CHAPTER NINETEEN
A strange, purple-blue haze shimmered around Baiyu. A matching one, tinged blood-red, enveloped Zhudai. The brother-enemies broke apart, glaring at each other. Zhudai flung his dagger aside. Baiyu nodded serenely. The magical distortion grew until Jade was forced to squint to see them.
There was a soundless implosion, followed by a mind-twisting warping of reality. She blinked. Where Baiyu and Zhudai had stood, were now two creatures of myth and magic: a white Chinese-style dragon and a huge, black-feathered bird.
Long and sinuous, the dragon raised his broad head and bared a mouthful of fangs at the bird. At a shouted order from Zhudai’s guards, arrows rained down. They bounced harmlessly from his gleaming white hide. Defiantly, he reared back on two strong,
