Year of the Dragon (Changeling Sisters Book 3) (51 page)

Claws gripped my upper shoulder, and suddenly I was soaring. I looked up and there was Ankor, still stubbornly clinging to his energy dragon form.

“Ankor,” I whispered, “you’re flying.”

The living shadow beast gazed down at me with his pulsating eventide eyes, but for once, they calmed as if I were peering into the heart of a storm. The neon streaks reverberating through his wings blinked like the lights of a plane, guiding us through the gale. Out of the thickening mists ahead, a pale dragon with creaky honeycomb-patterned wings rose, cradling the broken body of her sister.

We touched down in an alley bereft of shopkeepers. Ankor approached an abandoned shawl stall and silently handed me a robe. His hand lingered a moment longer on my ruined arm.

“It will be okay, Citlalli,” he muttered. “The blind boy who heals. He will help you.”

I blinked back tears at the lifelessness that immobilized his tone. There were some things Taeyang couldn’t heal.

Ankor draped a second robe around Sun, who hadn’t stopped kneeling beside Heesu.

“Sun,” he whispered, “that wasn’t Nyssa. You must believe that. She has to still be in there, somewhere.”

Sun Bin’s hair draped her face, leaving only her heaving shoulders visible. “I-I don’t
care
,” she choked out, her fingers clawing the pavement. “Because whatever that
thing
was, it killed our sister!”

She began to strike the pavement, bloodying her fingertips, and she only ceased when Ankor took her into his arms.

I spotted a phone on the stall counter. Struggling to halt the waves of successive shivers, I fumbled to call home. There was no answer. My eyes clouded again, but I forced myself to stay calm and dial Yu Li.

She picked up on the third ring. “Citlalli.”

“Alpha.” The air darkened, and it became harder to see. I didn’t want to see the Yong twins kneeling beside their fallen sister’s body. In the fading light, Sun Bin cupped Heesu’s face, her gaze dead and unreadable. Ankor shook in place, his fists clenched at his sides as if he were afraid of what might come clawing and screaming out of him.

I didn’t want to look back the way we had come, at the hole. But if I didn’t, then it would eat us alive.

We had to get to safety now.

Yu Li’s voice sharpened. “Citlalli, what’s wrong?”

“It’s broken.” My voice grew smaller. The darkness was eating it. “Alpha, the yeouiju has shattered…in the heart of Seoul.”

Emptiness on the other end of the line. I couldn’t even piece together an image of Yu Li in my mind. Lost. On my own.

Howls slammed against my ears. It was Wolf, crying for me to wake up. I forced myself to focus, to hear Yu Li say:

“Beta, you must be strong. Call the troops to Namsan Tower. We will need every last shapeshifter from here to the East Sea if we are to survive the night.”

A few feet away, Sun Bin moved. She rose to her full height, grief finally shattering her stoic mask. “I am going to kill this goddess of lies.”

Ankor shadowed her movement and reached out to grab her hand. “We will. Together.”

Dread deepened its clutch on my heart as I watched them mourn their lost sister. All hell was about to break loose in Seoul, and I didn’t know where Raina was.

“I am going to Young Soo and Miguel now,” Yu Li said. I heard a door slam and then her ragged breathing. “The darkness is coming. We will not be able to speak by phone for much longer. Citlalli, I promise I will protect your brother. But you must be my Beta now. You are the fastest of us, who runs quick like flame. Rally the pack to Namsan Tower, Fire Wolf.”

Tears shone in my eyes as I whispered my understanding: “Algesseumnida.”

The Yong twins stood before me with arms crossed after I hung up.

“What is the plan?” Sun Bin asked, her voice flat and unemotional.

I swallowed hard, unable to bear the pain stamped across Ankor’s face. “Fly. Get out of here while you still can. All of the shapeshifters in South Korea won’t be enough to stop what is to come. You are the last of the Celestial Dragons, and you must survive.”

“That is not a plan,” Sun Bin said harshly. “That is admitting defeat.”

Ankor put a hand on my shoulder. “The dragons are not going anywhere this fight.”

“Good, because you can’t,” a new voice cut through the unnatural night. A rustle of wings, and then Khyber swooped down before us, his ivory skin gleaming like moonlight. Black blood trickled down his hardened jaw. “While Donovan licks his wounds in Japan and Santiago retreats to Xibalba, my brother Aleksandr moves in from the North with his armies of
sastrugi
and rusalki. They mean to see Seoul, Eastern stronghold of the shifters, destroyed once and for all.”

“They are going to trap us inside with the Yeouiju’s curse,” Sun Bin growled.

“Bring it on,” Ankor replied hotly, his eyes crackling with sheet lightning.

Khyber turned to the younger Korean boy, and cold derision dripped in his tone. “You do not know what that means. This will be the Long Night, the likes of which your generation has never seen. The Yeouiju’s shards have torn a hole between the mortal and the spirit world. That is why this cold night leaks in, poisoning minds and turning people mad. And the things that lay long buried because they feared the sun will arise, stalking the streets of Seoul with only one purpose: to hunt.”

Rally the pack,
a ghost of Yu Li’s voice reminded me. I stepped up next to Ankor. “Then so shall we.”

The vampyre prince looked at how close we stood, Ankor’s fingertips a hairsbreadth from mine. He said nothing.

***

Night closed in, but we were no longer there. We didn’t see the way the darkness poured forth from the hole and took two shapes, each gazing out across the Han River with unabashed hunger at the brilliant city twinkling with a million neon lights, so deliciously oblivious of what was to come.

“Scurry, scurry, little mice,” the Lords of Walking Death whispered.

In the north, the wolves began to howl, but they were far too late. Sirens wailed, the city went black, and slowly, out of the shattered earth, the first of the shadows crawled.

End of Part II

To be continued in…

Book IV: Year of the Rat

Acknowledgements

I would like to give thanks to God for creating such a beautiful but difficult world full of endless things to write about.

Thanks to: Mom, Dad, and my brother for being my base camp for every manuscript I write and always inspiring me with their views of the world. I would like to thank my aunts and uncle; my cousins; Janae; my friends: your heartfelt support has always meant more than words can say.

Greg, you always bring unfailing humor to the most serious of situations; I love you, and I want to thank your family as well for their love and support.

We run with “wolf packs” at different stages of our lives, and I was very blessed to run with Ogonna, Irene, Thavy, and Una for so many travels and eye-opening moments. I wish you all the very best!

Lastly, I can never give enough thanks to my readers, supportive co-workers, and fans. I
hope
the latest Changeling Sisters’ journey takes you to some places familiar and others strange and exciting.

Much of the Korean and Chinese lore mentioned in this book is based upon fascinating mythology and incredible real-life places, but some of it is entirely from my crazy imagination. Please see the Glossary for details.

Glossary

Korean Terms and Phrases

Disclaimer: Romanization of Hangeul characters is approximate.

A

-a/-ya — Kinship suffix terms used to address those of equal or lesser status

Ajumma/Ajumeoni — A woman who looks old enough to be married; a married woman. Younger people may refer to older acquaintances as “Auntie” as a term of respect.

Aigoo/Aish — A term to show frustration

“Algesseumnida — “I understand,” formal

“Annyeong hashimnikka?”/ “Annyeong haseyo?” — “Hello, are you at peace?” Formal/informal

Abeoji /Appa — Father, formal/informal

B

Bapo — Stupid

Bibimbap — Spicy rice and vegetable bowl

budae jjigae — Army stew

C

Chuseok — A very important holiday celebrating one’s ancestors and good harvest.

D

Ddeokbokki — Spicy fish cakes

Deul — Pure Korean number “two”

-do — Island

Dojang — A martial arts training hall

Dol hareubang — “Stone grandfather” statues found on the Korean island of Jeju-do that offer protection and fertility.

E

“Eotteokhaji?” — “What should I do?”

G

Gisa-nim — Taxi driver

Gyeryong — Chicken-headed dragons that often appear in Korean folklore to tow the chariots of royalty.

H

Haenyeo — “Sea Women” who dive off the coast of Jeju Island to fish and make their living from what they catch.

Haetae — Also called “Haechi,” this is a mythical creature from Korean folklore that resembles a lion with a horn on its head. Haetae statues populate Seoul and often guard palaces.

Hagwon — An afterschool that teaches various subjects.

Hana — Pure Korean number “one”

Hangeul — The Korean alphabet

Hanja — The Chinese-Korean alphabet

Harabeoji — Grandfather

I

Imugi — Lesser three-toed dragon

-ie — Kinship suffix term of intimacy

J

“Jamkkanman-yo!” — “One moment, please!”

“Jeongmal?” — “Really?”

“Jjang!” — “Best!”

Jjimjilbang — A Korean bathhouse

Juin-nim — Leader/master or owner

K

“Kaja!” — “Let’s go!”

“Kamsahamnida”/Komaweoyo — “Thank you,” formal/informal

Keh — Dog

Kumiho — A mythical nine-tailed fox

Kwajang — A Department Head

M

Makgeolli — Rice wine

“Meok-eo.” — “Eat.”

“Mian haeyo.” — “I’m sorry.”

“Michigetda!” — “This is driving me crazy!”

“Mweo-yehyo?” — “What?”

N

“Neh.” — “Yes.”

Net — Pure Korean number “four”

-nim — Korean honorific suffix to show immense respect

Noona — Term of endearment for a brother to call his older sister.

O

Oppa — Term of endearment for a sister to call her older brother, or a term of affection for a girl to call her boyfriend.

P

“Pangapseumnida.” — “Nice to meet you,” formal

Patbingsu — Shaved ice dessert with various toppings like Azuki beans and fruit

S

Sajang — President

San — Mountain

Set — Pure Korean number “three”

-ssi — Korean suffix of politeness

Sunsaeng-nim — Teacher

U

Umma — Mother

Unni — Term of endearment for a younger sister to call her older sister

W

“Wae?” — “Why?”, informal

Waygook — Foreigner

Won — Korean currency

Y

“Yeh” — “Yes,” in agreement

“Yeoboseyo?” — “Hello?” when answering the phone

Yeodongsaeng — Younger sibling

Yeouiju — A mythical wish-fulfilling jewel that falls from heaven and can be used to channel the power of creation.

Yong — Dragon

Spanish Terms and Phrases

A

Abuela — Grandmother

Amigo — Friend

C

“Cada loco con su tema.” — an idiom conveying “to each their own”

“Cómo estás?” — “How are you?”

D

“Dios mío!” — “My God!”

G

“Gracias.” — “Thank you.”

H

“Hasta la vista.” — “See you later.”

“Hola!” — “Hello!”

M

Madre — Mother

Mija/Mijo — My daughter/son, intimate

Milagro — Miracle

Mis hermanos — My brothers

N

Naca — Slang term used to describe a woman of poor taste and lower socio-economic class

Niños — Children

S

Señor/Señorita — Sir/Miss

Chinese, French, Hawaiian, Khmer, and Russian Terms and Phrases

Laoshi — Teacher (Chinese)

La Perle de la Mort — The Pearl of Death (French)

‘Aina — The land (Hawaiian)

‘Ohana — Family (Hawaiian)

Lok/Lok srey — Mr./Mrs. (Khmer)

Riel — Cambodian currency

Rusalki — Slavic mythological creatures portrayed in folklore as water nymphs or unclean spirits

Origin of Myths and Places

Eobshin
— In Korean mythology, Eobshin is a deity of the house, a goddess of wealth and storage. She takes the form of a black eared snake.

Imugi and the Yeouiju
— In Korean folklore, imugi are lesser dragons in the form of giant serpents that are three-toed instead of four-toed like the greater wise dragons. An imugi can become a true dragon after catching a Yeouiju, a powerful wish-fulfilling jewel, which falls from heaven.

King Mun Mu of Silla
– A famous king who ruled the Silla kingdom from 661 AD to 681 AD. He waged wars against the other two major Korean kingdoms and saw the Korean peninsula united. Upon his death, he asked for his remains to be cast into the East Sea so he could become a dragon and protect Korea for ages to come.

Lady Meng Jiang and The Great Wall of China
— A Chinese folk legend in which Lady Meng Jiang’s husband is taken away on her wedding day to build the Great Wall of China. When he does not return, she travels to The Great Wall and discovers that he died and was buried beneath the wall. Her cries are so great that they destroy part of the wall and reveal many human bones. Later, the emperor is enchanted by Lady Meng Jiang’s beauty. She agrees to marry him if he will grant her three requests to properly lay her husband to rest. After he grants the third desire, Lady Meng Jiang scorns him and jumps to her death in the sea. There are various versions of this tale.