by Cindy Lin
Shaking her head, Usagi tried to speak, but her mouth seemed to dry up.
Tora exchanged a look with Nezu. “We ran into Strikers,” she said.
Rana gasped. “Was Captain Tupa—I mean, Tupa the traitor—with them?”
“No, Snake Girl. Lucky for him—he would’ve have had to answer to me.” Nezu’s usual cheerful expression was stormy. “But their commander had another one of the Treasures—the Winds of Infinity.”
“The fan!” Saru’s pale face grew even paler. “The Dragonstrikers have found it?”
Usagi finally found her voice. “The commander was using that fan to blow us every which way,” she blurted. “So I went after it.” She hung her head. “But I was carrying the pen, and it fell when I was trying to fight the commander. He took it and blew me away with the fan.”
“So, the Blue Dragon’s forces got to the Winds of Infinity? And they took the Pen of Truth?” Inu scrubbed a hand across the back of his neck, looking troubled. “Stars.”
“Someone was being ambitious, trying to face down a Striker commander on her own,” said Nezu, glancing sideways with a raised eyebrow. “Or maybe a little greedy for the extra Treasure.”
Greedy! Usagi couldn’t bear it anymore. “I was only trying to help,” she insisted. “That fan could have killed us.”
Shrugging, Nezu smoothed the fuzz on his upper lip. “I guess we can be glad we’re in one piece.”
“So what happens now?” asked Rana, her dark eyes filled with dismay.
With a sigh, Saru put a hand on Usagi’s shoulder. “Let’s get the mission team settled first. Go wash up for midday meal, and we’ll discuss it in the Great Hall after we eat.”
But hardly anyone had any appetite. The mood at the dining table was gloomy, so different from past meals when mission teams had come back triumphant. They’d celebrated then. No one was celebrating now. Usagi picked at a bowl of rice topped with pickled vegetables and a fried egg, its yolk still runny and the edges browned crisp. It was a simple dish that was one of her favorites, but she might as well have been swallowing sand. Each bite stuck in her throat.
After a subdued meal, they went to the Great Hall, a cavernous space with sparring mats and weapons against one wall, and a lacquered wooden chest housing the Treasures against the other. Above the chest hung a scroll with a poem extolling the Treasures and their powers. Staring up at the first stanza, Usagi silently read it over and over.
“Together they will help the power of the Twelve to shield
The island will be safe from harm and never have to yield
In turn the Twelve must keep them close and treat them with great care
For should the bond be broken then Midaga is laid bare.”
Kumo padded in and settled on his haunches next to Tora, who rubbed the cloud leopard’s ears. Goru and Rana stood with her, the three Heirlings waiting while Usagi and the other Warrior Heirs returned the Belt of Passage to the shrine. Nezu removed the belt from his waist and folded it carefully. He placed it in one of the chest’s twelve drawers, whispering a prayer of thanks to the mountain goddess. He pulled out the other three drawers that held Treasures, and everyone gathered round to look.
There was the Apothecary, a cunningly carved pillbox filled with many compartments. It could conjure antidotes to all known ailments. In the next drawer, a gilded metal disk known as the Mirror of Elsewhere gleamed up at them, its polished surface able to show faraway things. The Fire Cloak shimmered in its drawer, its golden silk weave almost too delicate to imagine as a shield against fire. And then there was the Belt of Passage, which had been so vital to them in their getaway from Port Wingbow and beyond. Had Usagi not dropped it, they would have added the Pen of Truth to the chest—and if she’d only fought better, they would have had the Winds of Infinity as well. She sighed.
“We know the Strikers have the fan and the pen,” said Saru. “What else does the Blue Dragon have in his collection?”
Nezu ticked them off on his fingers. “The Coppice Comb and the Bowl of Plenty, which we had to leave at the Palace of the Clouds last year.”
“That’s four,” Tora said.
“But there’s also the Jewels of Land and Sea,” said Inu, his dark eyes flashing. “Two-faced Tupa brought it here to be fixed by the Tigress, at the bidding of the Blue Dragon.”
Saru nodded. “Although the Tigress swallowed the jade replacement bead instead of giving it over.”
“He might still find a way to repair the necklace. Even if they don’t have the Land Jewel, they have the pearls that make up the rest of the Treasure, which is more than we have,” said Nezu. The Rat Heir smoothed the whiskers on his upper lip, calculating. “So let’s say that’s half a Treasure. Including the Pen of Truth, the Blue Dragon’s got his filthy hands on four and a half of the twelve Treasures.”
Goru sat down heavily on the sparring mats in the Great Hall, jolting some of the weapons hanging on the wall behind him. He stared up at the scroll. “And we have four. There’s only three Treasures left to be recovered. The flute, the ring, and the hammer.”
“If the Dragonlord hasn’t already found them,” said Usagi, despondent. “We didn’t know they had the fan till they used it on us.”
“Well, until we know for certain, we can’t worry about that,” said Nezu firmly. “As far as I’m concerned, three Treasures are still out there, and we have to get to them first.”
Inu nodded, his dark eyes fierce. “And once we do, we’ll find a way to get the ones in the Blue Dragon’s possession, too.”
The Monkey Heir slid all the drawers shut. “Then we’ll need to plan our next mission quickly,” she said. “There’s no time to waste when the Strikers are out looking for the Treasures too. But some of us have actually been around the Treasures and seen them used. That’s our advantage. We know more about these items—their history, their appearance, their powers—than they do.”
“There’s the flute, which belonged to the Snake Warrior,” said Inu. He pulled his own flute from his belt and examined it. “What I wouldn’t give to try playing it to the Dragonlord! I’d make him dance off a cliff into a nest of vipers.”
Frowning, Nezu tugged at his whiskers. “If only the Snake Warrior had done that. But during the terrible final battle we’d fought at the Palace of the Clouds, he wasn’t carrying the flute.”
“I remember.” Saru shook her head sadly. “The Snake Heir told me that they’d hidden it, but Brother Hemi was struck down before he could say where.” She hesitated, then opened the drawer nearest her and removed the Mirror of Elsewhere. “Maybe this will give us some clues.” The Monkey Heir gave Tora, Goru, and Rana a chance to try looking in the mirror. “Think of the flute and what you know about it.”
But the Mirror of Elsewhere remained frustratingly blank for them. “Guess I wasn’t paying enough attention when the Dragon Academy headmaster was going over the Treasures,” Goru said ruefully.
“What did you Heirlings learn about them?” asked Nezu.
Rana looked down at a ball of clay in her palm—she carried it in her pocket and liked to play with it when she was thinking. She squeezed it between her fingers. “That there were twelve Lost Treasures—but Master Douzen never said they belonged to the Warriors of the Zodiac. We were taught that these powerful items had been stolen or hidden from the Dragonlord.” With each squeeze of Rana’s hand, the clay became a replica of a different Treasure: first a miniature fan, then a small bowl, then a little comb.
“They never belonged to the Dragonlord—they can’t really be stolen from him,” sniffed Usagi. She wrinkled her nose at the memory of the Academy cadets, including her sister, bowing to the wizened old Hulagan who’d been appointed headmaster. In a deal struck with both the empire of Hulagu and the neighboring empire of Waya, the Blue Dragon had brought down the Shield that protected Midaga, allowing their invading forces to overwhelm the kingdom. The Blue Dragon took the throne as his reward, paying annual tributes to the twin empires and installing their p
eople as advisers and teachers at his Academy.
Nodding, Rana held a tiny clay mirror in her palm. “We know that now.” She closed her fingers around it and opened them to reveal a miniature flute. “About the flute—they said if you played it, anyone who heard the tune would do whatever you wanted.”
“And that while it looks like an ordinary bamboo flute, it does have some special markings on it,” Tora added.
“At least the Academy got that right,” said Nezu, sounding surprised. “Whoever hears its song falls under its spell, and can be made to dance, fall asleep, or go into a trance.”
Saru handed the mirror to Usagi. “Take a look, Rabbit Girl. Maybe the flute will reveal itself to you.”
Angling the bronze disk just so, Usagi gazed into its polished face. She’d only seen paintings of the flute, along with some descriptions and stories, in the scrolls kept in the shrine’s library. Hopefully that would be enough to bring forth some sort of image in the mirror. She thought about the flute’s lacquered body, the design of twelve zodiac animals dancing around it, and recalled that the end was painted to look like a hissing snake.
An image appeared in the mirror. She squinted. “I’m thinking about the flute, and it’s showing me something moving like a slithering snake. How strange—I’d say they’re hills or mountains, but they keep shifting.”
“Oh!” cried Saru. She took the mirror from Usagi and gazed into it, then smiled. “Those aren’t mountains, Rabbit Girl. They’re sand dunes.”
Nezu and Inu looked at each other with wide eyes. “The Dancing Dunes,” they said in unison.
“For the Flute of Dancing Dreams! Of course!” said Usagi. “That must be where it’s hidden. How very clever of the Snake Warrior!”
Then and there it was clear that the next mission would be to find and retrieve the flute. Usagi immediately wanted to go, in hopes of redeeming her terrible failures, but the others agreed that they needed the team small and more experienced. Since Saru and Inu were the oldest and had been Warrior Heirs for years, they would be the ones on the mission. Nezu and Usagi would keep the Heirlings practicing and training.
But which Treasures should be brought along to help? As the others chimed in, Usagi objected. They couldn’t risk losing another one.
The Monkey Heir disagreed. “If we stick to the plan and work together, whatever we carry will be fine. We’ve done it before, Rabbit Girl.”
“Besides, what’s the point of having these Treasures if you don’t use them?” asked Rana.
Saru gave her an approving nod. “You shouldn’t keep something from its true purpose because you fear losing it.”
Nezu stroked his lip thoughtfully. “They’re right. If we hadn’t had the Belt of Passage on us, we might not have made it back here. It got us out of trouble twice.”
“Maybe just bring one,” suggested Tora. “The Fire Cloak might be of good help.”
Goru scoffed. “The Dancing Dunes aren’t made of flame—it’s a bunch of blowing sand.”
“True, but the cloak could protect us from that too,” said the Monkey Heir. “It’s light but surprisingly strong.” She put the Mirror of Elsewhere back in the chest of Treasures. “It’s settled, then. Inu and I will go after the flute, and we’ll take the Fire Cloak with us.”
Usagi hung her head. She would only wait for their return.
Chapter 6
A Discovery
THE TARGET SWUNG BACK AND forth, waving like a disembodied hand from across the courtyard. Left, right, left, right. Inu squinted at the swaying piece of white cloth, pinned to a weighted board, a constellation of stars painted on the cloth in dark ink. Standing tall before the Great Hall, he pulled an arrow from the quiver slung across his back and nocked it to his bow. Hooking the string with his thumb, protected by the archer’s ring he always wore, he drew the arrow back, then let it fly with a twang of the string.
The arrow whistled toward the target, while Inu reached for another arrow. As the first arrow sank into a star with a resounding thunk, he shot the second arrow just as the target changed direction, then another, and another.
Twang! . . . thunk. Twang! . . . thunk. Twang! . . . thunk.
“Looks like someone’s ready to go after the next Treasure,” said Usagi. She and Tora were perched on the wooden platform behind him, watching Inu practice while they cleaned and inspected gear for the mission. Beside them, Kumo licked his furred paws and groomed his face, pausing to gnaw at sharp claws that were as long as Usagi’s fingers.
“You don’t even know if he’s hit every star,” Goru countered. He hefted a couple of heavy straw bales overhead, working on his arm strength.
Inu rolled his eyes. “Go ahead, check.”
Tora stopped counting arrowheads and glanced at the target. With a nod, she announced, “He hit them all.”
“No! Impossible!” Goru dropped the bales of straw with a thump and lumbered across the courtyard to examine the board. “Flying fireballs, he did!” He plucked out the arrows and brought them back. “I can’t even hit the target when it’s still.”
“It’s not that hard,” scoffed Tora. “All it takes is a good eye and steady hand.”
Inu barked a laugh. “Not that hard? I’d like to see you do the same. Don’t forget, I’m the one who taught you to shoot.”
“Ho, that sounds like a challenge,” Goru hooted.
Springing to her feet, Tora dusted off her pants. “You’ll see all right, Master Archer. This student will match every shot you make.”
“Challenge accepted!” hollered Goru.
A slow smile spread across Inu’s face. “Let’s make this interesting, Tiger Girl. Every star hit on the target is a point. Whoever gets fewer points will have to do the other’s chores.”
Tora’s snaggleteeth gleamed. “Good. I’ve been sweeping out the goat pen this week.”
“And I’ve had to clean out the outhouses,” Inu laughed.
Goru rubbed his massive hands. “Are you sure you want to do this, Tora? The bow is one of Inu’s favored weapons.”
“And I’m going to make it one of mine,” replied Tora firmly. “Want to join us? You can help Inu with my chores once I’ve beat you both—I’ve been cleaning up after the chickens too.”
As Goru began to stammer, Usagi giggled. “Let’s make it a team effort,” she suggested. “Whichever team gets the most points can give their chores to the other team.”
“That’ll be fun. A team competition it is.” Breezily, Inu tossed the hair out of his eyes. “I’ll even give Tora first pick.”
“I’m picking Goru—for your team,” said Tora, her smile widening. “Sorry, Ox Boy.”
“Well, that’s just cruel. I’m terrible at archery,” Goru grumbled. “I’ll wind up doing everyone’s chores.”
Inu thumped him on the back. “Don’t worry. I’ll rack up enough points for the both of us.” He turned to Tora. “I’m taking Usagi, then. You can have Rana and Nezu. We’ll get Saru to judge.”
“I think I can get us a few points as well,” Usagi told Goru. But Tora was becoming an excellent archer, thanks in part to her tiger vision. Secretly, Usagi wondered if she’d be adding the goat pens and hen hutches to her chores for the week.
They called everyone from around the compound and explained the challenge. An amused Saru agreed to act as judge. “A little competition never hurt,” she said. “That, and the threat of cleaning toilets.”
As they debated on the number of targets, teased each other about their archery skills and compared chores, Kumo got up from the platform, tail twitching. Disturbed by all the commotion, the cloud leopard stalked off. Inu distributed bows and Saru drew up the target patterns, using a brush and ink on pieces of cloth. She pinned them on various bales of straw, as well as some target boards that waved back and forth, bobbed up and down, or spun in a circle. Pointing, Saru said, “Hitting the target mark is ten points. If you hit the cloth but not the mark, you get one point.” She raised her ink brush. “I’ll tally.”
Goru set up the bales all around the shrine compound, wherever there was enough space to shoot. “Minimum distance for shooting is thirty paces,” he informed everyone. “No getting closer than that.”
“And hitting the target from a farther distance will earn you more points,” added Saru. “Five points for every ten extra steps back.” Tora’s eyes brightened at this, while Goru looked up at the sky, muttering to himself.
Nudging him, Usagi whispered, “At least we won’t get points taken away for bad shots.”
To see which team would go first, Inu and Tora played earth-wood-metal. “Earth, wood, metal,” they chanted, before throwing out their fists. “Wood beats earth!” cried Tora, her open hand covering Inu’s closed fist. “Paper covers rock!”
Smiling, Inu twisted his thumb ring. “Good luck, Paper Tiger.”
“I don’t need luck, Rock Dog,” said Tora loftily. Hefting her bow, she walked to the first target. It was a straw bale with a simple circle drawn on a piece of cloth. She selected an arrow from a bucket at her feet and aimed, her eyes narrowing as she gazed down her left arm. Twang! Thunk!
Saru went and examined the circle. “Right in the center. Ten points to Team Paper Tiger!”
As Nezu and Rana cheered and congratulated Tora, Inu took his bow and made a show of stepping farther from where she’d stood. Usagi and Goru egged him on and taunted the other team until Saru signaled for Inu to shoot. He fitted an arrow to his bow and let it fly. Thunk! His arrow quivered in the bale. It had split Tora’s in two. “Ten points to Team Rock Dog, five extra points for shooting from ten paces farther—and a ten-point bonus for splitting an arrow!”
