We found ourselves at the entrance of a massive arena, packed with more people peacefully gathered than I had ever witnessed. The crowd was divided by their attire; men wore robes or sashes in blue or green, exchanging words and drinks, occasionally shouting insults at those in the opposing colors before returning to their groups.

  The arena was a traditional hippodrome, rounded on one end and rectangular on the other, leading to a grand palace-like structure. A long central partition filled with statues and crowned by a tall obelisk dominated the field.

  Hou Zi stood behind me, his face a mix of boredom and slight disdain as I absorbed the scene. "Why is it designed this way? What's its purpose?" he questioned, frowning at the men passing by.

  "It's for chariot races," I replied.

  Hou's scowl deepened. "The horses pull a cart driven by a man," I further explained.

  "Do the horses consent to this?" he inquired.

  "I doubt it. I don't think anyone asks them," I admitted.

  "Sounds primitive," he muttered, surveying the crowd before suggesting, "Let's find something more worthwhile." Suddenly, his eyes widened as he caught a scent. "I smell food."

  Ignoring my objections, Hou grabbed my wrist and led me out of the arena to a street vendor selling almonds and pots of wine. The aroma of fish and fermentation made me grimace, but Hou was drawn to it until I freed my arm from his grip.

  "Do you remember why we're here?" I asked, channeling Fu Hao's reprimanding tone.

  He bought a jug of wine. "We're here to eat different food, drink different wine, and then sit on uncomfortable benches to watch stupid races, so we can locate your parents before they die again." He said it all in one breath without meeting my gaze, then lifted the jug and drank deeply. Wine trickled down his chin.

  I watched him, mouth agape. He grinned in a familiar way, stirring unexpected fondness in me.

  "I like your beard," he chuckled before turning to another vendor.

  I reached up to rub my face, The illusion I sported gave me a beard in the most common style of Constantinople. I was made to look a little taller and thicker, given robes that were neither elegant nor worn, and draped in a green sash.

  Hou’s robes were blue and looked very much as he always did in his illusions, young and handsome, but it was his mannerisms that drew attention. He lumbered slightly as he walked, his head a little too far forward, and I could almost make out his tail, though I dared not mention it. He could transform himself or create an illusion to look whatever way he wanted, but this version seemed to be his favorite.

  The crowd roared from inside the hippodrome as Hou Zi came striding back to me, carrying a jug in one arm and a linen bag filled with food in the other. He wore a broad grin and followed me into the arena where the first race was already ending peacefully.

  We found an empty bench near the top of the arena, drawing odd looks as we maneuvered through the crowd. A man in blue cursed and spat at me, but Hou Zi flicked his tail, redirecting the spit back into the man's face. Once we settled on our rented cushions, I noticed a clear divide between those in blue and those in green, a boundary we seemed to be crossing.

  "Did you notice?" I whispered, aware of the angry eyes watching us from the rows below.

  "Notice what?" Hou Zi replied, munching on nuts. He glanced around, flicked his tail again, and sent dust into their eyes, causing them to turn away. "I don’t notice anything."

  Hou had been instructed not to use his powers unless absolutely necessary. Guan Yin had forbidden him from helping me prevent my parents' deaths, as it would attract too much attention and risk incurring the Jade Emperor's wrath. He was trying to restrain himself, but what could you expect from the monkey king?

  We watched three races pass by as we ate. Hou was right; it was indeed barbaric. Chariots, drawn by teams of two to five horses, raced for five or seven laps. Teams were either in blue or green, and the winning side would erupt in cheers and jeers directed at the losing side. Rules seemed scarce as charioteers hurled insults and attempted to topple their opponents' horses or chariots.

  In the twelfth race, two chariots collided, sending broken horses to the ground with their drivers clambering away for safety. I covered my mouth in horror while Hou Zi snarled. The drunk crowd carried on in a frenzy while the horses suffered on the ground. I gripped Hou’s arm, trying to restrain him. Fury rose in his eyes.

  “We can’t do anything for them,” I said. Every muscle in his arm was taut and twitching. I understood his frustration. “I’ve tried to save things before—people, animals, children.” I shook my head. “Their fate is their own and we cannot interfere.”

  He stood still, but the fire was slowly leaving his eyes, dissolving into sadness.

  "I'm sorry. I know how much you care about horses," I said.

  There was a reason the celestial horses responded to him in ways they wouldn't for anyone else. He didn’t, just sat on his cushion and took a long swig of wine, watching the race end as they carted the bodies across blood-smeared sand. His silence was tense and unnerving. The crowd's noise grew with each defeat or victory. At the arena's squared end, under the building's roof, there were several figures, too far away for me to distinguish, but I assumed one must be Emperor Justinian I, recognized by a flash of purple.

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  Hou Zi stood as another crash happened, more sorrowful than the previous, and took my hand. "We're leaving."

  "Hou," I protested, trying to free myself but failing. I planted my feet, but he lifted me off the ground.

  "If you don't want me to use my powers, you'll walk," he said with a low growl.

  I relented. I had a feeling my parents wouldn't show up tonight. It didn't feel like before, and there was no scent of plum blossoms.

  "We should find somewhere to stay tonight," I murmured as we walked through the streets.

  He grabbed another jug of wine, dropping coins as he went. We found a small inn and rented two rooms, though Hou Zi wouldn't use his. "You need to sleep," I said.

  "I was trapped for five hundred years; I've done enough sleeping," he replied. "I'll either keep watch or walk the streets."

  “Five hundred?” I stammered. I hadn’t considered that his imprisonment would be on earth. I followed him up the stairs, closing the door behind us as he kicked off his boots.

  “You were alone for five hundred years?” I asked.

  He took another swig of wine. The illusion slipped; the black hair turned reddish brown while his tail swayed behind him. “Where did you think I had gone, Jiang Li?”

  I sat on the floor, a weight in my chest. “I didn’t know. No one would tell me where you were, and I was so angry with you…” I paused, shaking my head. “That had to be… lonely.”

  He sat beside me, studying the jug in his hands. “Five hundred to me was not long for you. Why should you have thought otherwise? And your knowing wouldn’t have mattered. You couldn’t have releasee me either way.”

  We sat quietly, until he shoved the jug at me. “You should drink too.”

  “I can’t. What if they come tonight?” I asked.

  “There isn’t enough left to get me drunk anyway, silly girl. But you should try to enjoy some things while you’re here.” He raised his eyebrows, nudging me with his elbow. “What’s your face like when you are having fun? Will it crack or break? Aren’t you afraid it will stick like that?”

  I squinted at him, unsure if he was joking or attempting to upset me. I snatched the jug and tipped it into my mouth. The first sip was sweet, but it burned my throat. I coughed and sputtered while Hou Zi laughed. We shared the rest of the wine and spoke of old times. Skipping stones across the lake and teasing the fish and fairies. I laughed at his embellishments, and at the new stories he told me until my head grew foggy and the room spun. Sleep threatened to shut my eyes.

  “I missed you, LiLi,” he said.

  I met his gaze. His head tilted curiously, as if he were surprised at himself. I was about to reply when a scream erupted from the street below. Stumbling to the small window I saw a mass of people in the streets. Men were fighting while soldiers tried to intervene. It is only now that that I can admit my desire to flee from that awkward moment. I sometimes wonder what might have happened had I stayed.

  “We have to go.” I stumbled down the stairs and ran towards the thickest part of the mob. I was drunk and searching as someone grabbed my arm from behind. I swung before looking, breaking the nose of a man in blue robes. He snarled, blood pouring from his rough features as he drew back his fist, but it froze in the air for a long second as Hou pulled me away. The fist met empty space as the momentum sent the man sprawling. He cursed and chased after us.

  “This is foolish,” Hou said. “They aren’t here, and you’re endangering yourself.”

  “I could have handled him myself. You shouldn’t be using your powers,” I said with slurred words.

  “You don’t want me to use my powers?”

  “No,” I snapped.

  “Fine. I won’t,” he said, standing a little taller. “Go ahead and get into a drunken fight or get beaten up. Is that what you want?”

  I slid to a stop, glaring at him with unreasonable anger. “Yes.”

  His eyes narrowed as he stared at me. “You aren’t a child any longer, I suppose. Anyone can see that.” He shrugged. “I’m going to find more wine.” He walked away.

  I watched his tail disappear after he had used Muzha’s words against me. My cheeks burned as I wondered if he had heard all the conversation. I had a strong desire to scream at him.

  A man wearing green robes collided with me before giving me a brotherly hug. He asked me to accompany him and his friends as they attacked a smaller group of men in blue. Boldly, he gestured in their direction. With the alcohol wearing off, it struck me that I had no weapon and was stupidly vulnerable. I politely retreated, then ran after Hou, avoiding the curses thrown at me.

  He leaned against a wall, releasing a steady stream of urine. A jug of wine slung in one hand. He didn’t acknowledge my approach, knowing my embarrassment would turn me around, which it did. Fighting the blues might have been better than this scene.

  “Couldn’t do without me, I see,” he said.

  I closed my eyes, the world still spun but not as quickly. “You’re supposed to protect me. You can’t leave me.”

  He sighed and slung an arm around my shoulders. “Protect you or don’t protect you, which is it? You tell me I am free and then put me in a prison,” he said, motioning to the circlet on his head. “Jiang Li has become my jailer.”

  I pushed his arm away as I swayed slightly. “I’m not…”

  A man tackled me from behind, taking me to the ground as Hou took another drink, watching impassively. My fist connected with the man’s eye as he swung towards my face. His fist slowed and I managed to get a knee into his groin, tossing him to the ground before he could recover.

  Hou chuckled as I scrambled to my feet. Four more men dressed in blue robes surrounded me.

  “Do you want my help yet?” Hou asked.

  “No,” I snapped.

  “Is this greenie bothering you, brother?” One of the men asked the monkey.

  Hou chuckled. “Oh, she bothers me greatly.”

  The man swung at me as we descended into a barrage of fists and kicks. My nose was bleeding, but the alcohol numbed my pain, and I landed hit after hit until he lay still on the ground. I smiled at Hou until another man caught me in the stomach, doubling me over as I gasped for breath.

  Hou’s chuckle died. The man and the other blues froze in the street, their faces contorting with frustration as their limbs ceased moving.

  Hou sniffed and pulled me to my feet. “I’m bored. Let’s go back to the inn.”

  I wiped the blood from my mouth quietly and followed him like a wounded pup. We were twenty feet away when the crowd reanimated and continued their fighting. We were nearly to the inn when soldiers surrounded us.

  “Are these the ones?” a soldier asked.

  A man in plain clothes nodded. “They were involved. I saw them.”

  Hou tensed beside me, but I caught his eye and shook my head. “What did we do?” I asked.

  The soldiers surrounded us. “You’re being arrested for the murders at the races earlier. “

  I began to protest but the soldier’s hit came faster than I expected, my world filled with stars and blood until it went black.