The Twelve

by Cindy Lin

  “I can’t help it when I know it’s coming,” said Usagi. “It hurts to fall!”

  Saru shook her head. “You can’t learn without falling.”

  “Well, it’s making me hate my rabbit leap,” Usagi grumbled.

  Nezu snapped his fingers. “I’ve got an idea.” He grabbed Usagi by the hand and pulled her to the shore’s edge. He pointed toward Wolf Snot Isle, the stony patch that peeked from the lake several hundred paces away. “Jump toward that rock. Don’t try to land on it—in fact, try to avoid it. Land in the water and you won’t have to worry about falling.”

  Usagi made a face. “I’ll have to worry about swimming,” she retorted. “And I don’t have any special gift with water.”

  “That’s why you’ve got me,” said Nezu cheerfully. He plunged into the lake and disappeared. A bubbling swell sliced across the glassy waters in the direction of Wolf Snot, leaving a trail of expanding ripples. There was hardly time to blink before Nezu’s head popped up by the rocky islet. “Come on, Rabbit Girl, give it a go!” he hollered. When Usagi hesitated, he lifted a ball of water, round and shimmering, out of the lake. He made a throwing motion, and before she even realized what was happening, it exploded against her shoulder, soaking her arm. Usagi shrieked.

  He raised another ball of water and hurled it. She ducked, but it clipped her head and burst with a splash, dripping down her braids and the front of her tunic.

  “Look what you’ve done!” Usagi spluttered. “I’m all wet!”

  “So you might as well jump in,” Nezu called.

  “It’s worth a try,” Saru encouraged.

  “Oh, all right.” Usagi bent down and removed her sandals. “But I’m not ruining my new shoes for this.”

  Smiling, Saru set them aside. “Make sure to look where you want to leap.”

  “I know that much, at least,” said Usagi. She squinted at Nezu bobbing by the outcropping, and dug her toes into the pebbly beach. “Here goes nothing.” With a hop and skip, she flung herself toward Wolf Snot, soaring high above the glittering surface of the lake. For a moment she marveled at its wide expanse, her gaze drifting toward the other side of the vast lake. Then she remembered her target and glanced back down, spotting Nezu’s head.

  Too late, she realized she was hurtling straight toward the Rat Heir. Nezu’s eyes went wide and he dove just as she hit the lake, right where he’d been treading water. Usagi knocked against something hard and she thrashed about until a hand closed on her arm and pulled her to the surface. Nezu had a rapidly swelling lump on his head. “That’s some kick you have there,” he said, touching his forehead gingerly.

  “I’m sorry,” exclaimed Usagi, wiping the water out of her eyes. “I didn’t mean to land on you!”

  Nezu grimaced. “Maybe look away from me next time.” He hooked Usagi’s arms around his neck and sped them back to land. As they churned toward shore, Usagi squealed and shut her eyes against the water’s spray.

  On her next attempt, Usagi made sure to fix her gaze away from Nezu as she plummeted. She braced herself. Don’t—it’s just water. Usagi relaxed just before plunging into the cool depths. Bubbles swirled all around her, and her ears were filled with strange underwater sounds: the gurgle of lake fish, the snap of turtles. She heard the steady swish of someone stroking toward her. Nezu grasped her arm and started pulling. Usagi kicked along, and broke through the surface with a gasp.

  “Much better,” said Nezu with a grin. “How did it feel?”

  “It was actually kind of fun,” Usagi admitted. “Can we try that again?”

  Nezu towed Usagi back to shore. “Why don’t we race? I’ll swim and you leap. The first to get there wins.”

  They spent the better part of an hour competing to see who could get to Wolf Snot first, until Usagi was hurling herself into the air without giving landing a second thought, and no longer needed to take a running start. She even beat Nezu a few times. At last, Saru told them to get out of the water and dry off, which Nezu took care of with a flick of his wrists.

  “Leaping into the lake is fun, but I think I know what you really need to do,” Saru said. She led Usagi to a flat stone that barely came to her knee, and pointed to a patch of sand at its base. “Practice landing off this rock.”

  Usagi laughed. “That’s easy,” she said, stepping up and stepping down.

  “Not like that,” said Saru. “Jump using both feet.” She demonstrated, hopping off the rock and landing squarely, her knees bent. He straightened. “It’s just like the first stance in stickfighting—balance as if you’re ready for an attack.”

  Stepping back onto the stone, Usagi hopped down and kept her knees bent like Saru had. “It does feel like flat line stance.”

  Saru seemed pleased. “Just practice that for a while.”

  Usagi was about to jump off the rock again when a deep clanging note sounded, as if someone had struck a giant bell. The vibrations of the note thrummed until Usagi could feel it beneath her bare feet.

  “The Tigress!” Saru exclaimed. “We’re being Summoned.”

  Saru and Nezu hurried toward the campsite, calling for Inu. Grabbing her sandals, Usagi went to follow, but Saru stopped her. “It’s just the Heirs she’s calling.”

  Feeling left out, Usagi turned back to the lake. The hum of the Summoning Bell even rippled the water’s surface. As it dissipated and the lake grew calm again, one of Yunja’s dogs ran out onto the shore, followed by Yunja himself, his bloodshot eyes wide.

  “What in the name of the gods was that?” asked the hermit. The rest of his pack emerged and headed straight to Usagi, tails wagging.

  “The Summoning Bell, up on Mount Jade.” Usagi rubbed the ears of an appreciative dog, who licked her face. “The Heirs have been Summoned to report to the Tigress.”

  Yunja scratched his beard. “That popped my porridge, it did. A Summoning Bell, you say? Must be the size of the mountain itself, with that sound.”

  “I was inside a Summoning once,” Usagi volunteered. “The Tigress looked like a giant tiger made of light!”

  “Imagine that,” marveled the hermit. He settled himself down on a rock and asked her questions, eager to hear more. Usagi was telling him about the Tigress seeing her rabbit form when the Heirs appeared, looking flustered.

  “Tupa the Ram Heir just gave us news from the capital,” said Saru, her pale face even paler.

  Inu pulled out his mirror. “It’s as we suspected. The Blue Dragon has established a school for talented younglings on the grounds of the palace.” Frowning, he gazed into it and shook his head.

  “Let me see!” Usagi took the Mirror of Elsewhere and anxiously examined it. She saw her sister and Tora, in new clothes with their hair neatly tied back, their expressions serious. They stood in a line with other younglings and bowed low as a helmeted Striker in heavy armor walked past. “No,” she gasped. What would they be taught in such a school? What would they be forced to do? “Wh-what does this mean?”

  “It means we should leave for Mount Jade now,” Saru said. “The Tigress says we have delayed long enough.”

  Usagi handed back the mirror. “I haven’t mastered my landing yet,” she fretted.

  Nezu flashed an encouraging smile. “But you’ve been practicing a lot, and I reported that to the Tigress.”

  “We’re going into the ninth moon of the year, and the Tigress wants us back before the weather turns,” said Inu. “Ascending now will be easier than when it gets colder. I tried to explain that we haven’t been traveling by spirit speed, but that only seemed to make her doubt your abilities.”

  “I have talents,” Usagi said, bristling. “Maybe I haven’t been to school, but I can still learn.”

  The hermit clapped her on the back. “That you can, Rabbit Girl! You go up there and show her what Yunja taught you!”

  Usagi looked at the old hermit. “What about you?” she said softly. “Are you just going to stay here?”

  “Pah, don’t worry about me,” said Yunja, waving her away
. “My boys and I were doing just fine before you all came along, and we’ll be fine after you leave.” He shook his club. “In fact, if you stayed any longer, we’d have to come round and run you off! A dog can’t take intruders on his territory, y’know.” He glowered at them all for a moment, then broke out in a gap-toothed smile and left them to pack up their camp.

  At dawn the next day, Yunja came by for the last time, bringing smoked fish and dried fruit for their journey. The Heirs gave the hermit a small bundle. “To help protect against anyone who tries to hurt you,” Inu told him. “I know metal isn’t your element of choice, but there’s no harm in having these on hand, just in case.” Opening the bundle, Inu revealed a wood-handled knife and a string of dark metal plates. The plates had different shapes—square, round, triangular, pointed star—and were small enough to be concealed in one’s palm. “Hidden blades. They’re more for creating distractions than anything else, but they can really help if your opponent is out of your club’s reach.” To demonstrate, he threw one with a flick of the wrist, and it flew across the clearing into the trunk of a tree with a soft thunk.

  “I’ll have to practice that,” said Yunja, and thanked them. “Be careful out there, y’hear? Keep out of the Blue Dragon’s way.”

  “We can’t promise anything,” Nezu said with a grin. He and Yunja pounded each other on the back, and Saru gave the hermit a warm embrace. Inu growled and barked at Yunja, who wheezed a laugh and growled back. The hermit’s three mountain dogs ran about in frantic circles, barking and whining.

  Usagi flung her arms around the hermit, feeling the rough surface of his mossy jacket against her cheek. He smelled like damp earth and green growing things, like the very cloud forest itself, and she knew she was going to miss him. “Thank you for everything,” she whispered.

  Patting her on the back, Yunja cleared his throat. “Don’t ever stop jumping, Rabbit Girl,” he said gruffly. “And keep practicing with that stick.”

  With a wave and a last round of shouted goodbyes, they shouldered their packs and left the lake. Usagi followed the Heirs out of the cloud forest, the mournful howls of the hermit’s dogs echoing after them.

  It had been nearly two weeks since she had to lug a backbundle across uncertain terrain, but Usagi quickly found a rhythm, marching along in her sturdy new slippers and swinging her walking stick. As the lush vegetation grew sparse, the screech of monkeys and cries of birds faded. The ground became increasingly stony, though a veil of fog remained. Usagi felt unsettled. The sounds of the cloud forest had become familiar, and Sun Moon Lake felt like a haven. She’d learned much there, but would it be enough to reach the Shrine of the Twelve? Usagi batted away the nagging worries. She had to focus on reaching the mountain. It was the first step in helping her sister.

  Well into the hour of the Dragon, they emerged from the fog to a rolling landscape of scrub brush lit gold by the morning sun. Inu halted and pointed ahead. “There she is!”

  Before them, the jagged horn of Mount Jade punched the sky like a triumphant fist. The massive pike dwarfed the rest of the Midagian Alps that trailed it like the ridged back of a scaly dragon. The deep green crags that gave the peak its name were powdered white with snow, which glistened in the clear light of Dragon hour.

  “By the gods,” Usagi said, dizzied by its grandeur. No wonder it was considered sacred.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” said Saru. She broke up a portion of dried smoked fish and offered her some. “It’s been our one refuge from the Blue Dragon and his troops.”

  Feeling hunger catch up with her, Usagi nibbled gratefully on a salty nugget of fish. “I’m surprised he never tried to conquer it.”

  “Oh, he tried,” Saru told her. “After the slaying of the king and the defeat of the Twelve, he returned to Mount Jade with a host of fighters to take the shrine. The Sea of Trees swallowed up the invaders and Druk barely got out with his life.”

  Usagi stopped chewing. She’d heard about spectacular failures of candidates who’d attempted the Running of the Mount, but a forest overcoming armor-clad invaders was something else. “Even though he was Dragon Warrior? And had troops with all their firecannon?”

  “No one controls Mount Jade,” said Nezu. He gazed at the mountain, his usual mischievous expression gone. “Not even the Warriors of the Zodiac, and certainly not their traitor. The mountain decides.” He took a savage bite of fish.

  Usagi stared at the deep green spire, attended by a retinue of rocky pinnacles like a queen surrounded by courtiers. What would the mountain decide about her? Was she unfit? Would she be gobbled up by trees? Attacked by stone spirits? Torn apart by wild beasts? As she went through the possibilities, the dried fish began to taste like paste and her stomach churned. She caught the sound of sniffling, and saw that Saru’s eyes were bright with tears. “What’s wrong?” Usagi asked, alarmed.

  Saru laughed a little and wiped her eyes. “The sight—it never fails to move me.” She smiled at Usagi. “I can’t wait for you to see Mount Jade’s wonders for yourself.”

  “Er . . . I’m sure I’ll love it,” said Usagi doubtfully. “If it doesn’t eat me first.”

  Nezu patted her shoulder. “You’re the first new youngling with talent to approach the mountain in more than five years. The mountain goddess will be very pleased.”

  “Just remember all that you’ve practiced these last two weeks,” Saru added.

  Finishing his share of their fishy snack, Inu thumped his walking stick. “We’ll be there before the day is out,” he promised, his dark eyes alight with anticipation.

  Saru clapped her hands, her pale face aglow. “I can’t wait. Let’s go home!”

  Home. The word struck a jangled chord in Usagi’s heart. What was home for her now? Goldentusk? A rickety forest shack, now empty? Mount Jade wasn’t her home. Nothing could be called home without family. If only Uma and Tora could see the fabled majesty of the mountains, how they really looked like the undulating back of a giant sleeping dragon. Would she ever be with them again?

  In silence, Usagi trudged after the Heirs. Nezu glanced back at her and a look of concern flitted across his face. He began cracking jokes and chattering about happy times at the shrine.

  “Saru, remember the time that Inu put a hobbler in your seat?”

  “I screamed right in the middle of a history lecture. The Tigress was so mad!”

  “Yes, but I was the one who got in trouble. I wasn’t allowed to go to archery practice for a week.”

  “Served you right, you dog! That hurt!”

  “How about the time when Nezu wet all of Tupa’s firestarters?”

  “Ha! It took him forever to figure out what happened, but he was pretty angry at me when he did. ‘You dirty rat!’” Nezu unsuccessfully tried to imitate a deep voice. The others laughed, and Usagi couldn’t help but join in. Nezu beamed. “You’ll see, Usagi. The shrine is where all Warriors-in-training go—and there you’ll get your rough edges smoothed off.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “Really? Looks like there’s still a lot of work needed on you.” The others hooted, and Usagi suppressed a giggle.

  By the time the sun was high in the sky, they’d reached the edge of a great evergreen forest that carpeted the base of Mount Jade in dragon spruce, fire fir, and hemlock. Usagi shaded her eyes from the sun, barely able to see the peak of the mountain. High up from where they stood, jade-colored rock emerged from the darker green of the tree line.

  “It’s so tall,” Usagi said faintly.

  Nezu chuckled. “The Tigress likes to say, ‘The tallest mountain anyone can ever climb is the self.’ So you’re fine!”

  Inu gestured to the endless wall of forest before them. “Here’s the Sea of Trees. It’s part of Mount Jade, and your first test will be in there. Lucky for you there’s no other Rabbit youngling to race to the shrine.”

  “Just take your time, and you’ll get there,” Saru encouraged.

  Usagi hesitated. The spiky needled canopy repelled the bright warmth
of the sun. Heavy shade darkened the underbrush, filling it with shadows. Thoughts of heavily armed Guard being swallowed by trees flooded her mind, swamping her with dread. She took a step back. “I—I don’t know if I can do this.”

  Brushing back the hair in his eyes, Inu’s gaze was steady. “You’ve made it this far, haven’t you?”

  “How will I find my way? Where is the shrine?” Usagi scanned the fortress of trees and felt the beginnings of panic. “Is it at the summit?”

  “No, it’s only partway up the mountain,” said Inu.

  “And there are many paths to get there,” Saru told her. “Once we go in, you’ll find the one that you must take.”

  “What if I don’t? What I fail before I’ve even started?”

  “The only way that happens is if you don’t try,” said Saru firmly. “No one who tries is a failure.”

  “But—”

  Without another word, Inu and Saru plunged into the dense thicket. Nezu flashed a grin. “Come on, Rabbit Girl. Show the mountain what you’ve got.” He entered the forest. Biting her lip, Usagi followed.

  Metal

  “The Metal element gives strength, determination, and persistence. But beware of the tendency toward rigidity.”

  —Book of Elements, from The Way of the Twelve

  Chapter 11

  Running of the Mount

  USAGI FORCED HERSELF TO KEEP up as the Heirs led her into the Sea of Trees. Tendrils of dread crept over her in the murky gloom. Her feet dragged, wanting to go the other way. But Inu was right—she’d managed to come further than she’d ever imagined. If she made it to the shrine, not only would Usagi meet the last surviving Warrior, she would learn from her. Then she’d be able to rescue her sister.

  They wound through towering, densely packed evergreens, each step sinking into the deep moss and fallen brown needles that blanketed the ground. After only a few minutes, Saru stopped and turned to Usagi, her pale face hopeful. “Do you see a path?”