The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan

Author:Katrina Kwan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: S&S/Saga Press
Published: 2024-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

21

The winding tunnels are labyrinthine. Were it not for the wisps and their simpleminded nature, Jyn and I would have ended up going in circles. Every time we come to another fork, the wisps eagerly try to tempt us down a certain path.

We never follow them.

The walls are tight and the tunnel roof is low. I have to duck down more than once to avoid hitting my head on dangling stalactites. The air is thick and stale. More than once, intrusive thoughts of the walls caving in and crushing us to death skitters like a nest of spiders through my mind. This would be such a terrible place to die. Our very own tomb. The only reason I don’t give in to full-fledged hysteria is because of the soft press of Jyn’s body against my own, keeping me anchored to reality.

She limps along beside me, quietly gritting her teeth as we venture farther underground, judging by the downward slope beneath our feet and the growing chill in the air. It’s alarming, to be sure, when we’re so desperate to make it back to the surface, but what other choice do we have? I doubt Jyn and I will be able to climb out of the sand pit we fell through. I figure that whatever made these tunnels must have also made an exit for itself.

Jyn has not uttered a single complaint, but I can feel the agony she’s masking. My own ankle throbs empathetically with every step we take. It makes me wonder if she can sense my bruised throat and splitting headache.

We wander for hours, the endless maze appearing to warp and shift. The first pangs of hunger cause my stomach to clench. When was it that I last ate? How I would love a meal of rice and steamed vegetables. I think of the roasted pork A-Ba used to make for us to welcome each new year. Everyone knew that his spice blend was the best, but he’d never divulge his recipe.

I swallow dryly, shoving the thought aside. None of that, now.

Eventually, those tricky wisps bring us to a sudden drop. They resorted to following us like insistent children tugging at their mother’s hands for some attention. The soft breeze I detect whispering against my cheeks gives rise to a spark of hope. Fresh air. It can only mean we’re getting close to the exit.

“Let me go ahead first,” I say, using the light of the wisps to get a sense of the drop. I see ground. Not a leg-breaking plummet, but still a significant fall all the same.

I take a deep breath before sliding carefully over the edge, hanging on tight before letting go entirely. It is a long fall, but I manage to roll and disperse my harsh downward momentum to ease the landing. I groan as I pull myself to my feet. Everything is heavy—my body, my soul, my mind.

I turn, looking up. “This way, my lady.”

“Are you sure?”

I extend my hands. “Trust me.”

Jyn sits upon the ledge, takes a deep breath, and then allows herself to fall.

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