Page 159 of Tiger's Voyage

“So,” he began. “You’re here for a key and not just any key. You wantthekey.”

“We need to find Durga’s Necklace. I don’t know about a key,” I ventured.

“Ah, yes. You seek the way to the Seventh Pagoda.” He stared into my eyes and froze for a minute.

“Are you reading my thoughts?” I asked.

“No. I wouldn’t do that without permission. Just … studying you. I haven’t conversed with a human in a long time, let alone one so lovely.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ve had a long journey, then, haven’t you? To make it this far must have been a tremendous effort.” He stood as if startled. “Now what kind of a host am I? Here you sit, frozen, hungry, thirsty, and tired while I go on about things that can wait until later.”

He whirled his hands and a blue fire lit in the grate near us. It crackled like ice breaking, but it was amazingly warm.

“But won’t it melt your castle?” I asked.

Yínbáilóng laughed, a warm sound in a frozen room. “Of course not. My home is protected from melting. Perhaps you have more questions about dragons. I would be happy to answer them over dinner. May I have the pleasure?”

He strode over to our couch and offered his arm. Ren’s arms tightened around me, and I heard a little growl from Kishan.

The white dragon chided, “Now, now, gentlemen. There’s no need for jealousy. I merely meant to escort the young lady through the halls. You two may follow, of course. If you would, miss?”

“Alright. Thank you.”

I took his hand, and Ren reluctantly let me go. He and Kishan immediately trailed along behind us.

We passed what appeared to be a game room with a billiard table, and the dragon asked, “Do either of you young men enjoy billiards? I haven’t played a game in quite some time, but it would be a nice way to pass the hours.”

“How do you differentiate the snowballs?” Kishan asked with a chuckle.

“They are colored much as my trees outside.”

“How do you get them to glow those different colors?” I inquired.

“Bioluminescence.”

“You mean phosphorescent animals?”

“Not exactly. Ancient men once stared at the night ocean and saw a glow. They mistakenly associated it with the burning of the chemical phosphor. What is typically called phosphorescence in the ocean has nothing to do with burning at all. It involves no heat. Living creatures called dinoflagellates create my light. Similar to your fireflies on the land, these animals glow with an inner light. Most of them are microscopic and actually create light when reacting to oxygen above the water. I have duplicated the environment necessary to make them glow here. Feeding and caring for them gives me great happiness.”

“So your plants and trees are like tiny aquariums? They’re your pets?”

“Precisely. Each tree hosts a different animal that creates different colors. Jellyfish, shrimp, squid, various types of worms, some plants, and alsoCypridina, which create the most beautiful blue color.”

“What areCypridina?”

“They are similar to clams, but their shells are tiny and transparent. Normally they’re found in the waters of Japan.”

“But don’t they freeze inside your ice trees?”

“I can modify the temperature and the environment to meet their needs. In fact, you might have noticed you no longer need your winter gear.”

Now that he mentioned it, I was slightly warm. I slipped off my outerwear and tucked it over my arm. We entered a large dining room made of ice. Each chair had a greenish hue, and the large table was red. I moved closer to inspect the surface and saw thousands of tiny creatures wriggling around under the ice.

“They’re beautiful!”

“They are. You may all be seated. The chairs won’t freeze you any longer. It will feel like you’re sitting on chairs made of oak.”