Chapter 2: Birdsong in Hollow Valley

Do the six of you head into the woods on your own, or send for Sikeo? By the looks of her, Mimi is a competent forest guide, and Wei can attest to this. Sikeo's advantage is he is a botanist, but it might take a little while to send for him.

Wu Meng knows that the Sanctuary of the Wind is located somewhere on the wind-blown steppes to the southeast, bordering the Haunted Desert.

Kalam, like everyone who grew up in Hiptos, has heard stories of powerful spirits in the desert - utukku, rakshasas, or djinn, lords of the simoom - who use human thralls to do their bidding, sometimes in exchange for power. Might Atekhramun's power have come from such a being? Did he somehow steal Shifu Rao's flute, or has something terrible happened at the Sanctuary of the Wind?

So Kalam, stood there for a few seconds, something strange had caught his eye. He thought he had seen a ghost from his past, before he knew it the guards had already moved away, and Wu Meng was before him showing him an odd flute. "I'm sorry everybody, I seem to have lost a few minutes." He looks around and then at the flute, trying to recall what he knew of Shifu Rao.

Kalam confirms what he knows with Wu Meng. Then prepares for the perilous journey after the beast.
"We should bring supplies, such as tents and rations. We should also grab hunting equipment, bows, traps, the like. I'll try to scout but I'm afraid my skills in the wild may be lacking."

Music

Mimi expertly leads the way through the jungle. It's unforgiving terrain, but also eerily beautiful. At one point you come to a valley filled with haunting birdsong. It's as if you've stumbled into another world. Iko, in particular, is inexplicably drawn to the strange glen, and wanders off, eventually losing sight of the group. He is found mere moments later, asleep underneath a peach tree in full bloom despite the late season. When he is roused, he speaks of an encounter with a creature of myth - a beautiful bird with wings of fire, a breast of gold, and emeralds for eyes. Iko swears he and the bird conversed for hours, though to the rest of you he was gone for only a few minutes.