You’d think, with the amount of time I spent pretending, I’d be a good liar. But I really wasn’t. I made things up in my head, and they usually stayed there.

I tapped Aunt Chan’s arm. “Auntie, I think someone stole our permits. Or maybe they fell out of my pocket while we were walking. Anyway, they’re gone, and now I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Zhong’s eyebrows rose. I hoped it was because she was impressed. But since it was Zhong, I doubted that was the case.

“Pahua’s an idiot,” Miv added helpfully. I glared at him.

Aunt Chan’s lips drooped in concern. “Where are you headed?”

I drew a deep breath, my fingers clutching my cloak. “To the Spirit Realm. Our uncle lives there, and he sent a message for us to visit.”

“Sent it by turtle, since it’s the cheapest way, you know, so it took two months to reach us,” Miv said.

Turtle mail must have been a thing, because Aunt Chan nodded sympathetically.

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen him,” I said. “And he’s getting so old—”

“Nearing two hundred,” Miv interrupted again.

“And we’ve come all this way already…” I gave her as pathetic a look as I could manage. It wasn’t too hard. I already felt pretty pathetic.

Aunt Chan’s face softened. She patted my cheek. “Oh, you poor kids. Leave it to me and Uncle Choj.”

“Are you sure about this?” Zhong hissed as we finally reached the front of the line.

“Just thinking outside the box,” I said, trying to sound confident even though my heart was pounding.

The crossing guard’s head—the one that was facing us—had two enormous buckteeth and deep bags under his large round eyes. But even though he wore a blinding orange vest and had three heads, my gaze kept returning to the stone eagle watching over the intersection. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was looking at me. It freaked me out.

We waited as the crossing guard allowed what felt like all eight other lines to go before it was finally our turn. He blew a short sharp sound on his whistle and waved us across. All three faces began asking for permits and nodding in turn as travelers showed them.

“Pahua,” Zhong whispered as we approached the crossing guard. I grabbed her wrist before she did something hasty like challenge him to a duel.

Aunt Chan was on it, though, because she stopped next to the three-headed badger-man and exclaimed loudly, “Look at you! So thin and pale. You must be exhausted. A few extra hours of sleep will clear those dark circles away. If you need an eye-cream recommendation, I’ve got you covered. Have you eaten today? Here, have some rice. I insist.”

I could have kissed her. She was unleashing the power of the Asian Auntie.

“Keep moving,” said the crossing guard’s first face.

“You’re holding up traffic,” said the second face.

“What kind of rice?” said the third face.

Aunt Chan was already taking out a stick of transmuted rice. She rolled back the banana leaves, revealing the sweet, sticky contents. The scowl melted from the first badger’s face.

“That does look good.”

“Smells good, too,” said the second face.

“I can’t see!” said the third face.

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty for everyone.” She handed the rice stick to the crossing guard, who took a bite with each of his faces. “Have another. Eat until you’re full.” She took out a second stick and gave me and Zhong a meaningful look.

We tried to appear as innocent as possible as we headed for the path that led to the docks.

“You work so hard. That’s good! Your mother would be proud. But remember to take a break every now and then, too,” Aunt Chan said. She mooed in disapproval as she looked him over.

He nodded, digging into the sweet rice now as Aunt Chan peeled a third one. “You’d think the gods would have come up with a better road-management system by now,” he said between bites. “Traffic lights, turnstiles, more workers…something to give me a break!”

“Completely unethical,” Aunt Chan agreed. When one of the crossing guard’s faces frowned at us, Choj stepped directly into his line of vision, blocking us from view.

“Faster,” I muttered, shoving Zhong. We walked as quickly as we dared toward the docks. With the crossing guard distracted, no one else seemed to care that we hadn’t shown him any permits. They were too busy shouting about the delay.

“Hurry it up!” yelled an angry woman with leopard spots along her arms.

“Keep it moving!” others chimed in.

“Shut it!” the crossing guard shouted back. “I’ve been here two thousand years. You can wait five minutes!”

“Two thousand years?” I repeated incredulously.

“He was probably assigned the post as punishment for something he did in a past life,” Miv explained.

At last, we reached the riverbank. I breathed a sigh of relief as my sandals sank into the sand. The shore’s gray color was strange, but the tiny grains sliding between my toes didn’t feel any different from walking on a beach. Then, from behind me, came the sound of grinding rocks.

“Uh, Pahua…” Miv said.

I turned to look and froze. The eagle statue’s head had moved. It was staring straight at us! With the scrape of stone against stone, the eagle’s wings slowly unfurled.

My stomach rolled over as we scrambled toward the first boat. The eagle leaped from its perch atop the pedestal, cutting a dark shape over us as it released a sharp cry. It sounded like a dozen birds shrieking at once.

A strange feeling sneaked beneath my skin. I fell to my knees in front of the boat and gripped the wooden hull. Zhong stumbled as well, gasping.

Behind us, panic erupted. Spiritfolk screamed and ran in all directions. The crossing guard dropped the stick of rice, all three faces shouting for order. When that didn’t work, he began blowing desperately on his whistle. Everyone ignored him.

Overhead, the eagle made a second pass. Its mouth opened, revealing not just one tongue but nine. Each of them was a different color. The eagle let out another screech. Again, it sounded like multiple birds, but the sound was a different pitch this time.

I sucked in a breath as my arms and legs grew sluggish. It was like being back in the Bamboo Nursery. My body felt heavy, and it was hard to think.

“Miv, what’s happening?” My tongue was thick in my mouth, and it sounded more like Miv, wahammy? I swallowed and tried again, getting the words out right this time.

“Eagle demon.” The cat spirit sounded strained, like his mouth wasn’t working right, either. “Get in the boat.” He flopped on my shoulder and stabbed his tiny claws into my neck.

The pain jolted me back into focus. With my teeth clenched, I tightened my grip on the hull. Somehow, I found the energy to get my leg over the edge and tumble inside. I landed on top of Zhong, who’d dragged herself in a second before me.

She grunted and probably would have shoved me off if she’d had the strength. Instead, I slid off her, mumbling, “Sorry, sorry,” every time my elbow jabbed her ribs. Then I could do nothing but lie there for a few seconds, gasping for air. The eagle swooped over us once more.

“Cover your ears!” Miv ordered.

I tried, but it didn’t completely block the sound of the eagle’s third cry, in yet a different pitch. It must have been leading with a different tongue each time.

My body grew even heavier, like someone had stuffed rocks beneath my skin. Groaning from pain, I closed my clumsy fingers around the grip of my sword. It took a couple of tries, but the blade finally slid free of its sheath. This was one of those times when it was probably better to fight first and ask questions later. Beside me, Zhong seemed to agree, because she’d gotten her crossbow out of her backpack and was struggling to notch the bolt. (But then, Zhong’s first reaction always seemed to be to fight.)

Even though it felt like I was carrying a hundred pounds on my back, I managed to get my body to sit up so I could see over the side of the boat. The Crossroads was pure mayhem. Shifters threw on their relics and fled, leaving behind carts and wagons. Market wares were scattered all over the place. Spiritfolk ran around with hands covering their ears. Others lay on the ground, moaning. The crossing guard was still frantically blowing his whistle, even though no one was listening. I couldn’t see Aunt Chan or Choj. I hoped they’d gotten away safely.

The eagle was circling back around. Desperation gave me the strength to lean over the hull. With my palms flattened against the sandy bank, I gave a mighty shove. The small boat only moved an inch.

“Argh!” I shouted as I pushed harder.

Zhong threw herself into the space beside me, grunting as her body hit the wood a little too hard. Her arms flopped stiffly as she tried to help me. But, together, we managed to get the boat into the river.

Luckily, we didn’t need to paddle—the boat seemed to know the way. I groped for my sword again. Zhong reached for her crossbow, which she’d somehow managed to load. I searched the chaos of the Crossroads, looking for anything or anyone who might help. But all I could make out were the other statues—the guardians who’d paid the price for allowing themselves to be tricked.

At that moment, I realized what was happening to us. With each eagle cry, we were being turned into stone. Once the count reached nine, we’d be dead.

Nearby, Miv lay on his side, unmoving except for his quick frantic breaths. Sweat broke out on Zhong’s brow as she raised the crossbow, waiting for the eagle to get in range.

I struggled to my knees. My arms felt so heavy I could barely lift them.

The eagle swooped low over our boat. Its beak opened, the nine tongues a weird prism of colors. The bird only got out half a cry before I surged to my feet and swung my sword. At the same time, Zhong loosed her crossbow bolt.

The tip of my sword caught the eagle’s foot, and the bolt sliced through a few stone feathers. All nine tongues screamed in fury before the eagle lifted higher into the air and cried a fourth note.

Zhong dropped the crossbow and collapsed onto her back, panting. She was turning gray. So was I, for that matter. My skin felt rough and dry. I held my sword tight and my stiffening fingers molded around the grip. I was still on my knees, but just barely.

We would never make it like this. What could I do? I squeezed my eyes shut.

I wasn’t Shee Yee—he was a legendary hero. I was just an eleven-year-old kid. But I was also an eleven-year-old kid with a brother who needed saving, and I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

Think brave thoughts, I told myself. I was a master hunter going after her greatest prey. I would be an elf assassin with perfect, deadly aim (an elf like from the Lord of the Rings, NOT Elf on the Shelf, which was creep city—so glad that wasn’t a Hmong thing).

The eagle swooped through the clouds, circling high above us. I had to wait until the demon bird was closer, though I didn’t think we’d survive another cry.

I sucked in as much air as I could, which was really hard when your body was petrifying. Then I shouted, “Hey, birdbrain! You’re not an eagle. Flying up there where nothing can reach you? You’re a chicken!”

The eagle’s eyes flashed red as they fixed on me. I swallowed the words that bubbled up in my throat: Just kidding, sorry. Go ahead and finish killing us now.

With a rush of air, the eagle dove toward us. Then it flapped its huge wings and landed on the prow of our small boat. It looked even bigger up close.

It took all my strength to lift the sword. I honestly wasn’t sure how I managed it. My heartbeat should have been pounding in my ears. Instead, it was slowing down.

The eagle demon spread its stone wings, red eyes gleaming like rubies. “Not tho brave now, are you, little thaman?”

It had a lisp. Talking with nine tongues probably wasn’t easy.

Thanks to the size of the boat, the eagle was within reach of my sword. Now, if only I could get my arms to work.

“You’re like a chicken that puffs up its feathers to look bigger,” I said, gasping for each breath.

If an eagle could snarl, it definitely would have. Stone feathers rose around its chest as it opened its mouth again, tongues vibrating.

With a burst of strength, I swung my sword in a wide arc. Some inner power must have guided my hand, because the tip of the blade sliced through two of the eagle’s tongues. The eagle screamed.

It was a painful discord of sound, like when I passed by the music room at school during orchestra rehearsal. Have you ever heard a bunch of sixth-graders with violins? Ow.

The eagle flapped wildly. It jumped up and down on the prow, making the boat dip. “Wretched thing! Wicked creature! How dare you?”

I had to use my sword like a cane to keep from falling over as the boat rocked beneath me. The two tongues had landed in front of me, one red and one violet. I gagged.

Stone feathers molted from the furious eagle. They shattered against the boat and sank into the red water. Then the demon bird paused, spying its missing appendages. “My tongth!”

I dove for them at the same time the eagle did. Dove might be too strong a word. I mostly just fell and let gravity do its thing. My fingers snatched up the tongues before the eagle could grab them. Then I rolled away, avoiding a vicious peck of its sharp beak.

I collided with the side of the boat and flung out my arm, holding the tongues over the water. “Stop or I’ll drop them. They’ll sink to the bottom, and you’ll never get them back.”

The eagle squawked furiously, hopping from talon to talon. “Give them to me! Give them to me, you loaththome urchin!”

I had expected the tongues to be slimy and disgusting. But they just felt like rocks. “You can have them back when you reverse whatever spell you cast on us.”

Seven tongues shrieked in protest. “I’m the guardian of the Crothroadth. Did you think you could thlip path my notith? I thee all. You’re no thpiritfolk. You’re thamanth.”

“So what? We need to get to the Spirit Realm. If you want your tongues back, turn us back to normal and let us go.”

“Aagh, detheitful mortal.” It flapped its wings, dislodging more feathers. With an angry shake of its head, it released a cry. The pitch was similar to the last one but softer.

Immediately, the gray began to fade from my skin. With each of its cries, this time in reverse, my body felt lighter. I could breathe easier. My skin returned to its normal tan color. Nearby, Miv and Zhong stirred.

“Now.” The eagle demon spat out the word. “Give me my tongth, detethtable child.”

“Deal’s a deal,” I said, and tossed its tongues at its feet. The eagle snatched them up with its beak. Blegh.

The tongues rejoined the other seven in a vibrant rainbow of colors inside the bird’s gray mouth. Then the eagle lifted off from the bottom of the boat and hovered over us.

“Very well then, thamanling. Go to the Thpirit Realm. You will find that a far worth fate awaith you there.” With that, it swept around and returned to its pedestal at the Crossroads.