Page 165 of Tiger's Voyage
I didn’t see any doors except the one we came in through, but Kishan pressed me up against a wall while I pretended not to notice the hungry fish with giant teeth that knocked uselessly against the ice trying to take a nibble. Yínbáilóng cracked and splintered into a thousand shards that gleamed and disappeared, and a sparkling white body spilled onto the glassy floor. Its dragon claws were blue, as were its eyes. Its underbelly shimmered like the aurora borealis. The scales on its back looked like white diamonds and sparkled as it moved.
The white dragon’s long face stretched toward me with a smile, and its blue forked tongue curled out as I heard it chuckle in my mind. The two horns on the back of its head looked like long icicles, and it had more on the end of its tail. A white mane stretched from the top of its noble head all the way down its back.
I pulled off a glove and stroked the dragon’s nose, finding it smooth and warm, not icy at all. “You’re beautiful!”
Thank you, my dear. I like to think so. Now stand back so I can openthe door.
Yínbáilóng angled its head to peer at a wall. Its mouth gaped open to reveal long rows of pointed teeth. Its body began to shine brighter and brighter until I had to look away. The light seemed to move toward its head until it concentrated in its eye. Blue light shot out from its unblinking orb and penetrated the wall. Layers of thick ice peeled back, as if melting away. I squinted and saw a door where there was none before. When the dragon was satisfied, it shuffled back, snorted a frozen breath, and shifted back to its human form.
“It is done. Through this door is a path that will take you directly to the Ocean of Milk. Once you cross it and find the guardian, she will guide you to the key and the Seventh Pagoda. Listen carefully to her instructions. Now, shall I stay to help you strap in?”
“That would probably be a good idea,” Kishan said.
“You first, my dear. Let’s make sure you’re comfortable.”
Just as I started to ask what everyone was talking about, Kishan guided me through the door and onto an ice sled. He quickly piled thick blankets on top of me and strapped me in.
“We’re traveling by sled,” Kishan explained.
“Yeah. I can see that. Where are the dogs?”
The dragon patted my head and answered, “Your young men will pull the sled.”
“What? How? They’ll freeze.”
“They’ll be perfectly warm. Gentlemen?”
Ren’s hair fell across his cheek as he bent to secure his bag to the sled. He was so close his warm sandalwood scent washed over me. My fingertips itched to smooth back his hair, but he rose without looking at me, nodded, and he and Kishan morphed into their tiger forms. I watched in shock as the dragon strapped them into the sled harnesses.
“They don’t need to pull me,” I stammered. “I can walk.”
The dragon immediately dismissed my suggestion. “This way will be much faster. Besides, it’s best not to linger too long behind the ice. The animals heredoget very hungry. These walls are thick, but you never know when they might break through.”
“And by break, you mean … break through the ice?”
“Yes. I’ve recently solidified the tunnels, but there is tremendous pressure in this part of the ocean. Of course, remember that you will not always be vulnerable in the ocean; the ice tunnels lead to caves that wind through rock as well.”
“Fabulous. So how do I drive this thing?”
“That’s the beautiful part. You don’t need to. Your tigers will do the driving for you.”
“Wonderful,” I murmured sarcastically.
“Good luck to you all. I wish you the best.”
With that the dragon closed the door, and we were plummeted into blackness. Fanindra wrapped herself around the handle of the sled and lit up the little cavern with her green eyes.
“Alright, boys. Mush, I guess.”
Ren leapt first and the sled swayed dangerously from side to side for a time until the brothers fell into rhythm. I watched the tigers run, claws digging into the ice, and kept a wary lookout for hungry fish. At one point, a fish the size of Ren’s Hummer took an interest. It raced along with us for several minutes and even nudged the ice tunnel, scraping it briefly with its long, pointed teeth before swimming off—much to my relief. Ren and Kishan seemed to have endless amounts of energy and ran for several hours, stopping only for brief rests.
Somehow, somewhere along the ice tunnel I fell asleep—only to be awakened by a sudden bump along the path. Blinking into the darkness, I wondered how far we’d traveled. The smooth ice tunnel through the ocean had changed to a snow-like crushed-ice path with jutting rocks and I realized that we were surrounded by earth not water. I insisted we stop so the brothers could eat and wished up a whole pot roast for each. I sipped a steaming hot chocolate while they ate and rested.
It was cold. I felt like the tin man. All my joints were frozen in whatever position I’d fallen asleep. I shifted and tried to find a more comfortable position and fruitlessly tried to remove my safety strap so that it wouldn’t dig into my shoulder. Frustrated, I yanked off my glove and immediately felt the temperature difference. The cold was so frigid it was painful. It was the kind of cold that seeped into bones, and even the hottest of showers wouldn’t be able to warm them again.
After another few hours of running, Ren and Kishan decided to stop for the night. I unhooked the boys from their harnesses, asked the Scarf to make a tent and dozens of blankets, and then crawled under all of them. My tigers snuggled right next to me, one on each side, and like little super heaters, they kept me toasty all night.
We continued the journey the next day. Around midmorning, the rock cave opened into a larger cavern with a frozen lake. The tigers cautiously walked onto the ice, sniffing as they moved. A few more cautious steps, and they began running again, though more slowly. I had no idea how they knew where to go, but they went on, both heads aimed in the same direction. Maybe it was a tiger sixth sense. Or more likely, they knew where they were going because they listened to the white dragon while my mind had been occupied elsewhere.
