Creatures of the In Between by Cindy Lin

Author:Cindy Lin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Truths Revealed

THE WINGED HORSES CIRCLED THE gloomy northern shore, wreathed in clouds of mist. Though the sun was nearly overhead, it barely penetrated the fog blanketing the stony landscape. Jin searched through the murky haze for the lagoon where the kunpeng had made its nest. “I’m beginning to understand the old saying, ‘Thicker than the breath of dragons,’” he mused to Ayie.

“Fog and clouds are a sure sign of their presence,” said the Whisperer. “You never have to worry about drought when dragons are around.”

A glimmer caught Jin’s eye. “I think I see a fire tree—there!”

“Ah yes, the Tortoise Tree. Now we know exactly where we are.” With a sharp whistle, Ayie signaled Mau and Masa. They steered their horses past the glowing tree, perpetually aflame with blue fire, and touched down on a large rocky outcropping. Leaving the two winged monsters behind, they picked their way up the craggy rocks overlooking the shallow cove where the boat had grounded. Even though he was with Whisperers this time, Jin’s steps faltered as he glimpsed the lagoon, remembering the terror of the kunpeng’s attack. He felt for his lock charm and took a deep breath, then forced himself to keep going.

They reached the top of the highest rock formation, its jagged pillars of stone like giant monster teeth, and peered down. From this vantage point, the warrior crabs looked like scuttling bugs on the stony shore, while the kunpeng’s babies could be seen lazing about the shallows. Jin counted more than a dozen of them, their long scaly bodies dark enough to blend in with the glassy black water, only exposing their pale glimmering bellies when they turned or twisted. There was also a visible scar in the shoal where the ship’s hull had gotten stuck. No wonder the kunpeng had been so angry.

In the watery abyss off the stone ledge, Jin spotted a gargantuan silvery form. “I think that’s Goldie!”

“Looks like it,” said Mau. He folded his fingers around his pursed lips and gave several long sharp whistles. The great whiskered head of the fish breached the surface of the sea. As the kunpeng’s enormous scaled body slid onto the shallow ledge where its offspring nested, the giant fish transformed into a golden-feathered raptor, water dripping from its beak as it stood upright, its eagle eyes level with theirs. It blinked at them and snorted out a cloud of salt-tinged mist, then screeched. Jin cringed.

“Hello to you too,” said Ayie.

Mau reached out and stroked the kunpeng’s sleek, feathered head, then frowned and put his forehead against it. In spite of his fear, Jin watched the Whisperer boy, fascinated. How was he talking to the monster? After a long moment, Mau looked up. “So a boat really did ground here. Goldie was going to destroy it, but then you started bothering one of her young.”

“You what?” Masa whirled and frowned at Jin. “You never mentioned that part.”

He gulped. “I was only trying to save the ship. The baby kunpeng let

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