Theo Tan and the Iron Fan by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Author:Jesse Q. Sutanto
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

THEO

15

Namita, Xiaohua, Fragrant Sausage, and I dash through the door to the next court and manage to slam it closed before the hellhound chasing us can make it through. Looking around, we find ourselves in yet another dark cave. From behind the door come the growls and barks of the hellhound. The door rattles in its frame as the hound pounces on it over and over, and the sound of its razor-sharp nails scraping the wood makes my skin crawl. I hurry away from it as fast as I can, but before we can come out of the cave, Namita stops us. She crouches low, putting her face in front of Fragrant Sausage’s snout.

“Okay, Fragrant Sausage, we’re gonna have a heart-to-heart. A real girl talk.”

Fragrant Sausage’s face brightens up. “Ooh, that sounds fun. Will we be doing mud masks, too? I love mud masks. Did you know that we pigs came up with that particular beauty treatment?”

A wry smile appears on Namita’s face. “The mud masks will have to wait. But I need you to be real with me, okay? What are we going to find out there?”

“Well … I think it’s best if you see for yourself.”

Namita’s eyes laser into Fragrant Sausage’s eyes. “And this isn’t a trap, right? We’re not about to walk out and fall straight into a vat of boiling oil or anything like that?”

“Or a pit of lava,” I add helpfully.

“Or a pit of snakes.”

“Or a pit of spiders.”

Fragrant Sausage frowns at us over her snout. “Geez, you kids are twisted. No, it’s nothing like that. I’m trying to help you.”

At that moment, the door behind us gives a particularly loud shudder as the hound crashes into it again.

“Let’s risk whatever’s out there,” I say. Namita nods. I adjust Xiaohua around my neck and we walk out of the cave. “Oh no,” I whisper, immediately wishing we’d stayed inside.

Deep in a valley below us is the biggest tree I have ever laid eyes on. It’s as tall as the Empire State Building, its branches stretching on for what seems like miles. But that’s not the worst of it. The most awful thing about it, the thing that turns my stomach, is that the branches are covered with spikes as tall as any grown-up.

Demons run around the tree, their bodies human but their faces wrong—some of them have emerald-green faces, others have velvet blue ones; some have fangs, and others have yellow cat eyes. They run like animals, on all fours, lithe and graceful and terrifyingly fast.

“Welcome to the Sixth Court,” Fragrant Sausage says. “King Biancheng is very into efficiency. He’s all about increasing the number of souls he processes, so he’s not too hung up on accuracy. Anything that moves and isn’t a demon is scooped up and thrown onto the tree. So I would try to be, you know, more subtle around here.”

“Are you serious?” I hiss. “You said this wasn’t a trap!”

Fragrant Sausage looks back at me innocently. “It’s not! The only other door out of King Yanluo’s Court would’ve led you straight into a vat of boiling oil.

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