Tiger's Voyage (32 page)

“See what?”

“There! Look at the Draco constellation. Something’s moving.”

He peered up into the night sky but nothing happened for a moment. I was just about suggest it must have been a figment of my imagination when I saw several stars winking on and off. They started shifting and writhing, becoming bigger and distorted.

Ren stood up. “I see it. Kishan? Protect Kelsey. I’ll be right back.”

Ren disappeared over the side of the wheelhouse while I instructed the Divine Scarf to clear away the cushions and the Golden Fruit to take away the bowls and bottles. Kishan and I stood in the battle stance he’d taught me. I was ready to use my lightning power if I needed to. Kishan pulled free the
chakram
.

A black undulating shape made its way toward us. It distorted the night as if the sky was the underside of a blanket and something big was rolling across the top of it. The stars bulged and trembled as it moved.

I felt a hand touch my arm. Ren had taken a ready stance with the trident on my other side. We turned as the shape circled above us, keeping it in our line of sight. Suddenly the sky seemed to balloon out and rip, and a dark shape slipped through the tear.

A head emerged, followed by a sinuous long body. It dipped and twisted in the air like a twirling stunt kite. It circled the boat at a slow, leisurely pace, moving lower and lower until we could clearly see what it was—a dragon. But this was not a type of dragon I’d ever seen in the movies. It looked more like a snake. There were no wings; instead it slithered through the air like a sidewinder on the sand. This was definitely not the dragon of St. George; it looked more like the drawings of Chinese dragons Mr. Kadam had shown us.

Moist pockets of air whipped against us, and a thick silence spread around us as if our ears were stopped up. The sea had stilled; its blackness reflected the starlight so it looked as if we were standing in the middle of space. The dragon came closer. Its underbelly was black, but the top was streaked with vermillion, and it seemed to glow with a red light that reflected dimly on the black water below.

Its head was the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Long black-and-red tendrils trailed from its black-bearded cheeks. As it moved through the sky, its four short, taloned legs pawed the air. The body moved toward us, and the air pockets left in its wake crashed against the ship like waves. The dragon flew around the boat again. This time it was near enough that its entire body circled the ship. Shiny scales about the size of dinner plates ran down the length of its body and gleamed in the starlight. Its head came closer and stopped near us. We faced the red dragon as its head rose up and down in the air, as if bobbing on a current.

Huge nostrils puffed cold air on us as one great, long-lashed eye blinked and stared. One red iris with a black pupil considered us thoughtfully. I took a step closer and peered into that bright eye. It shone in the middle as if a star were captured inside.

“Step back, Kelsey,” Kishan warned softly.

I moved back as both he and Ren took a step forward and angled their bodies slightly toward me, ready to defend me from attack. The dragon shook its head, and its mighty black beard swayed and settled. Its great jaw opened, and a long red tongue rolled out as if tasting the air and then retreated back, curling into its gaping, toothy mouth.

The boat suddenly listed to one side and then the other. Kishan and Ren stood their ground and steadied me as the boat settled. I turned briefly and saw that the dragon had draped its long body on the outside of the yacht. Ren and Kishan never took their eyes off the dragon. The creature shuddered delicately, and its pointed, black-tufted ears turned toward the stars as if listening to a message only he could hear.

Its jaws opened slightly almost as if smiling at me, and I heard a voice in my head echo like tinkling bells, “
Měnghŭ, wŏjiào Lóngjūn
.”

I blinked and looked up at Ren, who whispered, “It said, ‘Fierce tigers, my name is Lóngjūn, the Dragon of the West.’”

Kishan took a step forward and spoke several words in Mandarin. Ren softly translated, “He asked if the great dragon could also speak English.”

I heard the tinkling voice in my head again, and the dragon opened its mouth and bobbed its head up and down as if it was laughing.

Yes. I can speak in this tongue as well, though it’s not as pretty as my own.

The eye blinked, and I watched the fluttering lashes in fascination.

You come to ask a favor of me. Do you not?

“We do,” I voiced tremulously.

Name your favor, and I will name my price.

We shifted uncomfortably. Ren asked, “If the price is too high, can we negotiate?”

Yes.
The long forked tongue rolled out to taste the air near Ren. Ren stood his ground, and the tongue retreated.

“Fine,” Kishan said. “We seek Durga’s Black Pearl Necklace.”

Ah, then you must visit my brothers. I can show you how to find them,
in exchange—
“In exchange for what?” I asked hesitantly.

The dragon shifted its body while thinking, and the ship lurched to one side. I fell heavily against Ren, but he easily caught and righted me.

The item you need to find my brothers is in my sky palace. One of you
would have to accompany me there to retrieve it.

Kishan responded, “That’s fine. I’ll go.”

But wait
, the dragon said.
If you wish to take it with you, you must give
me something in exchange. A moment while I consider. Ah, yes. One of my
stars has dimmed. You may repair it.

“You want us to repair a star? How do we do that?” I asked.

How is something you must decide.

“Okay, then how do we get up there?”

This time, when the head turned, its long tongue curled out to taste the air near me.

Are you brave, young lady?

Ren murmured quietly, “She’s the bravest woman I know.”

I turned to stare at him, but he was still looking at the dragon. The great beast made a sound in our minds, the equivalent of a dragon grunt, I suppose.

If the three of you have the courage, you may ride the stars on my back.

I nodded and had taken several steps forward before both Ren and Kishan put an arm out to stop me. Kishan said, “We’ll go, Kelsey. You stay here.”

“You know you’ll need me. I’ll have both of you with me. It will be okay.”

I approached the dragon’s eye and bowed my head respectfully. “Lóngjūn, may I climb onto your back?”

The dragon opened its mouth and tinkling laughter sounded in my head.
So polite. Yes, my dear. You and your tigers may climb upon my back.
But I warn you now. If you fall, I will not catch you. Make sure you are
secure. You may hold onto the spikes on the back of my head if you wish.

When the red dragon lowered its head, I stepped forward and touched a reddish-black spike that had been hiding in the coarse hairy tendrils trailing from the dragon’s cheeks and head. The spike was actually more like a horn. There were two—both protruding from the back of the head. They were soft and rounded at the tips and covered in a black velvety coat that reminded me of new antlers growing on a young deer.

Ren stepped forward and climbed onto the dragon’s back. Kishan sat behind him but left enough space to pull me up between them.

Ren examined the horns until he found a good place to hold. With a sudden jolt, the dragon lifted its head and body from the ship. We rose several hundred feet into the air in just a few seconds and then plummeted toward the ocean just as quickly. I locked my arms as tightly as I could around Ren’s waist and pressed my cheek against his back, but I still felt my weight lift into the air as we dropped.

I had an epiphany during our downfall and mentally asked the Divine Scarf to tie our bodies to the dragon. I couldn’t hear the whispering of the threads over the shrieking of the wind, but I felt the fabric circle my waist and press down on my thighs as it strapped me to the dragon. It was just in time too, because after the dragon had freed its body from the ship, it dipped and swirled in the air at frightening speeds.

My stomach lurched as we soared up into the sky then flipped upside down and hung there several moments before turning in spiral freefall. It was like riding the scariest roller coaster in the world, and the only thing keeping me from sure death was the strong grip of the men holding me and the threads of the Divine Scarf.

The air became colder the higher we went, and soon I could no longer tell where we were. My breath frosted and hung in the air. I pressed myself closer against Ren’s back, grateful for the warmth of both my tigers. The ocean was so black and clear that it looked like the sky. We were riding the winds of the universe, dragonback, surrounded by winking stars.

As we went higher, the stomach-wrenching maneuvers of the dragon slowed, and it stayed right-side up as it wound back and forth through space. I thought it must look like a giant anaconda weaving its lazy way through a black river. I began to shiver, and my breathing became shallower. Kishan scooted closer and pressed his warm cheek against mine. Because we were moving slowly now, he let go and ran his hands up and down my bare arms.

“I wish I would’ve brought that sweater.”

Tinkling laughter rippled through my mind.

The stars are bright but cold. While I am with you, you will not freeze.
Look there. That is my palace
, it voiced with pride.

I looked up and saw that the red dragon was heading for a bright cluster of stars. It surged ahead with increased speed, and Kishan leaned forward again, grabbing onto Ren’s waist, crushing me between them. The head of the dragon angled upward, and I slid back into Kishan’s chest as the dragon flew straight up in the air. The Divine Scarf’s ties pulled against us, threatening to tear. Ren’s arms strained as he held the weight of all three of us, and I felt Kishan’s legs tighten as he gripped the dragon between his thighs. I could do nothing but lie against Kishan’s chest and hope the two of them had enough strength to keep us from falling.

Finally, the dragon evened out again, and Ren leaned forward heavily, panting. He was probably also sick now from my close proximity. He briefly looked back at me over his shoulder. His face was pale and clammy. His arms, slick with sweat, shook with tremors.

I felt a kind of weightlessness.
This must be what zero gravity is like
, I thought. My hair began to rise, and my arms were light as if the buoyancy of the ocean was holding my body afloat. I became very aware of the movements of the dragon. I could feel its smooth muscles roll under us. Its tail seemed to be propelling it forward now. It twisted back and forth like a shark and rolled the rest of its body from side to side.

The star cluster was much closer and brighter now, brighter than anything I’d ever seen before. It radiated energy and pulsed softly like a beacon. As we neared, my mouth fell open in awe. The dragon’s palace was like a diamond mansion hung in the sky. It gleamed and reflected light from its many facets. When the dragon neared, a door opened to a room big enough to house a couple of airplanes. The dragon slid along the clear diamond floor on its belly, circling back so its sinuous body was folded in half, and came to a stop.

At Kishan’s whispered request, the Divine Scarf undid our bands, and he jumped off the beast. I slid down into Kishan’s arms, and then he turned to Ren, who staggered off the dragon and stooped over, clutching Kishan’s arm for support. I moved away several steps, and after a moment, Ren nodded to Kishan and stood.

The dragon shivered, and its body began to convulse. It started shrinking; its long shape diminished and twisted. Then with a snap, it disappeared, and a man stood in its place. He was black skinned and beautiful with red eyes and red robes. His white teeth were brilliant against his skin. He bowed briefly.

“Welcome to my sky palace. Perhaps I could interest you in a game? Refreshments?”

Kishan shook his head. “We’d like to get what we came for.”

“Ah, yes. Forgive me. It’s been so long since I’ve had visitors.” The dragon man smiled toothily. “Come. I will show you the item you will need.”

He guided us through his diamond mansion. Everything sparkled and reflected back our images. I felt like I was in a hall of mirrors. I would have quickly become lost if not for our guide. He led us to a pedestal, on the top of which rested a diamond object. I squinted in the light, trying to recognize the shape.

Kishan hefted it in his hands and said, “A sextant.”

Inching closer to inspect the heavy apparatus, I saw a sparkling telescope mounted onto a pie-wedged diamond frame. Numbers were etched into the arc along the edge. What parts would normally be made of glass and metal were instead made of priceless polished gemstone.

“Yes, a sextant,” said the red dragon. “It will guide you to my brother. Now for the agreed upon price.”

He led us to a door that opened to a balcony—and beyond that, space. He pointed up at a pair of stars. One was dim and the other bright. “You agreed to fix my star.”

The four of us stared at the stars for a while, and then the dragon went inside while we quietly brainstormed on how to repair the star. I tried to use my lightning power, but it couldn’t cross the distance. Kishan wanted to throw the
chakram
, but I was worried about losing it in space. Not coming up with any other ideas, Kishan disappeared inside to talk with the dragon about other options and shortly returned.

“Lóngjūn has agreed to play a game of chess with one of us instead. If we win, we get the sextant. If we lose, one of us must remain behind.”

“That’s no good,” I said. “I’m terrible at chess.”

Ren and Kishan stared at each other for a second, and then Ren said, “You’re the better chess player. Kadam only wins most of the time with you.”

Kishan nodded and disappeared inside. Ren and I followed him and watched the game. The dragon took the black diamond pieces while Kishan took the clear ones. Kishan began. After several moves, I began to fear that Kishan was going to lose. The dragon sat back smiling and patiently waited for Kishan’s next move. I panicked and elbowed Ren.