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Fifty-Four

Ma had vaguely expected the temple of Kuan Yin to be quiet, a haven from the mounting chaos in the city beyond, but the courtyard was full of people. They clamored prayers as they besieged the elderly priest; some were frantically reading their fortunes as they tried to make sense of what was happening to them. No Ro Shi shouldered them aside, and ignoring the priest's protestations, made his way through the temple doors.

Ma had been to the temple once before, to pay his respects to the goddess, and it was just as he remembered it. The jade statue of Kuan Yin stood serenely at one end of the long room; fresh flowers covered the altar. No Ro Shi strode towards the statue without breaking his stride.

"What are we doing here?" Ma asked.

"Things are happening much faster than I reckoned, Ma. The plague's already loose. There's nothing we can do to stop it in this world, we'll have to go to Hell."

"What?" Ma quavered, not believing what he'd just heard.

"Chen will need our help," the demon-hunter said, gathering an armful of incense sticks. "We don't have time to go through the Night Harbor. Come and stand over here."

"No way," Ma said.

The demon-hunter turned and his gaze was once more dark and compelling. "Do as you're told, Ma. You might not be a lot of use, but I want someone at my back."

 

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Framed