BOOK 10. There are two tales at the beginning. Zhao Yunlan is searching for a lost artefact while Black Robe is searching for the same thing in a different world. One story is partly an illusion, while the other is very real and when they merge...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Shen Wei followed Yunlan into the shelter. From the outside it looked old and abandoned but when they stepped in, it was warm and dry. The trapper walked past and sat down facing them, studying their clothes and footwear.
"Camping for a few days? You have the right gear but it doesn't explain why you were near my shelter after dark. What happened to your ankle? Did you step in a trap? Walk over there and back."
Yunlan did as he was told but by this time Apep had managed to subdue the pain and his limp was almost gone.
"If it was one of my traps you wouldn't be walking. Now explain yourselves." The trapper demanded and waited for one of them to speak. Shen wei nodded to Yunlan because he was normally the more talkative one, and he tried to think of a believable but simple excuse.
"First of all, you're right about camping, our gear is on the plateau, and we came down for a walk but we spent too much time in the tavern and got lost on our way back in the dark, and when wesaw your lights we didn't know whether to come and ask for directions or not because it would look strange, two men coming to a stranger's door during the night just to ask how to get back to their campsite. My friend has night blindness, and that's why we were moving so slow."
The tracker stared continuously at them for two minutes without blinking, while Wei tried to look as incapable as he possibly could, until the tracker gave in and howled with laughter.
"City folks trying to go camping just to see if they'd like it and can't even find their way back to their tent, did you not bring a map with you? And taking a half blind person out in the dark. What would happen if you stood in one of my traps, would he be able to help? No. You would be bait for the animal I was trying to catch ... Would you like a coffee since you're here?"
The trapper filled his kettle with water and put it on the fire to boil while he showed his guests a seat and put two empty cups on the table for them. Yunlan felt relieved but Wei didn't, the Spirit was tense and they watched as the man brought a jar of coffee over and made it fresh in front of them, giving it to them without milk.
"Do you like your coffee sweet? I have sweeteners but no sugar, would that do?" He asked as he brought the small container down to show them, and put a couple in Wei's cup but Yunlan didn't take any.
The tracker also poured himself a mug and sat down to join them as they drank, watching their every move as he sipped his coffee. As soon as Yunlan was finished, he thanked the man for his kindness and the trapper gave them a torch to light their way while he pointed them in the right direction. Wei wanted out of that shelter as quickly as possible and left without finishing his coffee which he didn't like, and hoped that nothing had been added to it. They set off towards the mountain using the flashlight because they knew that the trapper would be watching and it would allow him to see where they were going.
