"Great. If we want to make it to the top, it'll take at least two hours of hiking," Nora said with a sigh.

The Mercers had once funded a road leading up to the monastery, but now it was blocked. Still, I felt this strange pull to keep going.

With the summer heat bearing down on us, we were drenched in sweat after only a few steps. Hiking all the way up? That was an entirely different challenge.

"Elaine, I might have to break our best-friend code here. I ...