Editing Chapter 2 (section)

==Selara had barely made it through the rubble...==

...and adopted the snake form when she heard shouting coming down the hallway of the strange shrine.  With the swift and sweeping footwork of her style she came to the glowing room, just in time to see Yao Ye strike a glancing glow to the jade hide of an immense stone beast.  As tall as Toruna at the shoulder, it was a great liondog, a guardian spirit of tombs, manses, and treasure troves.  Ye was shouting, “We are the Daybringers, and we’re here to Do Good, Be Awesome, and Annihilate...”

Before Selara could blink, the beast swatted Ye with one great paw.  She sailed across the full width of the room, bounced off the stone wall and landed in sprawled across the floor, her legs dangling in the pool.

Selara drew her seven section staff and lashed it to the stones before her, shattering a paver with the force of her blow.  “Foul spirit of contagion, if you seek blood then come and taste your own!”

The thing turned to face her with great, baleful eyes that seemed half crazed.  “How dare you!  Thieves in this holy place call me a spirit of contagion?  I’ll swallow you whole!”

“We don’t want your ill gotten gain...”  With that, she leaped bodily across the pool, hurling her staff before her.  The liondog caught it in its powerful jaws, but in that instant she was upon its back with both arms clamped around its throat.

Selara shouted, “Submit!  Release the plague from the city or I swear I’ll tear your head off and sell your body for boys and sake.”

The liondog rolled.  As the wind was knocked from the warrior’s lungs by several tons of stone, it roared, “You fools have brought the plague upon yourselves.  The grave treasure of Xie Tyen is cursed!”

Selara released her hold, stunned, and leaped away from the spirit.  “By the sun... do you swear that you speak the truth?  You’re not a plague spirit?”

The liondog watched her warily, then bowed low.  “I see that you have been deceived.  I swear that I have not betrayed my duty, though I am ashamed to admit that a thief did evade my guard three nights past.  I had become sleepy; the centuries do weigh heavily on me now, and I had thought the entrance must be sealed forever.  Forgive me, amalgam of the sun’s beloved.”

Selara bowed as well.  “We should not have been so rash... I apologize on behalf of my companion as well.”

“Hmm... I hope I didn’t kill her.”  The great liondog waded across the pond to where Yao Ye lay unconscious on the stone, her spear some three paces from her hand.  It leaned its massive head over her and breathed deeply.  Its gravelly voice murmured, “Hmm... strange...”

Selara picked up her staff and followed him through the water.  “Is she hurt badly?”

“She smells... like cinnamon.”  The liondog’s tongue flicked out of its mouth to lap wetly at her cheek.  “Maybe nutmeg...”

“Oh... bleh.”  Yao Ye rolled onto her side, her eyes still clenched shut.  “If you’re going to eat me, get it over with.  Your voice is making my head pound even worse...”

The silver-eyed warrior knelt beside the girl, “Ye, I’m sorry, but we have to ride.  We need to tell the village about the real cause of the plague, and quickly.  Can you move?”

One blue eye opened in response.  “Real... what?”

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