Chen Yong climbed on behind her, leaving Li Rong standing alone on the jagged rock.
“The things I do for pretty women,” Li Rong muttered before getting onto the massive beast.
The dragon swept over the waves, and Ai Ling hugged its back with her thighs, fearful she would fall into the water below. This was not like riding a horse. The dragon climbed slowly into the air. She glimpsed the gold horns on its head for the first time, next to ears very similar in shape to a deer’s, but covered in rich green scales. They glided on smooth winds, and her spirit soared. There was pure joy in this flight, in this freedom, this world.
“Incredible,” she heard Chen Yong breathe softly behind her.
He held her at the waist with both hands. Her pulse quickened. Ai Ling wanted to lean back into him but wrapped her arms around the neck of the magnificent dragon instead. She let the sea wind cool her hot cheeks.
They floated above the waves toward the mist-shrouded island. As they neared, its appearance grew and changed. The parting mist sometimes revealed a high fortress wall made of gold, which then disappeared behind opaque clouds. The clouds dissipated again to show tall trees on a rocky peak.
The peak collapsed upon itself, and parting clouds next revealed a pagoda set within a lovely garden, with fruit trees and flowers that she knew from home.
A dense fog pressed around them, cold in some spots and uncomfortably warm in others. The mist was so thick Ai Ling became disoriented, grateful for the glimpse of gold horns on the dragon and the feel of Chen Yong’s hands on her waist, gripping a little tighter. Ai Ling lost all sense of time.
Finally light filtered through the mist, and the sky glinted cerulean, bright and endless. The clouds turned soft, pearllike.
The dragon alighted on a tall mountain suspended in midair above the waves. Golden walls stretching endlessly into the sky blocked their view, and a giant door painted the color of cinnabar stood a short distance away. The dragon was still.
“I think it wants us to dismount,” Ai Ling said.
She eased herself off, running her hands over the supple blue-green scales. Chen Yong and Li Rong climbed down after her.
“Thank you,” she said to the dragon.
It lifted its head in acknowledgment, its kelp beard stirred by a wind she could not feel.
“We have come to where the Immortals roam,” Chen Yong said, gazing at the towering golden walls.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“The Golden Palace of the Immortals resides on the Mountain of Heavenly Peace,” Chen Yong said. “It’s surrounded by walls of gold—from The Book of the Divine.”
Li Rong pulled a face. “I never did do my lessons for that.”
“You didn’t do your lessons for much of anything.”
“I’m not the scholarly type. Besides, I thought that was ancient folklore—”
“Folktales of Immortals whom many Xian still pray to, offer fruit and burn incense for,” Chen Yong said.
“But country folk, poor peasants, surely,” Li Rong said.
“You judge the gods by who bows down at their altars?” Ai Ling asked.
“I didn’t give it much thought. I . . .” Li Rong looked down and scuffed his shoe on the ground.
“We’ll learn soon if there was truth to those folktales,” she said.
They walked toward the giant doors. They towered so high she could not see their tops. Two creatures flanked them—a jade dragon, coiled like a snake, and a giant lion carved from jasper, with its head tilted back in a ferocious roar.
Ai Ling glanced back at the sea dragon, but it had curled up on the ground, seemingly in the midst of a nap. She jumped, startled, as the jade dragon by the doors reared its head. The red lion relinquished its roar into the sky, so loud and thunderous it left her ears ringing. A familiar warmth washed over her breast. She looked down to find her jade pendant glowing so brightly it looked like a white star.
“Goddess of Mercy,” Li Rong said. His eyes darted from the jade dragon, extending itself to its full length, to the jasper lion, which had risen onto all fours and was shaking its unmoving mane. Two pairs of curious diamond eyes glittered at them.
“Don’t draw your weapon,” Chen Yong said. “Don’t move.”
“Are you mad? That was the last thing on my mind.” Li Rong gulped audibly.
“I don’t think they’ll hurt us,” Ai Ling said. “We were brought here by the dragon . . .”
“As their snack,” Li Rong finished her sentence.
Ai Ling took slow, deliberate steps toward the two creatures. A cold-hot sweat collected at her temples. They wouldn’t hurt her; she was brought by the sea dragon, which was good, protective. She opened and closed her sweaty palms, willing her arms still by her sides. Something drew her to the massive doors—she had been brought here for a reason. As she passed the magical stone beasts, both bowed their heads to the ground, making her draw a sharp breath.
“It’s as if they welcome you.” Chen Yong’s voice behind her was higher than usual.
She reached the doors and examined them closely, forcing herself not to look back. They were carved intricately with beings she could not identify—three-legged people with two heads, horses with bird beaks, twisted serpents with human faces. Ai Ling reached out and stroked the etching. Was this the serpent demon they had slain? The doors slid ajar at her touch.
The dragon to her left snorted, stretching its four short legs and digging its jade claws into the mountain. The jasper lion rumbled deep in its throat and sat down on its powerful haunches once again, eyes never straying from Chen Yong and Li Rong. Ai Ling eased the massive doors open with a light touch and walked through.
She turned and motioned for the others. They stood immobile, gaping at her, the expressions on their faces making them seem like blood brothers after all. Chen Yong was the first to stride forward, and Li Rong scrambled to follow.
They stepped into an immense garden filled with fantastic trees that stretched to the skies. The air hung fragrant with the scent of honeysuckle and sweet ginger, distinct, yet not overpowering. A marbled path wound up toward a pagoda in the distance. Ai Ling stopped at the first tree, its trunk as thick as three men, the roots gnarled and spread wide, drinking deep from the ground. Its ivory leaves were shaped like the palms of hands, and it bore fruit—glistening human hearts that beat rhythmically on white stems. A jade placard set into the ground had the words LOVE LOST TREE etched in gold upon it.
What did that mean? She slanted a sidelong glance toward Chen Yong. Did his heart hang from the branches of this tree? Would hers as well, some day? The sound of a hundred heartbeats thudded against Ai Ling’s ears, each pulsing to its own story of loss. She walked on, unable to bear the thrumming of all those broken hearts.
The next tree was slender and delicate compared to the last, its trunks and branches silver. It carried no leaves, yet bore red and green berries of ruby and emerald. They glittered in the sunlight and rustled in the wind with a pleasant tinkling. She looked for the name of this tree and found the jade placard with the words ETERNAL BERRY TREE etched on it.
“The dragons eat the fruit from this tree,” Chen Yong said.
“You mean they don’t tear humans limb from limb?” Li Rong asked, only half jesting.
His brother lifted his shoulders. “It’s what I recall from The Book of the Divine.”
“Only the flying dragons,” Ai Ling said.
Both young men turned to her. “Those who live in crevices and mountains—the ones that can’t fly—they all dine on different things.”
“Another scholar in this group, I see. And much nicer to look at than you.” Li Rong nudged Chen Yong in the ribs with an elbow.
“I don’t remember that from The Book of the Divine,” Chen Yong said, ignoring his brother’s gibe.
“It’s from The Book of Lands Beyond. Father didn’t let me read from it much; he didn’t consider it scholarly enough. I studied the book on my own,” she said.