Lian tried to peer through the canopy of trees as she walked. Aircraft roared overhead and branches rattled as though a storm had rolled in. The nun set a brisk pace and was already far ahead; she hadn’t even bothered to pause when the airplanes flew by. She probably walked this steep trail every day.

The path ended at a small clearing. The limestone cave’s opening had been widened to a rounded arch, protected by a shallow portico roofed with orange tiles. The glazed tiles were barely visible, covered in moss and smothered beneath a tangle of the same vines that draped the cliffs above. Ducking her head as she entered, Lian found herself inside a high domed cavern.

There was an altar table in front of a narrow recess in the rock wall. There in the niche, lit by a pair of oil lamps, a statue greeted Lian’s gaze with a sneer. The Goddess of Mercy’s features were as bland as rainwater, but some of the gilt on the statue’s upper lip had flaked away, just enough to twist the benevolent smile.

The nun placed her bowl on the altar and lit a handful of incense sticks. Then she knelt on a cushioned stool to pray, silently rocking back and forth. A ginger cat came out of the darkness to settle with a supervisory air on the stool. A shadow twitched in the corner but the cat didn’t pay any attention to the small rat crouched there.

Prayers finished, the nun stood up. She gave the cat a scratch between the ears before putting the bowl on the ground and taking off its lid. The cat jumped off its stool and began to eat with dainty bites. The rat came out of its corner and dipped its head into the bowl. The nun chuckled in delight, pointing at the animals to make sure Lian and Sparrow noticed the two creatures, sharing a meal side by side. She lit a pair of oil lamps and gave them one each. She beckoned and they followed her to the entrance of a passageway.

“Keep your hand on this rope and you won’t get lost,” she said, pointing.