I woke to the smell of smoke. I blinked, trying to decide if this is a nightmare. But my nightmares were usually filled with white strings not smoke. I sat up.

  Wukong was up too. He gave me an alarmed look. “Yue, something’s wrong. Wake the others. I’m going to see what’s going on.”

  He summoned Nimbus and flew out of the room. I hurriedly shook Pigsy, Sandy, and Trip awake.

  The moment they smelled smoke they were up.

  “What’s going on?” Trip asked.

  “I don’t know. Wukong went to find out.”

  Wukong came back, flying in, looking amazed. He shook his head. “You won’t believe what’s going on out there. The monks are setting fire to their own monastery.”

  “What?!” Trip shouted. “Why?!”

  Wukong shook his head. “I have no idea. But considering the fact they left us in here, asleep, I assume they wanted to burn us with it. What should we do Tripitaka?”

  Trip looked like a startled deer. “I-I don’t…” He still seemed shocked.

  After waiting a few moments for direction from Trip, Wukong sighed. “I say if the monks want to burn their own monastery, we let them. Let’s just grab Ao Lie and wait out the fire.”

  Sandy went and put a blanket around Trip’s shoulders. The smell of smoke was getting stronger. The fire was getting closer.

  Pigsy went and easily knocked down the outside wall, offering us an easy escape. Sandy steered Trip outside, and Wukong followed after them, but paused when he saw I hadn’t moved.

  “Yue? Is something wrong? Are you scared?”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t scared of a little mundane fire. But was that really our only option? To escape and watch the monastery burn from afar?

  My hands balled up in to fists. This wasn’t right. I wasn’t sure if this was just an elaborate scheme to get the cassock or if there was another reason for them to set the place ablaze, but it wasn’t right.

  I looked back up at Wukong, my mind made up. “No. I’m going to stop the fire. We can save the monastery.”

  Sandy turned towards me in surprise, and Trip seemed to lift his head a little at my declaration. Even Pigsy stuck his head back inside and stared at me in shock.

  Wukong hopped off Nimbus and shook his head. “The fires have already spread too far, and the wind isn’t helping things. The monastery is already gone.”

  “Not if we put our minds to it. We’re immortals. If anyone can put out this fire, we can. Please Wukong, this is Guanyin’s monastery, and we all know we somehow caused this. We have to do what we can to make it right.”

  “Yue, the monks who set the fire are at fault, not us.”

  “That doesn’t mean we don’t bear any responsibility. Please Wukong, we have to at least try.”

  He sighed, and for a moment said nothing. Then he nodded. “Fine Yue, but you can’t place yourself in any danger. What’s your plan?”

  I smiled. Wukong would help. “Get Ao Lie to turn into her dragon form and bring rain. Then take this.” I flashed a large blanket out of my necklace. “And put it over the back half of the monastery. It’s fireproof, so it should keep the flames from spreading.”

  Wukong nodded, and jumped back onto Nimbus before zipping off.

  I looked at Sandy. “Take Trip a safe distance away and guard him. Pigsy, I need you to draw as much water out of the well as possible. I can use it to try and fight the flames.”

  We went outside. Sandy steered Trip away from the blaze, and I got a good look at what we were fighting.

  The flames had spread far. But I was determined. Until Ao Lie brought that rain, I’d keep the fire from claiming any more of the monastery.

  Pigsy began hauling up water and I used chi manipulation to draw even more water out of the well.

  Instead of dumping a paltry amount of water onto the fire, I instead used the water to saturate the areas the flame hadn’t spread to yet. We worked quickly, and soon the fire was contained.

  I began working around the edges, where it was already wet, pushing inward, but I didn’t make much progress. We just couldn’t get much water out of the well.

  The building began to collapse, the fire taking it’s toll. It had claimed about a third of the monastery. I bit my lip as I sent another bucket into the blaze. It seemed like we couldn’t do anything to try and keep it from claiming the buildings it had already spread too.

  Something hit my head. A raindrop. Then another and another. Soon, it was pouring.

  Sandy, Pigsy, and I cheered as the flames began to abate from the rainstorm localized above the monastery. I could see Ao Lie’s sinuous dragon form twisting and dancing among the clouds.

  Wukong jumped down and joined us, but he had a thin, grim line set to his mouth.

  Our cheers stopped. “Wukong?” I asked.

  He sighed. “I checked the head monk’s rooms. No cassock.”

  What? This really was about the cassock?

  Trip stumbled then keeled over and vomited. Sandy patted his back, but had a dark glint in his eye. Pigsy growled.

  This really was about the fucking cassock. A piece of fucking clothing. That old bastard not only tried to kill us, he set fire to his own monastery to do it.

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  The depths of his greed made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to hurl like Trip. That old man was truly disgusting.

  Wukong shook his head again. “I also found monks on the inside. It seemed not all of them were let in on the plan.”

  My disgust turned to rage. He planned to kill his own. A sin worthy of death.

  Some had no doubt burned. But we managed to save some too.

  I needed to control myself. I took a deep breath and unclenched my hands.

  “I’ll ensure the fire is completely out. The three of you should go inside and gather the monks that survived. They deserve to know what happened.”

  “Yue, are you okay? Ao Lie can make sure the fire’s out.”

  “No, I’ll do it. Get Trip inside and get him warmed up.”

  Wukong reached out for my hand, but I yanked it back and turned away.

  I was soft as I said. “Not right now Wukong. I can’t break down yet.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat, and angrily wiped away my tears. Despite what anyone could tell me, I knew I was at least partially responsible for this. We never should have shown that bastard the cassock. Not if we could have prevented this.

  I heard Wukong turn to the rest of the group, and tell them the plan, and I stubbornly marched over to the dying flames.

  While the rain was doing an admirable job, it needed a little help with the hotspots. I directed to the water to where it was needed, using my chi sight to find hotspots among the rubble. Once I was sure the last of the flames were out, I headed to the building where we ate yesterday.

  Once inside, I whisked the water off of me, and followed the sounds of laments and whispers to the dining hall.

  The monks were in a state of disarray. Wukong sat on Nimbus, keeping them back from Pigsy, Sandy, and Trip, who had made a small fire in the fireplace to warm him.

  Trip seemed a little calmer at least, but he still looked appalled. Probably thinking about the head monk. Sandy was tending the fire, stoking it and cast a worried glance at me.

  Pigsy, true to form, had gotten food. He gave a bowl of rice to Trip, who shakily took a bite.

  When Wukong saw me, he raced over on Nimbus. “Yue?”

  I sniffed, and lifted my arms up. “Wukong.”

  He lifted me up, and hugged me as I stopped suppressing my tears. He floated over to the fire to try and warm me up.

  “Wukong,” I continued sobbing, not out of place here as many of the monks had tear tracks and anguished expressions. They had been not only almost killed, but betrayed, by someone they dearly trusted. A few of them began to gather in groups and talk amongst themselves.

  He held me as I cried, still unable to understand why. Why did all this happen because of a cassock? It was nice, but it was just cloth and stitching. A simple piece of clothing. People had died over it. Burned to death for the head monk’s greed.

  “Shhh. It’s okay Yue. It’s okay.” Wukong continued to comfort me as my tears wound down.

  I looked over at Trip. “I’m sorry. None of this would’ve happened if I didn’t convince you to show your cassock.”

  Trip paused, then slowly shook his head. “No. You were just thinking the best of our hosts. And even after we saw the head monk’s greed, none of us could have forseen this. This is evil. None of us are at fault. The head monk needs to be punished.”

  Wukong growled. “I’ll happily give it to him while I’m getting your cassock back. We just need to find out where that bastard has gone.”

  “Excuse me?” We turned to two monks who had approached us. They both had tear tracks, but one had a far more determined look than the other. They were both young, and I recognized one as the monk who first greeted us at the gate.

  He was the one who wore the determined expression. “Are you going after the head monk?”

  “Shao!” The second one hissed.

  He turned towards his friend. “What? We have nothing left to lose. You know something is wrong. It’s been wrong ever since the head monk first took over. It’s just that no one wants to admit it!”

  The other boy flinched and looked away. We shared a glance between us before Wukong moved Nimbus over, giving them space around the fire.

  “It sounds like you have something you want to tell us.” Wukong said. “Go ahead and take a seat. Pigsy?”

  “Gotcha.” Pigsy fixed them two bowls, and they reluctantly sat down.

  The older one, Shao, didn’t bother trying to eat, although the younger one nibbled on it between nervous glances at Wukong, Pigsy, and Sandy.

  Instead, he launched right into a story. “It happened when he came around two years ago, when the old head monk died. Our monastery was poorer then. We didn’t have as much to eat, and our robes were poorer. Most of our money went towards incense, and repairs on the monastery. But the people around here were more receptive to us. They were friendly, and willing to at least learn the basics about Buddhism. We focused on doing good works for travelers that came through, in the name of our patron, Guanyin. But then, the old head monk fell ill, and died before he could receive treatment. The new head monk took over.

  “After the head monk took charge, more money started coming in. We had enough to redo the decorations in the temple and new luxuries for the monks. But the people in the valley changed. They began to curse us and call us thieves. None of us here knew what was really going on. And some of us didn’t care either. But the people of this valley and the travelers passing through no longer came to us.

  “But the money kept coming in. Several nights when I was on gate duty, I’ve let cloaked figures into the monastery, and they’ve met with the head monk under the cover of night. I watched them leave, and they headed to the mountain east of here. I believe that’s where the head monk is now. I believe the figures are thieves who steal from the valley in the name of our monastery, and donate it to us. I’m sure the head monk had something to do with it, but I could never speak out because there were too many monks who supported him.”

  Shao grimaced and looked down at his bowl. “Of course, they’re all gone now.”

  The younger boy looked at him. “Li didn’t betray us. He would have never have left us to die, no matter how much he likes his new cassock.”

  “Well, he’s not here. So that means he’s either with them or…” The word he didn’t want to say hung above the two boy’s heads like an axe. They both looked devastated.

  Wukong nodded. “Okay. I’ll head to the mountain and take a look around. It’s the one directly east of here you said?”

  Shao nodded. “Yes. I’m sure the thieves have some kind of hideout there. And please,” A dark look crossed his face. “Don’t spare the head monk.”

  “Shao!” The younger monkey protested again, but Shao just angrily shook his head.

  “No. I don’t care Shen. I’ll never forgive the head monk for what he’s done. Not even if Boddisattva Guanyin descended right now and asked me to. I know it goes against our teachings, but I’ll never be able to let go of my hatred for him. He deserves to face the judges of the underworld for his sins, and I hope he’s reincarnated as a worm and never attains enlightenment. He’s made a mockery of our monastery and smeared Guanyin’s name before condemning us all to burn. He doesn’t deserve to live.”

  The younger boy, Shen, looked down at his bowl of rice before angrily shoving in another bite.

  Shao sighed and looked back up. He focused on Trip. “I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you too older brother. I know I make for a poor monk.”

  Trip shook his head. “I wouldn’t ask you to try and forgive him. Not when the wound is still so fresh. And I agree.” His eyes were lit with the flames as he looked up at us. “Some evil deserves to burn for their sins.”

  The rest of us shivered. I didn’t know what had happened in Trip’s past, but it was clear he had some strong feelings about it.

  Wukong nodded. “So I have permission?”

  Trip look thoughtfully into the flames. “Bring him here alive. He needs to answer to the people he’s hurt most first. Then he can die.”

  Wukong gave him one last nod and looked at me. “I’m coming with you.”

  “Yue, no. It could just be mortal bandits, or it could be a demon. It’s too dangerous.”

  “That’s why I’m coming with you. I’ll stay invisible, and I’ll only intervene if I think you’re in danger.”

  Wukong sighed. “I’m not going to convince you not to come am I?”

  “Nope. If you leave me here, I’ll just follow you.”

  “Fine.” He turned to Pigsy and Sandy. “You two. Look after our master and try to help the monks get this monastery back in order. We’ll be back before the next sunset.”

  Sandy nodded and gave a salute while Pigsy groaned. “Why do you get to have all the fun while I’m stuck here with all the work?”

  With a deft twist, Wukong smacked him on the top of his head with his staff. Pigsy yelped and rubbed his head while Wukong smirked.

  “Because I’m the older brother that’s why. Behave yourself.” With that last warning, Wukong flew us out of the dining hall, and out of the monastery.