Shadow Sister (31 page)

“But look at me. I can’t even walk!”

“You are weak now, but I am strong. At times it was the reverse. That is why we need each other. We are opposites, you and I – beast and boy, impulsive and cautious, fast and slow, aggressive and passive.”

“Arrogant and modest.”

Kai’s jingling laughter rang out in the night.

“Together we are whole. Most important of all, we are both ready to fulfil our destiny – me as leader of the haven dragons; you as dragonkeeper, not only to me but to all dragons.”

Tao had told him about the
qi
message from Wei.

“There has never before been a dragonkeeper for all dragons,” Kai said. “Are you ready for that burden?”

“It has taken me some time to break the bonds that I didn’t know existed – leaving behind my home and any chance of seeing my family again, any possibility of returning to a monastic life – but I have.”

“Life at the dragon haven will be more solitary than a monk’s.”

“But I will be in control of my own destiny. Being a novice meant that I had no responsibility. My life, every day of it, was laid out before me. I never had to make any decisions.”

“Now you are facing an unknown future where you must be responsible for many dragons.”

“I am ready,” Tao said. “Are you?”

“I am. I left the dragon haven unintentionally, without a word. I acted like a dragonling. Before returning there, I was determined to achieve something that made me worthy to lead the other dragons. I wanted to be a hero. I did not wish to return with nothing but sore paws and drooping spines. I wanted to take back some knowledge or skill that would impress the other dragons.”

“You
are
a hero. You saved us all from the Zhao, but I don’t think that will impress wild dragons. And you’re returning with nothing.”

“I am returning with something that will be of great benefit to the haven dragons.”

“What?”

“I am returning with you.”

ALMS

Food or money given to the poor as charity.

BUDDHISM

A religion based on the teachings of Buddha, a man who lived in India in 6th century CE.

CHANG

A measure of distance equal to about 2.3 metres.

CINNABAR

A bright red mineral whose chemical name is mercuric sulphide.

HUAXIA

An ancient name for the country we now call China.

JUJUBE

Another name for the fruit called the Chinese date.

KARMA

In Buddhist belief, the justice by which deeds done in one lifetime affect a person in a later lifetime.

LI

A measure of distance equal to about half a kilometre.

LIUBO

An ancient Chinese board game. Archaeologists have found
liubo
boards and pieces, but no one knows what the rules are.

NOVICE

A person who has been accepted for a training period before taking vows to become a member of a religious order.

PALANQUIN

A rectangular covered box for travelling in, carried on poles on the shoulders of four men.

QI

According to traditional Chinese beliefs,
qi
is the life energy that flows through us and controls the workings of the body.

REBIRTH

Buddhist belief that after a person dies they are born into another life.

SANSKRIT

A language used in ancient India.

SHU

A measure of weight equal to about half a gram.

SUTRAS

Buddhist teachings.

TIANZHU

What people in early China called India.

WUJI

The Chinese word for invertebrates. This is the term that covers all creatures that do not have a backbone, including insects and other creepy-crawlies such as scorpions, worms and snails.

All Chinese names and place names are written in
pinyin
. These words aren’t always pronounced the way you’d expect them to be pronounced. This is a rough guide to the correct pronunciation.

Writing a sequel is both a pleasure and a challenge. I enjoyed continuing Kai and Tao’s journey and discovering myself what happened to them next. Although I had a fair idea of the bones of the story when I start writing, as often happens the most interesting developments appeared during the writing process. It is a matter of faith that it will happen.

It was very convenient that I had an entomologist as a next-door neighbour. I’d like to thank Dr Sabine Peronne of Museum Victoria for answering my many questions about insects. Dr Jacqui Mulville of Cardiff University provided very helpful information about ancient cremation.

As always I couldn’t have written this book without the support of my family, John and Lili, who helped me overcome my fears and doubts, put up with general grumpiness, and, in Lili’s case, helped me fix major plot problems. Lili also lobbied for the “foreign” dragon to be a
naga
and I’m glad she did.

My thanks to Jess Owen for her thorough edit, which improved the manuscript no end, and to Nicola Robinson for a forensic proofread. Thanks also to Gayna Murphy for the lovely design and Sonia Kretschmar for another absolutely gorgeous cover illustration.

Finally, I am very fortunate to have Maryann Ballantyne as my publisher. My sincere thanks to her for her skill and encouragement throughout the writing of this novel – and for rescuing me from a tracking-changes induced meltdown towards the end (partly while she was boarding a plane). She has the unerring ability to put her finger on the very thing that needs fixing. Her help and support is invaluable.