Page 17

According to legend, the gateway to Ai’long was a magnificent waterfall, composed of the Three Great Rivers cascading side by side—and any fish that could leap across would become a dragon.

In reality, if there was such a waterfall, I missed it entirely.

Because after Elang dove into the pond, he didn’t stop.

He accelerated down a never-ending chute of water, so fast I could barely keep my head up, let alone take in the scenery.

All I saw was the parchment white of his hair as I buried my face between his horns, desperately holding on for my life.

I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t even breathe.

My heart had flown up to my throat, and my stomach was somersaulting so violently that I couldn’t tell it apart from my lungs.

At last, when I thought I might actually swoon, came a wash of violet light.

Then, with a jolt, we arrived.

I was still clinging to Elang’s neck, my legs straddling the long chain of ridges that protruded from his spine.

I tried to let go, but the world was spinning, and my muscles had gone stiff as ice.

“You humans are easily disoriented,” Elang said, twisting to face me.

“The feeling will pass shortly. The first time taking sangi is the worst.”

I choked on my breath.

I’d have to take that foul potion again?

“Every morning,” he said, reading my dismay, “or you’ll drown.”

I groaned inwardly.

At least my head had stopped swaying, and the tightness in my throat was subsiding.

As I reached up to rub my neck, my fingers came across soft, vibrating gills.

I drew a stunned breath.

“I’ve become part fish.” Another gasp.

“And I can talk underwater!”

Mailoh laughed.

She sounded less hoarse here; her voice was smooth like melted sugar.

“We may be underwater, but Ai’long is one of the immortal realms, Lady Saigas. Its waters are enchanted, and you’ll find you’ll be able to talk and sing and eat and drink just like you do above. The sangi helps too. You won’t even notice the change after a while. I take it you’re already feeling better?”

I was, though part of me wished I’d grown fins along with gills.

Every time I tried to let go of Elang, I started floating away.

I windmilled my arms, but it didn’t do much good.

Feeling utterly ridiculous, I gave up and latched on to Elang’s neck again.

Hoping he hadn’t noticed.

Of course he had.

Unlike me, with my hulking movements, Elang swam with ease and grace.

Thankfully, he didn’t show his annoyance in front of Mailoh, but it still startled me when he circled his arm around my waist, guiding me forward without a word.

“I’m feeling much better,” I told Mailoh hastily.

“How are your garments?” the turtle inquired.

“We have a moment before we’re expected at the castle. I want to make sure you’re comfortable.”

My clothes did feel different, now that she mentioned it.

On land, I’d felt like I was dragging a sack of rice.

Underwater, my red sleeves floated about me in whorls of silk, and my cocoon of jackets and skirts was lighter than a fan.

Still no pockets, but at least I could move.

Except for that contraption of a headdress!

I fidgeted with it.

“Is that bothering you?” said Mailoh, craning her neck to see.

“It’s all right, I’ll—”

“May I?” Elang’s voice skipped over mine.

May I what?

I was more curious than anything, so I nodded.

He lifted me so I faced him.

The water had changed him, but not as much as I’d previously thought.

His white hair fell over his eyes the same way as before, his shoulders were broad and straight, and his nails were sharp black crescents.

His scales had become bluer, though, almost the same shade as the water.

I darted my gaze to the side while he touched my headdress.

In a shimmer of magic, it became a simple golden circlet, with slender strands of rubies and pearls dangling down my hair.

My eyes flew up.

I’d seen banquets materialize on cotton blankets, I’d been dressed by mermaids and talking turtles, and I’d just taken a potion that gave me gills.

Yet this enchantment, borne from Elang’s touch, was the first to make me gasp.

It felt oddly intimate, in a way that made my stomach buzz.

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

“Will you let go of me now?” said Elang.

“I’d like to show some dignity when Grandfather’s patrols arrive.”

He knew just how to nettle me.

Suddenly finding my strength, I pushed myself away from him.

Mailoh took my hand, ushering me past the rocks ahead until we floated above a wide gray plain.

“Welcome to Ai’long, Lady Saigas,” she said.

“Behold your new home—Yonsar of the Westerly Seas.”

In my mind, I’d uprooted my life on land to stay in Ai’long, the most beautiful place in all the realms.

I’d imagined a kaleidoscope of coral forests sprawling across the ocean ground, fish that glowed like lanterns and spanned fins that put butterflies to shame.

I’d expected palaces wrought of crystal and jade, cities built of marbled shells and stone, and water that was bluer than a peacock’s feathers.

Not this.

Never had I seen such a desolate stretch of sea.

The water was ashen and cast a wintry pall upon everything it touched, even my wedding robes.

Every inhale smelled of ink, slightly spoiled and burnt.

Surrounding us, canyons gave way to chasms so deep they had no end.

In the distance, I saw ruins.

Toppled arches and broken moon gates.

The ghostly remains of a city, leveled by a divine and ruthless force.

This…

was the realm of dragons?

“It used to be magnificent,” said Mailoh, reading my reaction.

“There are still pockets of beauty, if you look hard enough. You’ll learn to love it.”

Honestly, I doubted I’d be here long enough for that.

“What happened?”

“Nazayun.” The name passed the turtle’s lips like faraway thunder.

I went cold.

In the distance appeared a blurred silhouette, the specter of a dragon.

As he gathered his form, pale blue eyes pierced out of his watery projection.

He met my gaze, then disintegrated into the sea.

I was shaken.

“Did you see that? Was that—”

“The patrols are here,” interrupted Elang.

“Mailoh, get to the castle. We’ll join you shortly.”

From behind one of the cliffs emerged a shiver of sharks.

At least a dozen, I counted.

They were gray, blending in with the neighboring canyons.

Their very presence stung, sending thorny vibrations across the water.

“They’re here for me, not you,” said Elang through his teeth.

“Clear your mind, and whatever you do, don’t fight the jellyfish.”

Jellyfish?

Then I saw them, their glowing heads bobbing across the misty sea.

Their numbers were few, only five or six, and they seemed to be merely observing us from afar.

Why did Elang sound more worried about jellyfish than sharks?

“Elangui Ta’ginan Yuwong,” spoke the sharks as one.

Their voices were gratingly shrill, their eyes glassy and flat.

“His Eternal Majesty, King Nazayun, has exiled you from these waters. You will be given only this one warning. Leave at once.”

Elang raised himself tall, his tail sweeping out from under his robes.

“I have met my grandfather’s conditions for my return,” he said.

“Behold, the one whose heart I value more than my own, whose light shines without equal. My beloved bride, Lady Saigas.”

The sharks regarded me, and I could have sworn they bared their teeth, just a little.

Make me magnificent, I had told Mailoh.

I didn’t feel magnificent at all; I felt like shark food.

“She will have to be your match for you two to proceed,” they said.

Elang’s hand found the small of my back, and he brought me close.

Holding me, shielding me, it didn’t matter which.

This once, I was glad to have him at my side.

I just hoped the jellyfish registered the sentiment as love, not terror.

Elang bowed his head.

“You may administer the trial.”

Two jellyfish came forth.

I’d seen drawings of such creatures before in Nomi’s books, even eaten one with Gaari, marinated in vinegar and sesame.

But alive, they bloomed with soft smears of light and moved like flowers caught in the wind.

It was mesmerizing, until I remembered they weren’t friendly.

They descended upon us, their tentacles ribboning down with the effortless grace of silk.

Clear your mind, Elang had said, and whatever you do, don’t fight.

For once, I listened to him.

I went still, not daring to move as one of the smaller jellyfish swept a tentacle across my forehead.

A second tentacle encircled my neck.

Who are you?

it asked, in a voice that echoed eerily through my head.

“Truyan Saigas,” I replied.

“A human from Gangsun.”

What is your business in Ai’long?

“I am newly wed to my love, the lord of the Westerly Seas. I return with him now to end his exile and begin our life inYonsar.”

The jellyfish leaned closer, its bulbous eyes mirroring my reflection.

You will have to be the Heavenly Match for his exile to end.

I cringed as the pressure around my neck grew and the jellyfish wrapped its tentacles about my head, pressing firmly against my temples.

Sharp pangs pulsed into my mind, like knives peeling layer after layer into my memories, my secrets.

My jaw went tight.

I fed the jellyfish memories of my wedding to Elang, of us exchanging indulgent stares and holding hands as we tied our red ribbon around each other’s wrists.

But its tentacles probed deeper; it became harder to focus.

I had to concentrate on something so I wouldn’t give away Elang’s plot to overthrow Nazayun—or my visions.

That something became Baba.

Your baba?

The jellyfish latched on to this new direction in my thoughts.

Who is your baba?

He’s dead, I replied quickly.

I was only wishing he could have come to my wedding.

The jellyfish tilted its head.

Its skin flickered, and on its translucent surface, I saw the blurred contours of my father’s face.

Gradually he came into focus, unearthing the last memory of us together.

“You are my treasure,” he said, kissing my forehead.

“You and your sisters and your mother.” He touched my hair tenderly.

“And this will be the last time I leave my treasures behind.”

Then Baba rose for the door.

Here the jellyfish had dug into my deepest fears, for my memory became a nightmare.

I saw my younger self run after him, trying to stop him, but the door closed and I couldn’t open it no matter how I tried.

I would never see him again.

“Stop,” I whispered, twisting, trying to get free.

I wrestled the jellyfish’s tentacles away from my face, but I couldn’t get free.

“Get away from me!”

Out of nowhere came a furious downward swipe of sharp black claws.

That was all I saw before the jellyfish let out a high shriek and a clump of its tentacles floated into the abyss, separated from its body.

The creature released me immediately.

You will regret that, Lord Elang, it spoke.

The sharks advanced, but Elang didn’t lower his claws.

A crystalline sword materialized in his grasp.

“And you will regret harming my bride.”

“Don’t,” I said, touching his arm.

Still catching my breath, I turned to the remaining jellyfish.

“I apologize on behalf of Lord Elang. I have nothing to hide. If there is more you need to see, then examine me further.”

“Let her alone,” Elang growled.

“Her mind won’t answer your questions.” He lowered his sword.

“Look into mine.”

To my astonishment, the jellyfish brushed past me.

Just like that, I was forgotten.

Even the sharks backed away and left me alone.

The jellyfish approached Elang, their tentacles swaying forward.

They beset him, burying my view of everything but his face.

That was all I needed to see, really.

In unison, barbs pierced out of their suckers—and their heads pulsed a bright white light.

Elang’s brow folded, his fangs bared.

He made no sound, not even a growl or a grunt, yet I knew he had to be in pain.

Again, the jellyfish pulsed.

This time, Elang’s body jerked.

The crease on his brow deepened, and his scales paled a shade.

“Stop it,” I cried, trying to weave through the jellyfish.

“You’re hurting him.”

The sharks held me at bay, until there came one last pulse.

This time Elang curled up in pain, and that was when the jellyfish decided it was enough.

The creatures retreated, retracting their arms as though they were ribbons.

“We have seen enough,” they said.

“The marriage is genuine. The terms for Lord Elang’s homecoming have beenmet.”

I swam up to him, grabbing him by the arm.

What did you say to them?

I wanted to ask.

But instead, I said, “Are you all right?”

To my relief, there were no puncture wounds on his skin or on his scales.

His eyes were half-open, his brow still pinched, and his scales were turning blue again.

“Are you all right?” I repeated.

Elang’s claws closed at his sides, tight as flytraps.

His eyes opened fully, and I could see the liquid yellow on his human half swirling back to its usual smolder, the dragon half’s cinder black.

In a burst, he straightened.

“We’re finished here,” he told the jellyfish.

“You may tell His Majesty that the test is met, I am returned home.”

You can tell him yourself.

An invisible current sent me reeling back, and as I regained my balance, the water churned, conjuring a colossal projection of a dragon.

King Nazayun.

“Welcome home, Elangui,” he rumbled.

“And welcome to Ai’long, Truyan Saigas.”

At my side, Elang went tense.

He bowed, and I had the sense to do the same.

“Your Eternal Majesty,” he said, “we are honored by your visit.”

“And you, Bride of the Westerly Seas?” the Dragon King asked.

Even as a projection, his gaze was petrifying.

“Have you come here of your own will?”

Collect yourself, Tru, I thought.

Chin up, shoulders squared.

Spine against an imaginary stalk of bamboo.

The act was on.

I could pretend to be a dragon princess.

I could pretend to be in love with Elang.

I reached for his hand, surprised I found it right away.

“Yes, I have.” I shook my sleeve aside so Nazayun could see the red string around my wrist.

“Before the gods, our fates have been tied. It is I who will break his curse.”

It felt rather melodramatic to make such a declaration, so I punctuated my words by leaning on Elang’s shoulder.

I could feel his muscles tensing with discomfort, so I only leaned harder.

Public displays of affection were distasteful among A’landi’s upper classes, but if his grandfather was so obsessive about proof, I’d play my part.

Besides, I never promised I’d be a lady.

“May you have luck of the dragons, Bride of the Westerly Seas,” replied the Dragon King, dissolving into the water as he spoke.

“Enjoy this wedding gift in celebration of your homecoming.”

In a puff, he disappeared.

And as our “gift,” every shark and jellyfish in our vicinity was turned into stone.

The change happened suddenly, brutally, as though someone had slashed a knife through the water.

My entire body jerked in alarm, and numbly I watched the sharks and jellyfish sink, the hollowed rounds of their eyes turned cold and lifeless.

At my side, Elang barely flinched.

He let go of my hand.

“Are you hurt?”

My head hurt, but not the rest of me.

“No. Why…why did he destroy his own patrols?”

“Because he can,” replied Elang grimly.

“Because he’s the god of dragons, and the entire sea is at his whim. Because he knew it would upset you.”

Upset me was an understatement.

Twenty living creatures turned into stone—all to make some lurid demonstration of power.

It sickened me.

I bit the insides of my cheeks, my nostrils flaring.

Gods help me, if I found Baba this way…

I turned to Elang.

“I’m not upset,” I said, giving him a hard look.

“I’m inspired.”

The barest flicker of surprise crossed his face.

He gave me a nod.

“Good.”

Then he shook his sword, and it transformed into the umbrella he always carried.

I watched, transfixed.

“You did the same thing with my headdress.” I wheeled my hands, unsure how to describe such magic.

“After you touched it.”

“I have a talent for transformation. I can change objects, so long as they’re not alive.”

“Could you do it on land too?”

“The water amplifies my powers,” he responded.

“Particularly, these waters.” His arms fell to his sides, a slip of the red string around his wrist peeking past his sleeve.

“The Westerly Seas listen to me, and now, as their lady, they will listen to you.”

“You mean, I can turn umbrellas into swords?” I asked.

More cheekily: “What about pebbles into diamonds?”

“You’ll see in time.” He didn’t explain.

Two turtles were approaching to escort us to the castle.

Before he needed to ask, I took Elang’s arm and put on my brightest, most adoring smile.

I was getting the hang of this.

As regally as I could, I lifted my chin and adjusted my skirt to show off the embroidered phoenixes.

Then I beamed at the turtles, ready for my entrance.

This was going to be my greatest role.

I wouldn’t mess itup.