Serpentine by Cindy Pon Page A

hungry ghosts were right. There’s a breach in the underworld; the undead and demons have arisen too. I’ve seen them.” He had been cradling her elbows and his grip tightened as he spoke. “I’ve killed them.”
    Skybright remembered seeing Kai Sen battling in the distance while she hid within the trees. “Goddess. Are you all right?”
    His head dipped lower, so she could feel his breath when he spoke. “It’s gruesome. I had never killed anything. I’d thought the abbot’s notion of actual demons existing was … absurd. Those texts are hundreds of years old, some over a thousand years. What relevance could they possibly have?” Kai Sen gave a rueful chuckle. “He always did say I was too flippant in my attitude. I learned a hard lesson last night.”
    “What happens now?”
    “I don’t know. The abbot has received word from the other monasteries—the demon sightings extend across the entire kingdom. Monks are fighting in every province to keep our people safe. Traditionally, the gates of the underworld close again two weeks after the Ghost Festival begins. But who knows what will happen with this breach between our realms.”
    She pressed a palm against his chest. “Do take care.”
    She caught the flash of his teeth when he smiled. “That’s why I came. To warn you. It’s most dangerous at night, but you shouldn’t be wandering outside the manor any longer, even in the day. Especially within the forest.”
    Skybright was glad for the dark, so he couldn’t see her expression as a host of different emotions flitted through her. Kai Sen was killing demons—slaying monsters exactly like herself. Ignoring the knot in her stomach, she twisted the front of his black tunic in her fists and pulled him down for a kiss. He obliged, grazing her mouth softly at first, so her lips tingled. His hand slipped behind to caress her nape as the other brushed across her lower back, and he drew her even closer to him. Their kiss was slow and deep. And when she felt her insides quiver, followed by that dangerous heat, she imagined coolness drenching her legs, keeping them separate.
    Human.
    He could never know. No one she cared for could ever know. But she would have this one kiss, because she desired it.
    It was Kai Sen who broke away first, releasing her and flinging his arms to the sides as if checking his balance. “Goddess,” he said in a low voice. And for the next few moments, there were no other sounds except for their ragged breathing. “I admit I was going to ask for a kiss before I left—” He threw a hand up. “All right. Beg for one if I had to.”
    She laughed, then winced as it had been too loud. “Kai Sen, I like you. But—”
    He pressed his fingers to her lips. “Don’t. I’m going demon hunting tonight. We’ve started a war against the underworld. The proper things to say here are: Be careful, Kai Sen, or I’ll miss you, Kai Sen.” He stepped back and grinned at her. “I’ll wait for you, Kai Sen,” he said and climbed the wall in two breaths, crouching low at the top. “I hope we see each other again soon, Skybright. Keep safe.”
    She stood alone in the dark, listening for his retreating footsteps, and heard none. He moved as silently as the ghosts.
    “Be careful, Kai Sen,” she whispered. “I’ll miss you.”
    But only after she felt certain that he had gone.
     
     

     
     
    The Ghost Festival kept the entire manor occupied in the following days. Not only was a magnificent feast laid out for all the Yuan ancestors, hell money was burned for the dead to use in the underworld. Incense was kept lit day and night, and the fragrance of sandalwood drifted on the wind. Because of the strict warnings from the monastery and the strange sightings that had been reported, Lady Yuan hired monks to chant prayers for the dead throughout the day. Performers were also hired for shows of dancing and opera to entertain the wandering ghosts. The manor was large enough that a small stage was built