The number of Tibetans inside the chamber had more than doubled. They sat on odd carpets and blankets, all chanting the same mantra now, the invocation of the red Tara, the fierce goddess Metok had invoked. The old woman led Pike along the smoldering braziers, pausing at each to recharge it with new boughs. Pike mutely complied, holding the juniper until he stood at the last brazier, his task complete, and stared at the tunnel that led deeper into the mountain. He did not look back at Shan, just proceeded into the darkness.

Shan caught up with him by the little gas stove in the long chamber, where the kettle simmered. Yankay sat nearby, on a stack of folded blankets, nursing a cup of tea.

“Nothing is more patient than a mountain,” the hail chaser proclaimed, then gestured to the kettle. “Have some tea.”

Pike accepted a cup as Shan poured and drank in silence, gazing first at the pool of light at the far end of the chamber then the murals of demons on the wall, given movement by a long row of flickering butter lamps. He seemed to have grown exhausted when he finally spoke. “Who are they?” he whispered.

“There were a lot of names for them,” Shan said. “The faith testers, the enforcers of the straight path, the protectors of right conduct. I’ve even heard them called the conscience demons. Pilgrims came for hundreds of years to walk along that line.”

Shan saw that Pike’s hand had gone to the gun on his belt.

“Now it is your turn to walk it,” Shan said.

Pike did not take his eyes from the demons as he replied. “That’s why you brought me here, to be mocked by a bunch of Tibetan gremlins?”

“If that’s what you wish to call it,” Shan said, “then yes. They reflect whatever the pilgrim brings to them.”

Pike did not react as Shan took the mug from his hand, just kept staring at the frightening images. “I’m tired, Shan,” he finally said, “so damned tired of this world. I thought I would spend my life in the military, but the politicians gutted the role of the soldier. I thought I would spend the rest of my life in the FBI bringing criminals to justice but only discovered that the line between sinner and saint was too blurred for me. I thought I might be a scholar and help a younger generation understand the world, but then I realized that maybe if I left them alone they might have a chance at creating a better world. I lost my heart when my wife died. I lost my soul when my daughter died. If I could be certain you would be able to give those bastards what they deserve, I think I might kill myself right here.”

“But you won’t,” Shan said.

Pike’s voice had grown hoarse. “Why?”

“This is Gekho’s cave.”