Serpentine by Cindy Pon

Author:Cindy Pon [Pon, Cindy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: YA, fantasy, diverse, Chinese, China, historical, supernatural, paranormal
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Published: 2015-09-08T07:00:00+00:00

Skybright packed a knapsack with a few changes of clothing, a light blanket, and food that would keep for the journey. She retrieved a satin pouch filled with coins from her dresser, a savings of her allowance from Zhen Ni. But she had rare occasion to spend the coin, as the Yuans provided everything that she needed.

It was evening when she sneaked out the side entrance of the manor, making her way down the main road. Zhen Ni had left in the dead of night, and Skybright wagered that she took this more direct path the previous evening to travel as quickly as she could, before moving into the trees when daylight broke, to avoid searchers once her disappearance had been discovered.

Skybright had taken a map from Nanny Bai with detailed drawings of their province, Shi Lin, named for the dense forest that covered most of the region. Lan’s home was in a town three days away by carriage. But it would take much longer on foot. The roads took a more direct path from their town of Chang He in the Tian Kuan mountain down to Lan’s town of Hong Yu near its base. Skybright knew that there were no clear trails within the actual forest, and it was especially dangerous now with the breach in the underworld. She wished again that she had emphasized the danger to Zhen Ni, even though it probably wouldn’t have deterred her. Once her mistress set her mind to something, she’d follow through no matter what.

The forest beckoned, and Skybright couldn’t resist. Although it was a less direct path through the trees than on the main road, she’d travel much faster as a serpent. She ran into the thickets and undressed, carefully folding her clothes and placing them in her knapsack. Reaching for that searing heat within, she felt it meet her mind with a powerful surge. She shifted in an instant, and the world expanded through her serpentine senses. Skybright picked up the knapsack and slung it over her shoulder; it felt bulky and odd, like something that didn’t belong to her. But she kept it, knowing she needed it to survive while in human form.

Slithering beneath the massive trees, she caught the low buzzing of bees high above, their drone prickling her scales like a caress. It brought to mind a particular day, early this summer, when she and Zhen Ni had snuck away for a picnic in the forest. It was during that outing when her mistress had first suggested they could spy beyond the tall walls of the monastery to see what went on behind its grand facade, to find out what the monks did hidden inside each day.

To prepare, Skybright would only need to practice climbing trees.

At first, she had refused, but Zhen Ni wheedled her into it, as she always did. Skybright had been quite high off the ground on her third attempt when she heard the low hum of the beehive and let out a cry.

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