The demon let out an ear-piercing scream of pain, a ghastly, inhuman sound that nearly tore my eardrums.
I collapsed onto the pavement. Stabbing sensations shot up my palms and knees. Ba’s sword skittered away at the foot of a food cart, at least three feet out of reach. I tried to stand to retrieve it, but a horrible pain tore up my right foot. The pain escalated until all I could do was bite my lip and hope the tears stinging my eyes didn’t spill over.
“Finish the demon off!” a warrior shouted nearby. “It’s almost done for!”
The warriors roared and surged forward in a wave toward the downed demon. Then the world grew blurry around me and disappeared.
Someone touched my arm and shook me. Ren’s concerned face peered down. Dimly, I registered Ba’s motionless form still lying inches away.
Before I could reassure Ren I was fine—or, at least, still alive—the world faded to black.
CHAPTER
2
Six Months Later
I was having those strange dreams again, the same ones I’d had ever since arriving at the New Order. I found myself up in Heaven among the gods without a clue as to how I’d gotten there. I couldn’t speak or move, and nobody was ever able to see me. But I could see them.
I dreamed of my brother wearing his new black battle armor. Sometimes, Alex was alone. Sometimes, other Heavenly soldiers accompanied him. Once, I’d even seen Alex using the power of my old weapon Fenghuang, a mighty white-tipped golden spear that gave the wielder the power to lead all dragons. He commanded a whole crowd of dragons in a vast garden.
This vision was the clearest yet. I stood in an enormous hall. Alex paced the red carpet right in front of a golden throne, holding his battle helmet under one arm. I wanted more than anything to run up and hug my brother, even if he’d hate that. Too bad I still couldn’t speak or move.
From the throne came a woman’s dark, silky voice. “Heaven Breaker, you seem disturbed today.”
My heart slammed in my chest. Even though I couldn’t see the speaker from the shadows, I’d recognize that voice anywhere: Xi Wangmu. She was the Queen Mother of the West and wife to the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the Heavens. She also happened to want all demons destroyed and didn’t care if that meant wiping out humanity in the process. Really charming, that one.
“Those pesky Jade Society warriors are stirring up trouble,” Alex reported.
The Jade Society in San Francisco—where I used to live with Alex and our grandfather Ye Ye. Last I’d heard, they were still in recovery mode from the near destruction of the society during the Lunar New Year. Hope bloomed in my chest. Were the warriors growing stronger?
“I put a stop to their antics, though.” Alex stopped pacing and stood up straight, puffing out his chest. “I went down to Earth and threw their ringleader—Zhao Boyang—into Diyu, where he’ll await punishment by King Yama.”
Oh no. Back when Alex and I had lived in the Jade Society, Mr. Zhao had been one of the only adults who’d treated us with unconditional kindness instead of questioning our half-warrior parentage. I pictured the man’s crinkled eyes and gentle smile and shook my head.
Alex had thrown Mr. Zhao into the Underworld so easily. When had my brother become so cruel?
“Your old society, soldier,” Xi Wangmu said softly. “Your old ally Zhao Boyang. Don’t you feel terrible for punishing him so?”
“No.” Alex’s reply was swift. Cold. “Those who interfere with our plans must be punished. No exceptions.”
“Excellent. Truly excellent, my Heaven Breaker.” Xi Wangmu said my Heaven Breaker like she was tasting the term on her tongue. It made me want to puke. “Speaking of plans, for the upcoming Hungry Ghost Festival, we will—”
“Faryn!”
A familiar voice awoke me from the dream with a jolt.
“Alex?” I sat up straight, knocking the side of my head against something solid—the wall. “Ow!” Rubbing my head, I looked up. A towering pile of books was stacked on the table in front of me, bookshelves lining the walls. My gaze landed on a confused-looking boy, around eight or nine years old. He was slightly chubby. He had short, stubby black hair, and there was chocolate smeared on his mouth—from the Choco Pie he held in his right hand, probably.
“Ah Qiao. What’re you doing here?”
“Looking for you. I knew I’d find you in the library. You’re in here a lot these days!” Ah Qiao chomped down on his Choco Pie. Crumbs spilled onto the table.
“I’m researching something.” Since realizing Ba had lost his memories, I’d done my best to try to find a cure. I’d gone through every memory-related book in the library at least three times but still hadn’t found a satisfactory answer. The weathered book I’d fallen asleep reading—Restorative Potions—seemed the most promising. Only problem was, the chapter titled “Memory-Restoring Elixirs” was mysteriously blank.
“Researching? But you’re always sleeping here. Don’t you have your own bed?”
“I am not always sleeping here,” I said defensively.
Ah Qiao pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I have pictures. Wanna see?”
“No! Hey, don’t you have homework, or training, or someone else to bug—?”
“Faryn!”
I jolted, sure that this time I’d heard Alex’s voice. But no. The person who’d arrived at the door was Ren. Not my brother, who’d betrayed us and was plotting gods-knew-what with Xi Wangmu. Ren, my friend, who could sometimes turn into a fifteen-foot-tall dragon. You know, just normal puberty stuff for an average thirteen-year-old kid.
The hope of seeing Alex had briefly bloomed, but now it disappeared. I swallowed my disappointment.
Get a grip. Alex is gone. He chose to leave you. Just like Ba. Just like how everyone else in your life has left you.
Every day, I thought about Alex and how he was a top contender for the Worst Little Brother Ever award. Six months ago, during the Lunar New Year, when little brothers were supposed to give their older sisters compliments and nice presents, my little brother had decided to give me the gift of utter betrayal. While I saved the world from the wrath of the fearsome nián demon, Alex decided to become an evil turd. Guess who didn’t get a hóng bāo, a red packet of money, for good behavior.
“I heard you in the hallway,” Ren said. “You were yelling pretty loudly. Something about a demon-Alex. I thought maybe the library was under attack or something.” He raised his hand so I could see he’d drawn his sword.
“Of course the library wasn’t under attack.” I frowned. “The demons have been gone for six months now, remember?”
The combined forces of warriors and deities had helped to beat back the demons in Manhattan’s Chinatown—for now, at least. We’d heard hardly a peep of any demon activity since the end of the Lunar New Year. The warriors had different theories. Some believed the demons were gone for a good while. Some believed the demons were regrouping for an even bigger attack in the future.
“You’re lucky you weren’t under attack,” Ren said. “I would’ve been the only one around to help you.”
“Why? Where’d everyone else go?” It was rare for the New Order apartments to be empty. The warriors took up all the rooms in a six-story apartment complex right outside Chinatown. As the Elders had explained when we’d first arrived, the building was guarded with ancient magic that made it look like a doctor’s office to any outsiders. This meant the warriors were very safe, because nobody ever wanted to go inside a doctor’s office.