The Tiger's Apprentice

by Laurence Yep

  Mistral narrowed her eyes. “Insult me that way one more time and I’ll leave you, Hu.”

  “What did Monkey do to become an outlaw?” Tom asked.

  “That ape’s pride would dwarf the sun,” Mistral said. “He actually challenged Heaven.”

  “And was punished for it,” Mr. Hu said. Taking off his coat, he began to roll up his sleeves as he explained. “He was buried alive under an entire mountain.”

  “Which crushed neither his pride nor him,” Mistral complained.

  “His pride was all he had while he was imprisoned,” Mr. Hu argued. Taking a small jar from his coat pocket, he unscrewed the lid and began to rub an ugly brown ointment on his elbows and wrists.

  “Let me do that,” Tom said, going over to him.

  As Tom rubbed the tiger’s fur, he said, “I used to do the same for Grandmom.” Pleased, the tiger lay down on all fours while the boy probed and rubbed. The Guardian’s muscles were different from a human’s, so Tom could not be sure he was doing a good job until he heard Mr. Hu begin to purr, rumbling like a truck.

  When Tom was finished, the Guardian stretched out on the sand to rest and regain his strength, telling his temporary apprentice how Monkey had led the other apes in a rebellion against Heaven itself. At first Heaven had tried to buy his loyalty by offering him a minor post. However, Monkey stole some peaches that granted immortality and then wrecked a banquet to which he had not been invited. Of course, a heavenly host flew down to punish him, but Monkey held his own until the Flower Lord, a strange, terrible wizard, had captured him.

  “So he’s immortal?” Tom asked.

  During the recital of Monkey’s adventures, Mistral had closed her eyes and pretended extreme indifference, but she grumbled now, “He may be immortal. Even so, I swear he’s lost a step or two.”

  The tiger had taken the ointment back from Tom, and now he rolled up his pants legs and began applying it to his knees. “Hush, here he comes,” Mr. Hu said as Monkey returned.

  When Monkey slogged back across the sand toward them, he wrinkled his nose. “Phew, is that stink you, Hu?”

  “My joints get a little stiff,” Mr. Hu huffed, screwing the lid back on the jar. “And it’s good for that.”

  “Only old grandfathers use that dreadful stuff,” Mistral teased, but she sobered up quick enough when Monkey told them that he had lost Loo’s trail once he had reached the street.

  “What do we do?” Mistral wondered. “Where does Vatten plan to force the phoenix to hatch?”

  Monkey settled down beside them. “I think that girl must have been lying. We have plenty of time to find the egg.”

  “But if she wasn’t,” Mistral said grimly, “Vatten will wreak havoc even sooner than we thought.”

  “I think we have to assume the worst,” Mr. Hu said, “which means we have to get the egg back before Vatten can carry out his plans.”

  “Maybe you should bring the girl out again and accept her bargain,” Monkey suggested.

  “I don’t trust her,” Mr. Hu said with a firm shake of his head.

  Mistral was alternately scooping sand into the shape of Loo and pounding it flat. “Wherever Vatten is, he must be near water. But we not only have the ocean on this side of San Francisco, we also have the bay on the other. That is a wide area to search if you include the coastline.”

  Suddenly they heard a faint humming noise from overhead.

  “Well, now, Mr. H,” Sidney called from above. “Just look at the kind of trouble you get into when your partner’s not around.”

  The tiger glared up at the round rat as he slowly descended from the sky. “You! How did you escape? I tied you up myself.”

  Sidney chuckled. “I guess you didn’t know rats can squeeze their bones close together. That’s how we can get through cracks and holes. And as for the vault, well, that kind is designed to keep people out, not in.” He patted part of his fur and Tom heard a distinct clink. “And when you’ve got the tools and the know-how, it’s no problem. But I can fix that vault so no one can get out. I’ll give you a break on the price too.”

  Mr. Hu swatted at the rat with his hat. “So you’ve come to gloat?”

  Sidney easily evaded the tiger and settled on the beach. “No, to help. You’re my partner, Mr. H. I knew you were just pretending to be mean. You were worried about me so you used that as your excuse to leave me behind. But I figured I’d better keep an eye on you, so I’ve been flying along up above you all this time.”

  Mr. Hu jumped erect on his hind paws. “You knew we were in trouble and didn’t help us?”

  “Between the ape and the dragon and you, I knew you’d get out,” Sidney said as he deflated his fur.

  Monkey nodded to the boy. “Actually, it was Tom who got us out.”

  “Do tell,” Sidney said, eyeing him. “And he looks so harmless. Well, I followed the guy with the umbrella.”

  Mr. Hu demanded impatiently, “Where did Loo go?”

  Sidney flicked a paw toward the east. “Do you know the big freshwater lake in the park?”

  “Stow Lake, sure,” Tom said.

  “There’s a hill in the middle of the lake. He went inside there,” Sidney said.

  Mistral rose in a cascade of sand. “Then that has to be where Vatten is as well. Clever. He’s surrounded by water. I would have wasted my time searching along the saltwater rather than thinking of looking for a body of freshwater in the city.”

  “And that’s where we’re going next.” Sidney sidled up to the tiger and nudged him with an elbow. “Right, partner?”

  Poor Mr. Hu struggled with himself before he said through gritted teeth, “Yes.”

  Mistral twisted her long neck to stare at the ocean one last time and sighed. “It’s hard to leave the sea after having had just a taste of it.”

  “Can’t you come back when this is over?” Tom asked.

  The dragon twisted up one corner of her mouth. “I think this may be my last battle. But even if I survive, I couldn’t return here. I could not resist the temptation to return to the kingdom if I came to this beach again. And that would lead to my death more surely than even entering Vatten’s lair will. It would cost my life to set paw in the dragon kingdom. Even swimming out of the mansion was a risk.”

  “Oh, now, don’t start composing your funeral chant or you’ll be here for days. There’s nothing like a dragon when it comes to dying.” Monkey shrank his staff to the size of a toothpick. “And in the meantime Vatten will be doing whatever he wants to the phoenix.”

  Mistral still seemed convinced that this would be her final fight. She cleared her throat. “Perhaps the boy shouldn’t go with us this time.”

  After tangling with the Clan of the Nine at the mansion, Tom was not sure he wanted to meet their master himself. “But you’re going to go? Aren’t you scared?” he asked the dragon and the others.

  “Of course,” Mr. Hu grunted. “Only a fool would pretend not to be, and I’m no fool.”

  “And yet,” Monkey chuckled as he tucked his staff behind his ear, “only fools would challenge Vatten and his forces.”

  Mistral took one last, long look at her ocean home. “Some would even call it suicide—which is why the boy shouldn’t accompany us.”

  “Yes,” Mr. Hu said thoughtfully, “perhaps he shouldn’t.”

  Tom scratched his forehead. “Back at Grandmom’s, you warned me not to take on a fight when the odds are against me. So why are you going after Vatten? You admit he’s probably stronger than you.”

  Mr. Hu stroked the fur along his jowls. “You have a very inconvenient memory and an annoying habit of tossing someone’s words back at him.” The tiger smiled gently. “I guess it’s because there’s no one else to save the phoenix.”

  Tom stared at the elderly tiger. “But you’re stiff all the time and you hurt your back when you exert yourself. You’re too old to fight.” He glanced at the ape and then the scarred dragon. “All of you are.”

  “Well, now—” Monkey began to
protest.

  “Be honest for once in your life,” Mistral said. “We’re all getting on in years.”

  “Speak for yourself, lizard.” Monkey paused and then scratched his cheek. “But,” he admitted, “after all these years of wandering and fighting, I thought I’d have more to show for them.”

  “So you’re tired as well,” Mistral grunted.

  Dragon, tiger, and ape stared at the fire as if they were seeing their own lives in the flames—all the endless battles and travels.

  Tom felt as if he had said the wrong thing as usual. Even if it was true, it had been mean to remind them. “I’m sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut.”

  Finally Mr. Hu made one last adjustment to his tie. “Well,” he said with a dignified nod, “if this is to be my last lesson to you, Master Thomas, let it be this: True courage is doing what you know must be done.”

  Monkey could see how bad the boy felt and reached over to pat his knee. “Don’t have such a long face, Tom. This is all that rascals like us deserve.”

  Mistral suddenly lifted her long neck and laughed sardonically. “Hatchling, learn from us. Don’t spend your lives seeking trouble, for you surely will find it.”

  Mr. Hu grinned crookedly. “I’m afraid it’s too late for us to mend our ways, but a cub like you still can.”

  Tom stared at the tiger, whose quiet courage reminded him of his grandmother as she had stood in the parlor, preparing to make her last stand. The ape and dragon, too, had the same determined air. He felt his heart bursting with pride for the three old warriors. He couldn’t hide while they went on into danger.

  His Adam’s apple felt as big as a melon when he swallowed and said, “I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I’m going too.” Tom touched the pouch hanging inside his shirt. By now the gesture felt natural. “This charm kept the hounds away from me.”

  “They were only minor threats. It will not protect you against Loo or any of the greater beasts that are likely to be guarding the egg,” Mr. Hu said.

  Tom never thought he would have to justify risking his life. “But I found the escape route, didn’t I? I can help a little.”

  “It’s still foolhardy to let him come with us,” Monkey said to the others with a shake of his head.

  “I know the way to Stow Lake,” Tom insisted. “I’ll get there on my own.”

  Mr. Hu folded his forelegs. “Your mind is set?”

  “You can’t keep me away,” Tom said defiantly.

  “You have your grandmother’s stubbornness, I see, if not her good sense.” Mr. Hu regarded him almost affectionately. “Well, though I would wish otherwise, I think your destiny still lies with ours.” The tiger turned to the rat. “But I don’t know about yours, Sidney. You should feel free to leave us.”

  The rat had hunched down, looking miserable. “But you’re my partner, Mr. H. I can’t leave you in the lurch.”

  The tiger gently patted the rat on the back. “You’ve done enough. Now go.”

  The rat hesitated, as if he were tempted, and then shrugged glumly. “No, I’ll stick by you to the end.”

  “So, it’s one phoenix rescue, coming up,” Monkey said cheerfully.

  “Or one large funeral,” Sidney grunted.

  Chapter 10

  Stow Lake lay in the middle of Golden Gate Park on top of a hill. With Monkey, Mr. Hu, and Mistral disguised as humans, they made their way carefully along a path through the trees until they came to the road that encircled the broad lake. There were bushes and small strips of lawn by the water’s edge. Ducks and mud hens floated on the surface, making a meal from the small fish that lived in the lake. This late in the day, there were no rental boats out and no pedestrians.

  From the lake rose an island with a waterfall that ran down its hilly slope, passing an ornate pavilion before it emptied into the surrounding water.

  Zigzagging carefully through the trees, Sidney found them there. When he had dropped down beside them, he pointed toward a tall column of spray that fell down the hillside.

  “I saw someone go behind there so that must be an entrance,” he said in a low voice. “And there’s a sentry on top of the hill.”

  “Did they see you?” Mr. Hu asked.

  Sidney chuckled. “They saw me sell a half-dozen golf balls to the last of the tourists.”

  “If someone could distract the sentry, I could sneak up on him,” Monkey suggested.

  “Sidney and I can do that,” Tom offered.

  The tiger fretted for a moment but gave in. “All right, but be careful. We’re close to Vatten’s lair. I can feel it.”

  Tom crossed the street, following the pedestrian path around to the stone bridge that spanned the lake to the island. He loitered, pretending to watch a swan swim by.

  As they had arranged, Sidney followed him. “Hey, kid, want some oven mittens for your mom?” He had actually produced a pink pair from somewhere inside his fur and was waving them about.

  “No, go away,” Tom said.

  The more the rat persisted, the angrier Tom pretended to become until Sidney muttered, “Sorry, kid, but we got to make this look good.” And the rat deftly kicked him in the shin.

  “Have it your way,” Tom said, irritated for real now as he dived on the rat. Though the boy was larger, the rat was more agile—and more experienced from dodging so many irate customers.

  Tom had just eaten a mouthful of soil when Monkey strolled down to them, looking very satisfied with himself. “Well done,” he said. The sentry was gone.

  “Thank you,” Tom said, spitting out some grass.

  While Tom and Sidney dusted themselves off, Mr. Hu and Mistral crossed to them. “You’re going to need a thorough cleanup when we get home,” Mr. Hu said as Tom wiped the dirt from his eyes.

  Sidney began to search through his fur. “Now I’ve got some soap that’s guaranteed to—” He stopped when he saw Mr. Hu’s expression. “But maybe later.”

  They climbed the crumbly earth of the slope and then moved along the hillside. Monkey and Mr. Hu had no trouble, but Tom and the heavier dragon slipped and slid.

  “The point is to surprise them,” the exasperated tiger whispered to them.

  They managed to make the waterfall without incident. Tom could see where the stream splashed on the blocks below, sending up spray like rain. The water looked like a foamy white curtain.

  Mr. Hu crouched, placing a hand on the ground. “This is a place of power. I can feel a channel of energy flowing under here.”

  “But my grandmom said this place was built in the thirties. It was part of a public works project,” Tom said.

  The Guardian seemed amused. “That’s what’s on the surface, but what is beneath here? You humans may have built your toy above the ch’i line, but it still flows, strong and powerful, whatever you may do.” The tiger took in a deep breath of the damp air. “And this place stinks of Vatten’s magic too,” he growled softly.

  “We have to get the rose back,” Tom said grimly. “Besides, he had my grandmother killed. I want to pay him back.”

  “We all do,” Mistral growled dangerously. Dragon, ape, and tiger changed back into their true forms.

  “I’ll lead.” Monkey grinned as he raised his staff.

  “Remember: the egg first, then revenge,” Mr. Hu cautioned.

  “Of course,” Monkey said absently.

  Taking a breath, he stepped into the waterfall and disappeared.

  “Mistral, try to keep him from doing anything foolish.” Mr. Hu nodded to the dragon.

  “I’ll try, but it’s a full-time job.” Mistral thrust her head into the water, and Tom watched the dragon’s body vanish.

  Mr. Hu eyed the waterfall with distaste, muttering, “Water is . . . is so wet.” But he leaped after the others.

  Tom felt that, as Mr. Hu’s temporary apprentice, he should go next, so he took a step forward and almost tripped when Sidney grabbed his leg. “Mind if I snag a ride?” Before Tom could object, the rat had climbed up his pant
s and wrapped around his stomach, using one paw to hold the flaps of Tom’s jacket over himself. “After all, no sense two of us getting soggy.”

  “Get out of there.” Tom tried to open his jacket again and shove Sidney off, but the rat held both flaps firmly shut.

  “Don’t forget to zipper it,” Sidney said.

  Deciding that there was no time to rid himself of the rat, Tom pulled up the zipper.

  “Ouch,” Sidney complained. “Watch the fur, fella.”

  “Beggars can’t be choosers,” Tom said, and zipped up the jacket all the way, looking regretfully at the huge bulge beneath his jacket. He had wanted to try to make an entrance as heroic as Monkey’s and Mistral’s, but it no longer seemed likely.

  Holding his breath, he stepped forward. Instantly, the water pounded at him, buckling his knees. Instinctively, he opened his mouth to gasp and took in more water. He entered Vatten’s lair coughing and spluttering rather than the brave way he had wanted. And he almost slipped on the slimy stone.

  A paw clamped over his mouth. “Quiet,” Mr. Hu whispered as he dragged Tom deeper into the tunnel.

  It was about ten feet high and wide and rough hewn, and a torch guttered and burned, casting more smoke than light. The air smelled stagnant, and the stone floor was covered with a slippery green algae. Slimy steps led downward into the darkness.

  Mistral crouched with one paw firmly on the shoulder of the ape, who seemed eager to be off. A blue lizard with dagger-long claws lay unconscious by his feet.

  As Tom bent over, coughing into the Guardian’s paw, Sidney began to squirm. “Hey, let me out.”

  The boy pulled down the zipper again and the rat dropped to the floor. “Thanks for the ride.” He padded over to the lizard and began searching him for loot. “This was the guy asking about you at first, Mr. H.”

  Tom wiped some of the water from his eyes and stared at the damp, green-covered cave. “This looks older than the thirties,” he mumbled.

  “This hill was built over something far more ancient,” Monkey said, touching a wall, damp from algae and the waterfall’s spray.