Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon

by Mary Fan

  “Why didn’t you activate it when we took off, then?”

  “It needs the engines to be hot, and it takes a few moments for them to warm up.”

  “If you knew that, then you shouldn’t have deactivated the spell in the first place!”

  “And missed the look on your face when it appeared before you?” He grins but keeps pushing at the crank.

  I gape. “You idiot! You risked our lives so you could show off?”

  He shrugs. “I didn’t see anyone around at the time. Now, can you pull that orange lever to reverse this ship, or do I have to grow a third arm to save our hides?” He jerks his head at the lever.

  I almost want to refuse just to spite him—especially since it’s his fault we’re in this situation. But our best chance at escape is to do something unexpected—if our pursuer can’t see us, they’ll assume we’re still moving forward. “Fine!”

  “Wait for my signal—the spell isn’t fully active yet.” His voice is strained from effort. He shoves the crank again and completes the circle. “Now!”

  I yank the lever. The whir of the propellers becomes thunderously loud, and the ship lurches backward. The abrupt movement knocks me off my feet and I careen across the deck. My shoulder slams into the wooden boards, sending a shockwave of pain rippling down my body.

  The ship jerks to a halt, and the propellers quiet to a hum. I jump up. The mechanical dragon, which was gaining on our stern moments ago, is now several feet in front of the bow and heading away. Its bronze reflection glides across the lake’s surface while our ship hovers above the trees.

  Tai grips the edges of the control panel like his life depends on it. A strained laugh tumbles from his lips. “That was close!”

  I watch, relieved, as the departing dragon continues moving away from us. “Can all of Kang’s ships turn invisible?”

  Tai shakes his head. “The viceroy would never want to hide his fleet—he’s all about awe and intimidation. I added the cloaking spell … The spellmaster showed me how to incorporate magic into the ship.”

  At least we won’t have to worry about invisible patrols stalking us—assuming Tai’s right. “Who exactly is this spellmaster you keep mentioning?”

  “That’s a secret.”

  “How many secrets are you going to keep from me? I thought we were supposed to be partners.”

  “Forgive me for not trusting a girl I just met … And who keeps trying to kill me.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “I’ve never tried to kill you!”

  He lifts his eyebrows. “Sure you haven’t.”

  “Well, I also just helped you get away from Kang’s patrol.”

  “A deed that benefits you as much is it does me.”

  I have to consciously press my lips together to keep from baring my teeth in an animalistic snarl. “At least tell me where we’re going. We’re airborne now.”

  “I suppose we are.” Tai peers into my face as if trying to read me. “The temple is just outside Baiheshan.”

  That’s farther than I expected. Baiheshan is a province away—it would take weeks to reach by horse. But given the speed of Kang’s ships, we shouldn’t need more than a day or so.

  In the distance, the dragon spews a fireball which explodes midair without hitting anything. They must be trying to flush us out.

  I watch it nervously. “We should get out of here before they decide to look behind them.”

  “Agreed.” Tai brushes a few stray wisps off his sweaty forehead and pushes a lever, and the propellers rev up.

  The ship rises higher into the sky, but pitches so abruptly I nearly lose my balance. Machinery rattles and clangs, and the floor vibrates. I may not be an expert in mechanics like my sister, but even I know that’s a bad sign. “What’s that? It sounds like the engine’s damaged.”

  “I don’t think so.” Tai glances at the gauges before turning the wheel south. “Your erratic steering made it hard for them to lock onto a target.”

  “Are you certain? Maybe one of those blasts hit something important.”

  “The ship has made worse noises than this before. I’ve put it through a lot, but it’s sturdier than it seems. Don’t worry—I have everything under control.”

  The rattling ceases. I give him a skeptical look. “Shouldn’t you check to see if anything’s wrong?”

  “It’s fine, trust me,” Tai says in an exasperated voice. “Engines rattle. That doesn’t mean there’s a problem. It smoothed itself out quickly enough, didn’t it?”

  I suppose Grandfather’s mechanical cart worked well enough despite all the clunking sounds it made. Maybe it’s the same with this ship. Still, I wish Anshui were here. She’d know what to do.

  I walk up to the railing and keep a keen eye on the mechanical dragon as it disappears into the distance. My heart still quivers. Even after I can no longer see it, I keep staring in that direction in case it returns.

  “You can relax.” Tai calls to me from behind. “If they were going to catch up to us, they would have by now.”

  I turn to find him leaning back against the control panel. “Do you think they saw our faces?”

  “I doubt it. They were still pretty far away when I activated the invisibility spell. We would have looked like ants to them. And the sail would have blocked their view.”

  “They must still be searching for us.”

  “True, but the sky is big, and we’re both invisible and inaudible. To anyone not on board, this ship might as well not exist. I think we’re all right for now.”

  I’m still on edge, but drowsiness twists its fingers into my head again. Though the cool air chills me through my clothes, which are still wet, I feel as if I could fall asleep standing up. I yawn widely, wondering how many hours it’s been since I got any rest.

  Tai looks at me. “There’s a cabin below deck. With a bed. Also food and water, if you need them. Not that I’m trying to take care of you or anything … wouldn’t want you to think I’m treating you like you’re weak.”

  I narrow my eyes. “Good.”

  He sighs. “One of us is going to need to sleep at some point. And since the trip to Baiheshan will take more than a day, we should do it in shifts.”

  “Sure. You can go first.”

  “My day was a lot less busy than yours before I stole the pearl. I knew I’d be up all night, so I spent it sleeping. Which means I’m more alert and less likely to crash the ship into a mountain.”

  “We’re miles from any mountains.” I feel a smirk lifting my lips as he shoots me an irritated glare. But there’s nothing to be gained from me standing here exhausted, arguing over nothing. Besides, if I sleep now, I can take the night shift later, and I’d be better at keeping an eye out for Ligui.

  “Anlei—”

  “All right! I’m going!”

  As I cross the deck, I notice a wide hole with scorched edges gaping near the stern, exposing the ship’s gears and machinery. I hope the cloaking spell is as effective as Tai claims. Another confrontation could destroy the ship’s ability to fly.

  A narrow doorway leads to a staircase descending into the lower part of the ship. There’s not much down here—just a tiny cabin and a few trunks stuffed into the space beneath the steps. I shut the door behind me and slide my sword between the handle and the wall, forming a makeshift lock. I’m not stupid enough to sleep unguarded on a stranger’s ship.

  The bed is little more than a slab of wood with a bamboo mat and a worn blanket, but when I lie down on it, it feels like the most luxurious surface in the world. I keep my pistol close.

  As I close my eyes, a soft noise whispers over me. It must be from the ship—the engine or maybe the whir of the propellers. But there’s something eerie about the sound … it has a hollow, otherworldly quality entirely different from the ship’s mechanical clunking and hissing. It’s almost as if the voices of a hundred ghosts are all talking at the same time, but they’re too vague for me to understand. Soon I give up trying, and sleep wraps its hands aroun
d my mind, swallowing me whole.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  THIEVES

  When I open my eyes, a strange copper ceiling greets me. I sit up with a start, seizing the pistol by my side before I remember where I am, why I’m here.

  A flying ship, stolen from the viceroy’s fleet. A young thief on a fantastical quest. And a decision so wild, I can hardly believe I made it.

  Yet not a trace of regret clouds my mind, which is as clear as daylight now that I’m no longer exhausted. I had plenty of opportunities to turn back, so if I’ve lost my sense of reason, then the absurdity has become my new reality.

  I stand and stretch, my muscles aching from last night’s running and climbing and fighting. My clothes are still damp, and I make a mental note to push Tai into a lake if I get the chance. The idiot. I’ll probably kill him myself before Mowang gets the chance to try.

  Strangely enough, the prospect of fighting the demon king doesn’t frighten me. Maybe it’s because I’ve battled so many Ligui that death no longer scares me. Or maybe it’s because the notion still feels too bizarre to be real.

  A soft humming noise wafts through the air, too hollow to be from the ship’s machinery. I vaguely recall having heard something similar before I fell asleep … something that reminded me of ghosts’ whispers. Though I can’t make out any words, the sound fills me with sadness, as if something invisible is crying out in pain.

  The humming fades away. Shivers run down my spine. Was it a ghost? Some other supernatural being? Or merely a trick of the wind?

  I pick up my sword, sling it across my back, and head out of the cabin, tucking my pistol into its holster. A slight tremor rumbles beneath my feet; I try to recall if the ship was always this shaky or if it’s gotten worse since I fell asleep.

  When I reach the deck, I shield my eyes from the bright mid-afternoon sun and glance around for Tai. But I don’t find him at the wheel. Instead, he sits against the metal control panel, eyes closed and head bowed. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one tired out by last night’s adventure. A yellow light glows from the center of the wheel, which stands still as the ship sails through the sky.

  Careless fool! What if Kang’s patrols had happened upon us? The cloaking spell wouldn’t have kept a stray blast from hitting the ship and revealing our position.

  I move to wake Tai, but notice his right hand clenched across his stomach. Is he clasping the River Pearl? Or maybe he tucked it into a hidden pocket?

  I could easily take back what he stole. Unarmed and unconscious, he appears completely vulnerable. That’s his own fault for falling asleep unguarded with a stranger on board his ship.

  But Tai’s still the only one who knows how to operate the ship. Though I might be able to threaten him into obeying my commands, I doubt I’d succeed for long. He’s proven to be slippery. Chances are he’d either steal the pearl again—or I’d have to restrain him and figure out how this flying contraption works myself. Even if I wanted to continue the quest, I doubt Tai’s spellmaster would help me. I’d have to turn back.

  Perhaps that would be the clever thing to do: take the pearl and secure my people’s protection whatever the cost. But I’m not ready to do that.

  Crouching, I shake Tai’s shoulder. “Tai!”

  He opens his eyes and blinks against the sunlight. His mouth spreads into a lopsided grin. “If you’re trying to steal the pearl back, you’re doing a terrible job.”

  My conscience pricks me. “I considered it.”

  His smile falls. For a moment, he regards me with a confused expression. “I couldn’t have blamed you if you’d tried.”

  “Yet you fell asleep anyway.” I raise my brows. “Does that mean you trust me?”

  “Or I’m lazy. Father always warned me that idleness would be my downfall. Though few could match his level of diligence.”

  Though I know he won’t give me a straight answer, I can’t help asking, “Who is your father?”

  He gives me a slantwise look. “Is this an interrogation?”

  “It’s only a question!”

  “Then I suggest you stop asking.”

  I huff. What is it about his past that’s so secret anyway? Or is he so distrustful of me that he won’t even answer a simple question?

  He stands and turns to the controls. “We’re on track to reach Baiheshan tomorrow morning. The temple is in the mountains, but the city is in the valley below. I’ll have to hide the ship in its outskirts, since I can’t exactly land on a cliff.”

  I know he only changed the subject to avoid telling me anything more. But I’m not giving up so easily. “Is your father from Baiguang too? Or Tongqiucheng?”

  Tai crosses his arms. “Did you not hear my suggestion?”

  “How can you expect us to work together when you won’t answer the most basic of questions?”

  “Simple. We journey to the temple, we get the sword from the spellmaster, and then we dive into the Courts of Hell and defeat Mowang. None of those tasks requires me to tell you about my family.”

  I clench my fists. I suppose all that matters for our quest is who we are here and now—not where either of us comes from or who our families are. “Fine.” I peer over his shoulder. “Can you show me how the controls work?”

  “Since it’s a straight path from here to our destination, the ship can fly itself until we reach it. And I plan to do the landing.” He tilts his head. “Why do you want to learn, anyway?”

  “I don’t like being stuck on a flying ship I can’t control.”

  “Your ignorance is my guarantee. As long as I’m the only one who knows how to fly the ship, you have to stick with our agreement.”

  “Don’t be so sure. I could always hold you hostage and make you do my bidding.”

  The corner of his mouth lifts. “You had your chance to do that, but apparently you have too much decency to attack someone who’s asleep.”

  “Then that decency should be enough for you!” I draw a deep breath. Discipline … “There’s a good chance we’ll run into more trouble. If anything happens to you, I need to know how this ship works.”

  He narrows his eyes in consideration. “Fair enough, I suppose. I’ll—” He turns abruptly back to the controls. Cursing under his breath, he seizes the blue crank, which is bent at a different angle than it was previously.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “The invisibility spell deactivated by itself. Something must be broken.”

  My jaw drops. “I told you—” I break off. A silhouetted shape approaches on the horizon and it’s growing bigger by the second. “I think there’s another ship!” I swallow hard. And they can see us …

  “No problem.” Tai shoves the crank back into its previous position. “Now they can’t see us anymore.” His gaze lands on one of the gauges, and his eyes widen. “I don’t understand …”

  “What?”

  Before he can answer, the approaching vessel fires. It’s now close enough for me to see that it’s a small single-mast ship like ours—except armed with a long cannon. The explosion rocks the deck. Surrounded by heat and the smell of molten metal, I tumble uncontrollably. My grasping hands fail to catch anything until I slam into the railing.

  The ground tilts, and wind howls past my ears. Panic rises up my throat. We barely escaped before—how in the world are we supposed to get away now? I don’t know who I hate more—Tai for neglecting the ship’s damage or myself for believing him when he claimed everything was all right.

  Ignoring my aching ribs, I try to stand but can’t seem to regain my footing. I narrow my eyes against the gust. Tai clings to the control panel with one hand and grasps at the wheel with the other, but his attempts to steer only cause us to jerk erratically. The other ship is now on top of us—actually on top of us. Its menacing form, silhouetted against the bright afternoon sky, hovers just above our mast. But it seems to be rising, up and away from us … until I realize it’s not the one that’s moving. We’re falling.

  A thunderstorm of cur
ses blows through my head. “Now do you see a problem?”

  Tai laughs. The arrogant fool actually laughs. “It would be just my luck that the invisibility spell fails as one of Kang’s ships is approaching.”

  I scowl. If I die because of his carelessness, I’ll spend the rest of eternity haunting him.

  I make another attempt to stand on the crooked floor, but a great lurch sends me stumbling back into the railing. My head bangs against the wood, and my eyes fill with stars. Fear slithers beneath my anger. I can’t have escaped Tongqiucheng only to be blasted out of the sky so soon after. There must be something I can do to salvage this situation. Rustling noises crash into my ears, followed by snaps and cracks. Then I see the green—leaves poking through the railing and branches reaching across the deck.

  The ship stills. Without the whirring of the engine and the roaring of the wind, the air suddenly feels empty. I climb slowly to my feet. Rubbing my sore forehead, I look around.

  The ship crashed into some trees. Judging by the downward angle of the deck, the vessel dove into the branches; though it’s close enough to horizontal that I’m able to move across it, it feels like I’m walking on a steep hill. Clouds of white steam billow from the ship, nearly obscuring a few wisps of black smoke. I wrinkle my nose at the sharp stench of burned metal.

  I expect to find Tai by the controls, but he’s nowhere in sight. “Tai?” I look around wildly. Could he have fallen overboard? Sudden horror seizes me. No—surely I would have noticed if that were true. Maybe he went below deck. I race to the stairs. “Tai!”

  “You called?” Tai appears at the bottom, holding a bronze staff with a leather strap dangling from it.

  Relief cascades down my chest. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” He cocks his head, the traces of an amused smile on his lips. “You seem awfully worried … Does that mean you would miss me if I died?”

  The relief turns to irritation. “Of course I was worried—about the River Pearl. If something happened to you, I might never get it back.” I step back onto the deck and look up. The other vessel descends smoothly toward us.