Free Birthright - Book 2 of the Legacy Series (An Urban Fantasy Novel) by Ryan Attard

could even so much as flinch.
    “Youyesyou. Shallweplayagame, shallweshallwe?” He literally jumped on her chair, grasping the armrests with his feet – hands, whatever – and crouched down on her. He pressed his face against hers, huffing out breaths. Acting on instinct, I unsheathed Djinn and swung the blade toward the strange beast. Metal met metal as the Monkey King stopped my strike with the staff he held in his tail.
    “Someone needs a chill pill,” I said.
    Sun Wo Kung looked at me sharply, stuck his tongue out and blew, covering me in spit. He pointed a finger at me and screeched, “Ugly!” And then, he returned to huffing in Abi’s face.
    “Son of a bitch,” said Amaymon as the cat burst out laughing. “I like this guy already.”
    The Monkey King jumped off of Abi, doing a wide backflip. He pointed at the cat.
    “Kitty. Kittymakesgooddinner. Wanttoeatkitty, wanttoeatkitty.”
    Amaymon stopped laughing at that and hissed loudly. Sun Wo Kung ignored him as he noticed Phoenix and stopped vibrating on the spot.
    “Birdie. Birdieisasshole,” he said in a low voice. “Idon’tlikebirdie. Birdiegivesmeburns.”
    “And I shall give you some more if you cease to behave adequately,” Phoenix coldly replied. But Sun Wo Kung had already moved to Sun Tzu and wrapped his arm around him.
    “IlikeyouFangy. Fangymademefreeagain. Butthesepeopledon’tknowwhatFangyisright? Don’tyouworry. MonkeywillkeepFangy’ssecrettohimself.”
    “And I greatly appreciate that,” said Sun Tzu as he patted him on the head like a pet. Only then did I notice a golden circlet around Sun Wo Kung’s head.
    “I shall leave you to play a game with Abigale. And if you lose, you will have to do what she says. You will have to be her friend,” continued Sun Tzu.
    “Yes. Yesyesyes.”
    Sun Tzu’s eyes seemed to twinkle as he smiled at the monkey man before turning to my apprentice. “Abigale, he’s all yours. Do be careful. His nature is that of a trickster.”
    “Yeah, one who needs decaf,” I replied, smirking at my own jokes.
    “That was weak, Erik. Not half as funny as him calling you ugly,” shot Amaymon.
    “Can it, kitty. Or shall I leave you here for him, in case he needs a snack?”
    “Sore loser.”
    I turned to Abi, who had gotten up and removed all those wires and pads. “Sure you’re ready for this?”
    She gave the Monkey King a hard look. “Yes. I’ve trained for it. Besides, I have a feeling Sun Tzu wouldn’t let me take him on if he didn’t trust me.”
    “Indeed,” said Sun Tzu. “We must vacate the room so that Abigale may begin. I wish you luck, my dear. Erik, Amaymon, I believe a proper cup of tea and a chat is in order.” And with that, he walked toward the entrance.
    “Good luck,” I said as I raised my fist.
    She bumped hers with mine. “You, too.”

11
    We sat down at a table. Sun Tzu provided a bowl of noodles and those rice crackers dipped in oil that everyone loves. I tried hard not to stare too much at the other table, where Long and Tiger were slapping mahjong tiles as they exchanged dirty looks with one another. A portly Chinese man built like a barrel with a shaved head, bushy eyebrows and a forest-green Chinese suit, sat between them and faced me directly. He caught me staring at them and waved enthusiastically, smiling like a dental commercial. It wasn’t even a fake smile — the man seemed genuinely jolly. So this was Turtle, I presumed.
    Sun Tzu sat down, interrupting my awkward nonverbal introduction to Turtle, and settled two whiskey glasses in front of us. He uncapped a whiskey bottle, filled the glasses, and swallowed the amber liquid from his glass.
    “I thought Asians were supposed to drink sake ,” I said as I noticed the American label on the bottle. I took a sip, letting the booze burn through my throat and settle in my stomach in a warm, familiar sensation.
    Sun Tzu let out a small burst of laughter. “ Sake is the Japanese name for rice wine. And no, I prefer