Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee

Author:Lori M. Lee [Lee, Lori M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2021-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

The beast wasn’t as big as the elephant guides, but it was still terrifying. With a dark-brown coat and a wide snout, it should have looked harmless as it grazed, just your everyday water-buffalo spirit, but its eyes shone red in the deepening night. On top of that, instead of two large horns curling over its head, it had six.

It was close enough to where we’d emerged that any sudden movement on our part would attract its attention. And there were more buffalo foraging in the plain beyond or resting in the shallows of a muddy stream.

I had to bite my lip to keep from whimpering. Why were all the animals in the Spirit Realm so freakishly scary?

Miv jumped onto my shoulder without a sound. “Very slowly, very quietly,” he whispered, “move into the forest.”

Zhong and I backed away with measured steps. The water buffalo’s tail twitched. I held my breath. Tall blades of grass tickled my ankles. My nose began to itch. I quickly reached up to pinch it closed, but the sneeze escaped before I could.

“Ah-choo!”

The water buffalo’s head snapped up, ears twitching. Its nostrils flared as those vivid red eyes fixed on us.

“Oh, good,” Miv said. “Now we get to run for our lives again.”

With a furious huff, Zhong grabbed my wrist and yanked me around. My heart pounded in my ears as we shot through the grass into the forest, the sound of grunting and heavy hooves tearing through the earth behind us.

“Pahua, I could kill you!” Zhong shrieked, chancing a look over her shoulder.

Miv clung to the side of my neck, his claws digging into my skin. “Get in line! We might as well sell tickets.”

“Can we focus, please?” I said as we weaved through the trees. I couldn’t handle being terrified and annoyed at the same time.

As we ran, Zhong held the flashlight in one hand, but in her other, a strange white light began to form. It wasn’t very steady, though. It was wavering and dim.

“What are you doing?” I asked, breathless.

“Condensing my spiritual energy into a shield.” Then, to my surprise, she spun on her heel and threw up her hand. I skidded to a stop as she surrounded us with a white glow. But just as quickly, it vanished. Her eyes widened as she tried to bring it back, light sparking from her fingers.

“Move!” I screamed, ramming into her. We crashed into some low ferns just as the water buffalo thundered past. The beast had been a heartbeat away from either trampling us or turning us into shaman kebabs.

“It’s coming back around!” I yelled, pulling her to her feet.

“I had it!” she shouted. The beam of her flashlight wavered wildly as we darted in another direction.

“You really didn’t!” I shouted back. It was becoming difficult to see in the twilight, and I nearly smacked my forehead on a low-hanging branch. Miv leaped from my shoulder and onto the tree.

“Climb!” he ordered as he darted nimbly into the shrouded branches.

He had a point.

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