With nowhere to hide, our only option is to attack.
Sooah and Wen have already risen, their sights set on the large doors into the room. Their weapons are drawn and ready. Wen’s fingers are a troubling shade of purple, and Sooah’s breathing comes in shallow puffs. All things considered, they’re in impressive shape. It seems I was able to shield them from the worst of the cold—but to my own detriment. I struggle to my feet, shifting uncomfortably beneath the matted, frozen sections of my fur.
I push through the numbness. They need my fangs, my size, and my strength if they want to stand any chance against Kelai. Three humans against a goddess is nothing short of a joke. Butwith a demon on their side, it might be enough to tip the scale in their favor.
I throw myself at the star goddess the moment she steps through the heavy doors. It’s not as graceful a landing, nor as accurate a launch. Every inch of my body is too numb, out of control. Thankfully, I’m able to use my weight and tackle Kelai to the ground. She shrieks in surprise, struggling to free herself from beneath me, but Sonam, Wen, and Sooah swarm with a level of precision and coordination one can only expect from years of working closely together.
They pull out familiar strips of yellow parchment. Binding talismans—the very same that they used to immobilize me that fateful night in Longhao. They press them to Kelai’s wrists, ankles, and her chest. Her body goes as rigid as stone.
“No!” she wails. “No, let go of me!”
None of us listen. We run past her, leaving her flat on her back, struggling with all her might. We barrel down the hall, leaving the despairing cold behind us. It’s a relief to feel the chill melt from my bones.
“We have to hurry,” Sonam says as we round a corner. “Those bindings won’t hold long. They’re designed to keep demons at bay, not one of the gods.”
“Where’s the damn exit?” Wen rasps.
I can’t blame him for his exasperation. We’re all turned around and shaken. To make matters worse, I’m pretty sure I can hear Kelai’s stomping feet growing louder from down the hall. She must have broken out of her bindings. That certainly didn’t take long.
“In here,” I say hurriedly, stepping through a set of wooden doors. We’ve managed to find our way back to the kitchens.
I sniff the air, searching for any hint of fresh air or earth. If I can find a fault in the foundation or a minor crack in the walls, I might stand a better chance of digging our way out. I catch a whiffof something sweet. Soil. It’s faint, but there’s no denying its rich wetness. I scrape at the jade tiles beneath my feet, but to no avail. The surface is too smooth to leave a mark. There’s nothing for my claws to catch on, to peel away.
“The foundation is thinnest here,” I tell Sonam.
He nods, looking to Sooah. “Help her.”
She moves quickly, eyeing a large wooden barrel placed by the woodstoves. Sooah wraps her arms around the middle of the barrel, lifts with her legs, and with a loud grunt, throws it to the ground with impressive force. The tile cracks where it landed.
“Wen,” Sonam says. “Barricade the door.”
Wen moves swiftly, dragging over a heavy kitchen table to press up against the door. It’s a smart call on Sonam’s part, because Sooah raises the barrel over her head and brings it down with all her might, the harsh crack like a lightning strike. She picks it up again and slams it against the tiles, hammering until a section of the floor finally gives way. There’s a wide enough fracture that I’m able to get my claws underneath, digging up as much dirt as I can.
“NO!”Kelai’s voice shakes the room. Something slams against the other side of the door, but Wen’s hastily built barricade keeps them from swinging open. Wen and Sonam throw their weight against it for added protection, practically toppling over when the star goddess attempts to ram her way in. “What are you doing? Let me in!”
“Hurry!” Sonam exclaims.
He doesn’t have to tell me twice.
I dig and dig and dig, kicking up dirt and small stones and shards of broken jade. I don’t know the first thing about tunneling. For all I know, the floor is seconds away from caving in on us. Being buried alive would be a terrible way to go. Even worse, I could be digging in the wrong direction, leading farther beneath the bathhouse where we’ll be trapped for all eternity.
The first hint of fresh air nearly has me gasping for joy. I haven’t doomed us. I claw my way forward and breach the surface, coming up on the outside of Kelai’s bathhouse. I never thought I’d see the day when I was happy to lay my eyes upon the cold, indifferent green glow of the Jade Palace.
I clamber out, turning to help Sooah to her feet. I grab Wen by the collar of his shirt between my teeth and yank him out with great force, letting him huff indignantly as he falls flat. Sonam is next. He reaches out blindly and I don’t hesitate to bite down on his gauntlet. He’s just about escaped when—
“No!” Kelai shrieks. She’s crawled after us, her hair a mess and her eyes red with fury. She snatches Sonam by the ankle, digging her nails into his flesh. “You can’t leave me. You can’t, you can’t!”
I tighten my bite on the captain’s wrist. Sooah and Wen are at my side, grabbing hold of Sonam’s arm and pulling with all their might. The star goddess is too strong. I should have suspected as much from a divine being. It’s an unfortunate game of tug-of-war, and Sonam is the strained rope pulled taut between us. With a pained roar, Sonam jerks his leg up and manages to kick himself free.
The four of us fall together, landing in a messy heap. There’s no time to let our guard down. My sensitive ears can hear Kelai’s nails scraping against the earth as she climbs out.
At least, she tries to.
Sonam lifts his leg and stomps as hard as he’s able, the sudden force causing the mouth of the tunnel to cave in. Kelai screams, falling back, the lower half of her body buried beneath the weight of the earth and pinned by sharp stones. Her wretched cries no doubt heard from every corner of the Jade Palace. It will take ages to dig herself out.
“Come on,” Wen urges impatiently. I’m of like mind. We’ve wasted enough time as it is, and the longer we leave Kelai trappedin that pit, the angrier she’ll get. I’d rather not be around to suffer her wrath.
The star goddess weeps as though in mourning. “No one ever stays,” she sobs.
