“Dawn is nearly here,” Hasho explained. “We’ll be gone until sundown—to find you something to write with, and to scout for news. Stay here and don’t wander too far.”
I grabbed Hasho’s sleeve.Take me with you.
“We’ll be faster without her,” said Andahai when my youngest brother hesitated.
Hasho made an apologetic grimace. “Wait for us. We’ll talk tonight.”
The sun peeked out over the horizon. As soon as the light touched their skin, they began to turn. Their human eyes blackened into beady crane eyes, and their flesh bristled with feathers. Finally their arms lengthened into wings, and their shouts of “Until tonight, Shiori!” were replaced by the cries and trumpets of cranes.
I ran after them out of the cave, watching my brothers leap off the ledge into the sky. Once they were gone, I kicked the dirt, angry to be left behind.
Kiki landed on my shoulder. She suppressed a yawn.Is this going to be a daily tradition? I could have used a few more hours of rest without all that squawking.
I gave her a wry smile.You slept the entire night.
Nearly dying will do that to you.She shrugged a wing. Kiki never ceased to surprise me with how alive she was.You didn’t want to go with them?
They wouldn’t let me. They said to sit still and get some rest. That we’d talk tonight.I kicked at the dirt again.
Only rocks considered sitting still a virtue. Demons take me before I called it one of mine.
I grew bored after an hour. My brothers had created a small but practical living space in the cave: a hearth in the center lined with stones—Wandei’s work, I guessed—and a meager stash of firewood. A mostly empty sack of rice along with the broken pot we’d used last night to boil chestnuts. There was even a book or two, the pages yellowed and weatherworn. But the last thing I wanted to do was read.
I practiced throwing the sentinel’s dagger at a plank of wood. Only a few throws landed successfully, but I wasn’t deterred. It helped to imagine Raikama’s face as my target.
By midmorning, I was restless.I’m going for a walk,I announced to Kiki.
Your brothers told you not to wander too far.
It’s not wandering if I know how to get home.
We weren’t as high up in the mountains as I’d originally thought. The ledge was narrow, but there was a path downhill. While I descended, I kept one eye on my footing and one eye on the view below.
The forest unfolded across the horizon, and there was no village or town in sight, only the Baiyun River, if I recalled my geography lessons correctly. Wherever my brothers had gone, it had to be quite a distance.
The river’s waters were calm, and I wished I hadn’t lost my little boat—especially the fishing net inside. If my brothers were going to make a habit of leaving me behind, I could have at least caught some trout or carp for dinner. It’d be better than that frog stew Hasho had made.
Kneeling, I tested the water, stifling a gasp at how cold itwas.
Ripples danced from my fingertips, and as the water cleared, I faced my reflection. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen myself since Raikama had cursed me, but every time, I recognized myself a little less.
Even with the bowl on my head, I could tell I looked older. My mouth didn’t curve as easily as it once did, and my shoulders were broader, hardened by months of labor.
No longer was I the girl who rolled her eyes at her brothers or squealed over rice cakes and sugared animals on sticks.
Now I carried a dagger everywhere, even in my dreams.
I took off my shoes and stepped into the river, digging my toes into the mud.
Seryu,I called in my mind. And waited.
I waited until the cold numbed my ankles and the fish came up to nibble at my toes. Kiki flew circles around me, teasing the fish until one nearly nipped her wing off.
I tried again:Seryu?
Silence.
What was I expecting? For the dragon to burst forth the moment I called his name?
