by Katie Zhao
Moli screamed. She had no weapon to protect herself.
“Over here, Fish Breath!” Alex bellowed at the dragon.
“Alex, get back!” I said. “I’ll fight the dragon with Fenghuang.”
“I have to save Moli!” he shouted. “I don’t care if you’re the Heaven Breaker, the Chosen One, Girl Who Lived, or whatever. I can do this.”
Shoulders steeled, my brother sprinted toward the dragon, slashing his sword through the air. The creature opened his mouth, shooting out a column of water at us.
I dove out of the way, my arm ramming into a shopping cart and sending it skidding into a curb. Pain shot up my side, nearly causing me to drop the spear.
Alex didn’t scatter quickly enough and received the brunt of the blast. The pressure of the watery column threw him into a brick pillar in front of Golden Dragon restaurant. He fell into a wet, crumpled heap on the ground and stayed still, one of his legs bent at an odd angle.
“Alex!” Moli and I both screamed.
Moli drove the horses toward my brother. She grabbed his hand and yanked him over the side of the chariot. The two of them took off, spiraling into the sky and out of harm’s way. Moli urged the horses in my direction but swerved upward when the dragon shot a blast of water at her.
I threw myself behind a nearby rack of shopping carts. The water pummeled the RETURN SHOPPING CART, OR ELSE sign.
My brain went into overdrive. If this dragon was the one from the riddle, then I had to let him know I was the Heaven Breaker.
“All right, Faryn,” I muttered. “Time to show this dragon who’s boss.”
I waited for the water to stop pummeling the sign before I jumped out. I craned my neck to look the dragon straight in the eye, aware that if I hesitated for even a second, I might find myself staring King Yama in the eye instead. This wasn’t one of Alex’s video games. There would be no do-over.
“I am the Heaven Breaker.” My voice shook, just like the spear I held in front of me. If the Heaven Breaker was really meant to be master of the dragons, as the legend went, then this had to work.
Fenghuang’s glow brightened, heating my hands and sending a surge of power through me. It was working. I cleared my throat and raised my voice. “You will obey me.”
A deep, low voice boomed in my head, startling me out of my thoughts.
I transformed because I sensed the presence of your mighty spear, Heaven Breaker, so you must not be lying.
“Did you hear that?” I shouted to Moli and Alex.
Confusedly, they shook their heads. Did that mean I was imagining things? Or maybe … maybe as the Heaven Breaker, I could communicate with this dragon. The idea was crazy, but so was everything that had happened to me since the appearance of the nián.
“Are you talking to that thing? This is not some ridiculous Disney movie!” Alex shouted.
After thirteen long years of waiting for your arrival, said the dragon, I must say, you aren’t quite who I expected to see.
I gritted my teeth. What did the dragon mean, I wasn’t what he had expected? Why was that such a big deal, anyway?
“We’re getting out of here,” said Moli. “I’m coming!”
She squealed again when the dragon whipped his tail at her, yanking the horses upward, his mouth pulled back in a snarl.
Must protect master from the small villains.
“Whoa, buddy! You don’t need to protect me from the small villains—I mean, those guys,” I shouted. “They might look like villains, but they’re my friends.”
The dragon’s great yellow eyes swiveled up toward the golden chariot. He bared his fangs and emitted a low, threatening rumble as I approached him. Steam spouted out of his nostrils. He opened his mouth, eyes glued to my spear. I figured we all had two seconds to scram before the dragon blasted us into smithereens.
Then the dragon lowered his horned head to me in a bow.
Forgive me, Heaven Breaker. I have learned not to trust humans, for many no longer respect and pray to the dragons.
“Humans kind of suck,” I agreed. “I try to be one of the less suck-y ones.”
Please accept me, Heaven Breaker, master of all dragons.
All dragons? If everyone around me started transforming into dragons, that was the last straw. I was going to hide in the mountains for all eternity.
I tried to keep my voice steady as I said, “I—I accept.”
At my words, a gust of wind blew my hair back. The spear shuddered in my hand, shooting out a golden thread of light that formed between the dragon and me. It wrapped around my spear and the dragon’s body. The string hung suspended in the air, glowing so strongly that I had to shield my face with my arm.
“Snake!” Alex yelled. “Oh gods, Faryn’s a goner. Look away, Moli.”
I peeked beneath my arm to see that the binding had dissolved. “But … why am I the master of dragons?”
Fenghuang was forged for the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang, the dragon explained. Every time you use the spear, you send signals of power to every dragon in the vicinity. But be warned that you should not call upon us too often, Heaven Breaker, for power always has a price. Every time Ren allows me to take over, part of his own soul—that which makes him human—is lost in the exchange.
Before I could ask the dragon what he meant, our chariot rushed past me in a blur of gold, the whistle of the wind accompanied by Alex’s yell. A blade sliced through the air, its whoosh followed by a roar of agony. The dragon thrashed against the cement. The chariot climbed back up into the sky, avoiding the retaliating swings of his tail.
Alex whooped in victory, raising Ba’s red-crusted sword high above his head. I looked down in horror. He’d shredded off part of the dragon’s claws.
“No! Why’d you do that?” I snapped.
Alex’s shoulders fell. “To—to help you. I know you think I’m the scholar but I can be useful in battle, too.”
“Yes, your face could scare away an army of demons.” Even as I teased Alex, I felt bad for raising my voice. I didn’t exactly approve of Alex’s violence, but I could see why he’d done it. “I was trying to protect you. I’m the Heaven Breaker—it’s my job to fight, not yours.”
The dragon groaned and then dissolved into a cloud of gray smoke that left only the boy with wild white hair in its wake.
Ren’s shirt was slightly torn, exposing part of his chest. He clutched at his arm and cursed in pain. “Ow. What … happened?”
I shifted Fenghuang back into a pin and tucked it into my hair. My momentary elation turned to horror when my eyes landed on Ren’s arm. Blood dribbled in thin red rivulets between his fingers.
Moli and Alex hung back, but I rushed toward Ren.
“We need to get that patched up,” I told him, wincing as I absorbed the deep red gash.
The boy brushed me off. “It’s fine.”
“Seriously, you don’t want to let that fester and—”
“Cursed One, right?” Alex called from behind me. Moli had brought the horses down to the ground, but my brother sat in the chariot, clutching his injured leg. “Next time you turn into a dragon, you might wanna give a heads-up. Some people like to be warned about that sort of thing.”
“I … what?” Ren’s face drained of color. “Dragon?”
“Did you forget already? You broke an entire store.”
Ren wheeled around. “I did that? No. Not again. I-it wasn’t me …” Ren slunk away with shame on his face, stumbling over a chunk of the roof.
Before I could coax him back, Alex snapped, “Don’t bother.”
I turned around, stunned. My brother massaged the injury on his leg, glaring in Ren’s direction.
“What’s your problem?” I asked.
“What’s your problem? That thing tried to kill us! It almost killed me.”
My mouth dried. Ren hadn’t meant to, but he’d hurt Alex. Still … “First you wanted me to leave that shopkeeper to die, and now you’ve injured the dragon the gods wanted us to find
. You’ve got to get a hold on your temper, Alex.”
“Just trying to help,” Alex mumbled.
I felt bad immediately and softened my voice. “I get it, but you’re acting kind of—”
“Hold on.” Alex turned away to sniff the air. “Are you smelling that?”
The scent of smoke wafted toward me. Ren had emerged from the rubble with his incense sticks and the golden statue of Guanyin. He placed them on the ground, his head bowed deep in prayer.
Moli yelled, “Goddess incoming!”
I thought Moli was boasting about herself again, until I spotted a glowing, human-looking figure off in the distant sky, rapidly coming closer to us.
A familiar woman in a white robe holding a thin green vase floated toward Ren on a cloud. That same long, white headdress held back her black hair.
“Guanyin,” Ren said. He tumbled over onto his rear in shock. “You heard my prayer.”
“Good to see you’ve made it here safely, Heaven Breaker,” said the goddess of mercy. At the sight of her warm smile, relief washed over me.
Moli and I joined Ren, kneeling on the ground and bowing to pay our respects. Alex gave an awkward half bow, still unable to get down from the chariot on his injured leg.
“Can you remove my curse?” Ren asked the goddess, his voice still shaking.
Guanyin gave him a sad look. “I didn’t come to remove your curse, child. That power lies with the caster, the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang.”
Ren’s face fell. “Ao Guang? How do I find him?”
“As one of the Jade Emperor’s most trusted fighters, he has been busy attending to the Jade Emperor’s tasks,” said Guanyin. “I do not know of his whereabouts, other than that he, along with the Dragon Kings of the North, South, and West Seas, will be attending the eight immortals’ banquet during the Lantern Festival. But first I have just the cure for all your injuries.”
She tipped over the small vase in her hand, allowing just one droplet to trickle onto Ren’s body first, and then Alex’s.
I didn’t know what was in that vase. Something stronger than Tiger Balm. A godly glow formed over the boys’ outlines. They seemed to grow slightly bigger and stronger. Ren’s shirt even mended itself.
As the light around his figure ebbed away, Alex stood up and slowly climbed down from the chariot, shaking out his leg to make sure his injuries had healed. Then he joined us in a bow.
“Thank you, Guanyin,” he whispered.
Guanyin swept her robes up, as though preparing to leave. Panic jolted through me. Even though Ye Ye probably would’ve smacked me for being so rude and shameless, I flung myself forward in a deep bow, my forehead banging against the ground. I hardly felt the pain. “Guanyin, please help us like you did before. We don’t have any food or money.”
Guanyin said, “Since it is the Lunar New Year, and we deities are nothing if not generous—”
And confusing, and demanding, and very prone to threatening humans with sharp, pointy objects, I thought, remembering Erlang Shen.
“—it’s only right to present the three of you with gifts. These come from my colleague Wenshu’s new disciple, who’s been watching over you carefully.”
I blinked at the goddess. Why would the god of wisdom’s disciple care about us? Did he have a special interest in the Heaven Breaker?
Guanyin pulled a wand with a thick brush at the end of it out of her long sleeve and waved it in the air. Four small red-and-gold-flowered packets—hóng bāo—materialized on the ground in front of us, with each of our Chinese names labeled on the fronts.
Out of her packet, Moli yanked not money, but something so large there was no way it should have fit inside: a gleaming bronze, double-edged straight sword with a golden hilt that had a dragon carved onto it. Then she swung it in an arc, forcing Alex to dive out of the way.
“Well, I would’ve rather gotten a pair of eyebrow tweezers,” said Moli. “But this thing is all right, I guess. Even if swordplay is the violent, tasteless man’s sport.”
I rolled my eyes. If the gods really cared about Moli, they would’ve given her a personality makeover.
Ren pulled out a sleek black crossbow, along with a full sling of black arrows. Then he pulled out another, much smaller object—a music player. “Wenshu’s disciple really wants me to have these?”
“The gods reward all who show us loyalty,” the goddess of mercy explained with a smile. “Your efforts to enter the temple for years did not go unnoticed.”
“Please be Warfate II, please be Warfate II,” said Alex. His mouth froze in an O of shock when he pulled a brown, weathered book out of the packet, followed by a piece of cake in plastic wrap.
“Demons and Deities through the Dynasties,” he said, marveling at our grandfather’s old handbook. My brother’s gaze dropped to the dessert, which he held with shaky hands. “And …”
“Nián gāo,” I finished, my mouth watering just at the thought of the sticky rice cakes. “Just like the ones made by …”
Wenshu’s new disciple—it couldn’t be—
Heart hammering in my throat, I pried open my hóng bāo. I pulled out a small pocketknife, as well as a sheet of folded white paper with a phoenix printed on one side. I unfolded the note, and another small slip of paper fell out of it.
This is a prayer note, designed to replace incense sticks and offerings. When you’re in danger, blow on this note and pray to Wenshu. I will hear and come to your aid—but only once, so use this note wisely. Wenshu’s rules are strict.
And don’t forget: you are both worthy, sūn nǚ er, sūn zi.
Wordlessly, I handed Alex the note. He read through it, and then his tear-filled eyes met mine.
“Ye Ye.” My brother choked.
I nodded. “He made it to Heaven.”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or shout with joy. I squeezed the piece of paper between my fingers. The first real smile in ages stretched over my cheeks.
I turned around to face Guanyin, my heart filled with elation, and my head with questions. But the goddess of mercy vanished with a soft “Until we meet again.”
CHAPTER
12
Guanyin must have taken the sunlight with her. Above us, gray clouds rolled over the city. As though sensing a storm, the four horses pawed at the ground.
Her new sword hooked to her jeans, Moli petted the horses and fed them carrots. Her eyes glinted with surprise when she looked up to find me patting down the mane of the brown stallion next to her. The horse snorted and turned its muzzle away from me, back toward Moli.
“Hey, it’s me, boy,” I said, confused. I must’ve fed this guy mountains of carrots, enough for the American Health Association to give me a medal. Yet he snorted and knocked my hand away.
“Looks like these horses are only loyal to me now,” Moli gloated.
“Right,” I muttered under my breath so she couldn’t hear me. “So loyal that one of them raced off to some mystical island to get away from you.”
Moli gave Ren an uncertain look. “Are you coming with us?”
“Of course he is,” I said. Ren looked at me, surprise widening his green and black eyes—but I needed to convince him to come along to prove I’d solved the first riddle. “You need the Dragon King Ao Guang to break your curse, right? Guanyin said he’ll be at the Lantern Festival banquet. We’re headed there, too.” I paused. “Unless you’d rather stay here and celebrate the New Year with your family?”
“I don’t have family,” Ren said.
He swung his legs over the chariot and sat on my bench, turning away from us.
“Yay. Another freeloader.” Moli groaned. “You people weigh too much. I’m not sure I want to take you to another banquet.”
“Shut up and drive,” Alex told her, sticking his sword into his hóng bāo.
I searched Ren’s battered face for shock, panic, and denial: the Three Stages of Realizing Chinese Gods and Demons Are Real and Full of Teenage Angst. I found nothing. “You’re takin
g this awfully well.”
Ren shrugged.
“I think you owe us an explanation,” I prompted.
Alex popped up over my shoulder. “Yeah, like who was that jerk with you at Fresh Mart? Your handler?”
“Mr. Fan?” said Ren. “He runs an antique weapons store. He’s a friend of my father’s who’s, um—looking after me.”
“Why? Where’s your father?”
“Dead,” he said shortly.
Alex’s ashen face told me he already knew he’d gone too far. “Oh. S-sorry. But … are you sure?”
Ren gave an exaggerated movement of stroking his chin. “Hmm, wait, let me think just a—No. Of course I’m sure. I think I’d have noticed if I grew up with my father.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Alex corrected himself. “It’s just, they told us Ba was dead, too, only there’s no proof and—”
“I know because I killed him. I killed my father.”
Alex fell back in his seat. “I …”
“Not on purpose.” A shadow passed over Ren’s face at the same time the graying clouds grew even darker. “But I might as well have. I told you—I’m cursed. Or at least, that’s what everyone else has always told me. I … I want to find my mother somewhere on this journey, if possible. My mom left me right after I was born, after I k-killed—”
He turned away without finishing.
I had no clue what to say. Maybe there was nothing to say.
Ren pulled something out of his pocket—the small electronic device he’d been given, with earphones attached. He jammed the headphones into his ears and closed his eyes, his head bobbing to the beat.
Alex rolled his eyes and opened Ba’s book. “Erlang Shen said our second task is to travel east to the city of a goddess who brings sleep and free the fallen beasts.”
He bit his lip and stayed silent for almost three solid minutes. For once in his life, my brother appeared to be stumped.
“Can I see that?” Alex reluctantly placed the notebook in my palm. I flipped through the worn, yellowed pages, careful not to tear anything.
There wasn’t that much I could read—the words on the page were almost exclusively in Chinese characters and barely legible anyway—but I paused on a map of the United States.