wise of you not to trust me," he replied. He lifted his hands from where they had hung loose and white at his sides, but dropped them again as though they were too heavy to keep raised. "There are many things you do not know about me."

"All mysteries can be solved with time," she answered, quoting the Scholar. Rune's quick, startled glance satisfied her. There are many things you do not know about me, either.

"But it's so boring here," Monkey continued with a dramatic sigh. "There's nothing to do."

"If you had bothered to learn the god's language, you could help your master," said Rune. "A dull blade is useless."

Monkey shot a bewildered glare at Tripitaka. "You told him?"

"I promise you I said nothing," she said and scowled with disapproval at Rune. "How did you find out?"

Rune scoffed. "Any fool can see he doesn't understand the language, same as me. If he understood it, you'd have him reading these pieces of paper with you instead of interrupting every five minutes with childish complaints."

"I am not childish!" Monkey hopped off the sill and took a defensive posture. "I dare you to say it again!"

"Searching the throne room might be a better use of our time," Tripitaka said to avert another verbal spar. With gentle hands, she folded the ancient parchment, tied it, and secured it inside her tunic- -it was more precious than gold to her. "I had only hoped there might be some clues left here. Clearly, all relevant information to the sacred scrolls has long been removed or destroyed."

She led Monkey and Rune to the throne room, but perhaps 'throne room' was a misnomer. As she stood in the middle of the blighted room- -floor tiles grungy and filthy; the walls pitted, peeling, and scarred; the silken banners grayed and in tatters- -she noticed how out of place Devari's throne was. She realized he had probably brought it in when he took over Jade Mountain as Monkey's master had not believed in a king; she had witnessed as much through Monkey's memories. Any throne in this room was placed here after the fall of the gods- -it was Devari's symbol of power. The sight of it sickened her, and she wished she had the strength to tear it apart, to smash it to pieces and hurl the disgusting bits over the balcony's edge into the void.

"Show us the secret spaces, Rune," she commanded. When he gazed at her and didn't move, a quizzical expression reflected in the drawn brow, she tilted her chin and refused to be the terrified little girl hidden in a hole. "You have the ability to uncover secret places. You did so in the Scholar's house to find Monkey's crown."

Rune glared at her. Surprised? Confused? She wasn't sure. "Ah. I felt your presence behind the wall. I should have killed you when I had the chance."

"Yes, you should have. Now show us," she repeated.

He seemed exasperated again, but reached out his hand to the room at large. She felt the power in him rush outwards into the area like low inaudible throbs pulsating to every corner. The pulsations rattled in her chest and gut, squeezing her lungs, same as before when he had killed the other Tripitaka, his two travel companions, and the Scholar. The fine hairs lifted on her neck and arms, and she ignored the stab of fear to her chest. Within seconds, they heard a grating noise- -stone on stone, as one of the floor tiles shifted to reveal a small opening. On the heels of the grating stone, wood creaked, splintered, and scattered to the floor. A cabinet toppled to the side, showing a narrow doorway in the wall. Once the openings were revealed, Rune's power dissipated and Tripitaka could breathe easy once more.

She first crouched over the shallow hole in the floor. An ornate wooden box rested at the bottom of the space. When she leaned down, stretching her arms to get the box, Monkey stopped her with an abrupt hand on her shoulder.

"Wait," he said. "I don't trust it. It could be trapped."

"A space Devari frequently used?" asked Rune. "He was cautious, not stupid."

"Then you get the box," Monkey told him.

"Very well." Rune stooped, his pale hair draped forward, his cloak a silken puddle behind him, and in one fluid movement, grasped the box. As soon as his hands touched the wood, a crack like thunder deafened them, and a blaze of light blistered in the room. Wind whistled. Tripitaka felt heat and smelt the ozone. A brief flash, nothing more, and the room returned to normal. The box was in one piece at the bottom of the hole, but Rune was sprawled on the floor near the wall furthest from them. He was prostrate, arms and long legs outspread, hair and cloak in a muddle around him. Evidently, the strike had slammed him against the wall, and then he'd fallen face-down to the floor. Relieved he hadn't been returned to the Font, Tripitaka knelt at his side and smoothed away his hair.

"Rune? Are you okay?" She rotated him to his back and pressed her ear to his chest before she thought to question whether demons had heartbeats. Gods did- -it stood to reason demons would as well…or so she told herself. While she listened, she caught a whiff of smoky campfire and the tooled leather of his armor. In the silence, she heard the slow, quiet thump of his heartbeat, and when she held the back of her hand just above his nose and mouth, felt his breath stir. "He's alive at least. Monkey, what happened?"

Monkey didn't respond to her, and when she looked at him, he had already reached into the hole and hoisted out the wooden box. He shook it near his head- -she heard it rattle and watched as he fiddled with the clasp on the front. The entire time his posture was too casual, his eyes avoided hers, and he was very studious about the box.

"Something's inside, but the lid is locked," he announced. "I could pry it off with my staff, Tripitaka."

"Monkey? Did you see the trap beforehand?"

He scoffed; a poor attempt to be innocent. "Frightface is a demon. What difference does it make?"

And for some reason, Monkey's dismissive, unconcerned manner angered her. She stood and approached him, jabbing him in the chest with her forefinger as she spoke. "What difference does it make? Monkey, I was inside your memories at the Shaman's breaking grounds. All the gods were convinced you had murdered the Master and stolen the sacred scrolls for your own selfish purposes." Monkey backed away from her onslaught until he bumped into the wall, surprised with her emotion. "You were punished for 500 years because everyone believed you were capable of such a monstrosity. Aren't you judging Rune the same way you were judged all that time ago?"

"Why do you defend him? He actually did murder innocent people."

"Because he was ordered." She sighed to calm herself and stepped away. "The Font binds him to the summoner…that much is evident. Devari used him as a weapon, like we would a knife. A knife is a tool until it is used to take away innocent life. Rune is the knife. Whoever wields him determines his alignment and his purpose…for good or evil."

A light of realization dawned in Monkey's face, but a sputter, followed by a dry cough, interrupted her. Tripitaka left Monkey to his epiphany and went to offer Rune help. He squirmed on the floor before she stopped him with her hand on his chest. "Lie still. Recover yourself."

He nodded and meekly obeyed her. Some throw pillows were scattered at the foot of the throne, so she took one to prop Rune's head off the hard floor. His skin was even more pallid than usual and deep purple half-moons hung under his eyes. Several minutes passed. Her hand, of its own volition, stroked Rune's long hair; she didn't expect it to be as soft and textured as human hair. Was he asleep? He seemed relaxed, but then he swallowed and his brow furrowed. "No need to wait by my side, master. I will regenerate with time."

"Are you in pain?"

"I feel nothing."

Alarmed, she asked, "Is that normal for you?"

He opened his eyes to study her, but couldn't pull together his usual cold scorn. "Of course. Demons do not feel pain…or any physical or emotional sensation."

A demon's physical aspect she was sure was true, but not the emotional one. She had witnessed or heard tell Raxion, Locke, and Devari infuriated and impatient, envious and flirtatious; Rune himself had been sarcastic and annoyed in several of their encounters. "How long do you rest in instances like this one?"

"It depends on the strength of the magic. I was strong enough to withstand the spell, but barely. A weaker demon would have been destroyed." He was quiet a moment. "Half a day, perhaps longer, will be required before I am fully recovered."

"Is it possible to restore your strength without waiting?"

"Little monk, must you ask so many questions? It is quite difficult to endure your infernal curiosity while unable to escape."

Rune was at her mercy; she would take advantage of it while she could. "Is it possible?"

"Yes."

When he didn't continue, she prompted him. "How-"

"Tripitaka!" voiced Monkey from the secret room. "I think we found what we're looking for!"

Rune wasn't inclined to speak further on the subject, so she left his side to meet Monkey. Inside and centered was a large table with a margin of space around the edges for a person to stand. On the table was a map of the continent with various markings on it. Circles, scribbles, crosses, and arrows marred the names and illustrations of the map. Besides the map on the table, the walls were covered with parchment, pinned to the soft plaster with sharp needles in the corners. Pages and pages of annotated text were present, and Tripitaka saw Devari's obsession reflected in the meticulous research. He had been busy the last 500 years, but despite his careful records, he'd managed to find and translate only one of the scrolls. Tripitaka supposed she ought to be relieved, but a part of her was agog at how daunting their task was.

"Great work, Monkey," she said. Monkey leafed through a journal, the wooden box set to the side. "We must find a way to guard this study and the Font. Do you know of any way we can place a spell on the doorway? Or even some way of hiding the presence of the room?"

"Uh…Sandy might know. I'm not really one for woo-woo type stuff." After a moment, he tossed the journal to the table and gestured around him. "Devari was my best friend, but he was a bad guy the whole time. He was the cause of everything. How did it happen? How was I so blind?"

"I'm sorry you were betrayed. Maybe something here will help answer your questions." Tripitaka leaned to inspect the map. "Are these circled locations accurate to your memory?"

Monkey bent to study the map as well. "Eh, yes? Maybe? I flew around on my cloud, so I remember what the landscape looked like, not the exact locations according to a map."

"I see." In that case, she had some reading to do. Where to begin? Tripitaka took up a small square of blank parchment and a quill and prepared to jot out a quick note. "We can't help it. We need to conceal this room and make sure no one pokes around. I'll write a note. You'll have to find someone in the palace to deliver it to Sandy while I stay here and keep an eye on Rune."

"I have a better plan. I'll stand guard and you go in search of Sandy. I promise to keep good watch."

Tripitaka should have expected Monkey's refusal to leave her alone with the sentinel, but his concern for her well-being was a great comfort. She nodded in agreement because really, he had learned his hard lesson not to neglect guard duty. Before she turned to leave, she cast an eye over Rune, who had not moved an inch and looked like a corpse left on the floor. "I trust you. I'll be back soon."

As she swung by the kitchen to inform Pigsy of her plans, she debated whether to send word with the note or go in search of Sandy herself. While the note would free her to return to the maps and Devari's research, she ought to be seen in the village. People trusted a monk, especially one who had freed Jade Mountain from a demon's rule, and they would talk to her about stories or rumors or provide eyewitness accounts of various goings-on in the village. Yes, she could achieve two results with one action.

Outside, the cloudless sky was bright with sunshine and the temperature balmy. When she had first entered the village, the streets had been deserted, gloomy and dark under the pall of the demon's rule. How one eventful night changed everything! Shutters were thrown open as wives shook out rugs; colorful, freshly washed linens and clothes fluttered in the breeze on rooftops; children played tag in the streets as vendors hawked their items, no longer in fear of displeasing a demon and losing their livelihood. The oppressed masses had come alive and teemed throughout the dusty streets.

Her first stop was the local tavern. Monica had taught her taverns were an informational hub, frequented by travelers, government officials, and townsfolk alike who shared the news both from across borders and up and down the social hierarchy. She got directions, found the place, and entered the door to a bustling crowd, the tables and floor space near to bursting with flavorful people. Braver since the first time she ventured into a bar, Tripitaka approached the counter where a man with a formidable moustache poured ale into tankards.

"Excuse me?" When the barkeep harrumphed at her, she continued, undaunted. "I'm looking for a friend. She's tall with white hair and wears dark clothes."

At the barkeep's pointed gaze at the patrons, Tripitaka turned around and caught a glimpse of three tall women with white hair who wore dark clothes. Ah.

"Has a battle ax and a bone necklace?"

"Oh! Yes," said the barkeep. "She was in here awhile ago, advertising for a feast up at the palace. Me'n the missus're looking forward to it, I'll say. It's been a spell since we had a day off from our duties. Everyone who's come in has had something to say about Jade Mountain freed from them demons." He paused a moment and studied her. "Say, you wouldn't be the monk people're saying defeated Devari and his crew? I knew it," he continued even before she acknowledged or denied his conclusion, "you have a look about you. I suppose we all ought to be grateful for what you've done, giving us something to hope for. A divine gift from the gods, I'd say. How about a round on the house? We have some crusty bread and a passable soup if you're hungry."

"Thank you. You are so kind, but I must decline your invitation. I have urgent news to share with my friend. Did she mention where she would be going next?"

"Yes, she did in fact. We've got a marketplace down a few streets. It's ideal for spreading news. Out the door, go right and straight on down the road. You can't miss it."

Tripitaka thanked the barkeep once more for his information and hospitality. She strode along the street, determined to catch up to Sandy, and came into the marketplace where a larger grouping of merchants had set up stalls of food, beverages, and other goods. Sandy wasn't there, but Tripitaka was told she had been directed to an abandoned temple towards the southeast side of the village. The merchant warned her away- -stories of ghosts and evil spirits colored the temple as an undesirable place to be, and in fact, Devari had cursed the temple when he drove out the monks long ago.

A temple was another avenue of information Tripitaka could explore, but she doubted she would find anything useful after it had been seemingly abandoned for such a long time. And why would Devari leave it standing anyway? Why not burn it to the ground in an attempt to eradicate all former glory and power of the gods? Perhaps Devari, as vain as he was, believed when he became a god, he could use the temple as the center of worship for himself. With that unsettling thought, Tripitaka hurried along narrow streets and up a rocky, unkempt footpath.

The temple wasn't large and overlooked the village on a hillock which nestled against the mountainous cliffs. Gray granite from Jade Mountain had been sculpted and cut into smooth blocks to build the walls and pillars of the temple. Dandelions and grass grew between cracks in the paved walkways. Wildflowers crowded into a front courtyard, and verdant ropes of ivy clung to the columns and veiled walkways and windows. For it being 'haunted', the temple was full of small wildlife. Tripitaka heard birds chirp and the chatter of squirrels and insects hum around the flowers and pools of quiet water, not stagnant even after the centuries. She relaxed- -the temple was serene.

She stepped into the hewn entrance, shadowed and cool from the morning sun and heat. "Sandy?" Her voice echoed in the halls. "Sandy? Are you here?"

Parts of the ceiling had caved. Where the sunlight streamed in, flora thrived. Tripitaka roamed to her heart's content, wondering at the pieces of artful statues scattered in alcoves, peeking into darker doorways where the wood had rotted clean off the hinges, and frequently calling for Sandy. Soon, Tripitaka came to an upwards flight of steps. She had not seen a second floor from the front of the temple. Curious, she followed the steps, the path well lighted with dappled sunshine from jagged holes overhead. At the top was a large chamber carved inside the mountain itself. Somehow faint light reached to the depths of the chamber. The floor, columns, and walls were ornamented in pictographs, not characters, and Tripitaka yearned to use parchment and coal to make rubbings of the beautiful shapes. As she puzzled over their meaning, touching the cool walls with gentle fingertips, a familiar symbol snagged her attention.

Was that…?

She believed it was! Excitement washed through her as she fumbled inside her tunic for the folded parchment from the library. When she unfolded it and angled the paper to catch the most light, her theory was confirmed. The pictographs and the parchment both were marked with the same symbol- -a type of urn with lines emanating from it. A humanoid figure hovered above the urn's opening as though the urn sucked it in. She closed the parchment to search the dim recess of the chamber. Towards the back, in another alcove, was a type of altar. On the altar was a stand, and unless she was mistaken, the stand was the same size as the bottom of the Font.

Questions whizzed around her mind. Was the Font created by the gods? Its properties suggested very powerful beings created it. But for what purpose? Was it meant as a prison for demons? Or did a powerful demon create it so he (or she) could have access to an infinite army? Had the monks who once lived in the temple protect the Font? How did Rune fit into everything?

A whisper stirred Tripitaka from her musings…a faint footstep. She whirled around. No one stood in the square of light shining in from the entrance. Her flesh crawled, awash in a sudden cold sweat. "Sandy? Are you here?"

From beside her, the air stirred as a presence solidified.

A/N: I have been debating for awhile now if I should write a chapter from Rune's perspective. I might attempt it with chapter four, but we'll see. I like having him sinister and mysterious. Let me know your thoughts, and leave me some love in the comments. Thanks for reading!