White Tiger

  ‘Touch it,’ she said.

  I moved my hand carefully towards it. When my fingertips brushed the energy, the charge jumped across to me. It was a wave of pure joy at being alive, as if nothing bad could ever happen to me. It was uplifting and euphoric. The energy drifted away from me and I reached to keep contact.

  ‘Let it go,’ she said softly.

  I dropped my hand, disappointed.

  The energy drifted towards the doorway where Mr Chen stood leaning with one shoulder against the doorframe. I hadn’t seen him come in. He raised one hand and the energy drifted towards him, then entered his hand and disappeared into him. He nodded to her, his dark eyes full of amusement, and she nodded back.

  ‘You are very brave, Emma,’ Ms Kwan said.

  ‘Yes, you are,’ Mr Chen said. ‘So now you know. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anybody.’

  I opened my mouth to say that it could all be an illusion, then closed it again. Yes, it could all be an illusion. But the guys that attacked us had exploded into black stuff. Simone had touched the one Leo had captured and his arm had gone black.

  I had an important decision to make. Either they were insane and delusional, all of them, or Mr Chen was a god. Either way I could stay or go.

  I couldn’t leave. I was much too fond of Simone to leave her. And I could bring a degree of normality into the poor child’s life. I made the snap decision to play along with them for the sake of Simone, regardless of whether he was a god or not. I’d watch and wait and see what happened, and I’d look after Simone. The rest was detail.

  ‘She is not fully convinced, but she will stay for Simone’s sake,’ Ms Kwan said.

  I stared at her, speechless.

  ‘We don’t expect you to believe it at this early stage, Emma,’ Mr Chen said. ‘As long as you stay and care for Simone, that’s all that matters.’

  ‘Let us tell you more about it and you can make up your own mind,’ Leo said. He turned and nodded to Mr Chen. ‘I can handle the rest.’

  ‘Good. I’ll tell Simone.’ Mr Chen went out and closed the door softly behind him.

  I pulled my chair out and sat at the table. Leo poured me some coffee. I nodded my thanks and took a sip without really tasting it. It was possible that I was working for a god. I truly wanted to believe it; I still trembled from the euphoric experience of touching the ball of energy.

  ‘What you have just experienced is a rare gift among mortals, Emma,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘It is not normally an energy we Celestials share.’

  ‘You’ve been touched by the gods,’ Leo said.

  ‘Okay, Leo, so tell me the whole story, and this time don’t leave anything out. I want to know everything.’

  ‘Tell her, Leo,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘She is still unsure and looking for reasons to believe us.’

  ‘Okay, here’s the whole story,’ Leo said. ‘Xuan Wu is Emperor of the Northern Heavens, ruler of a quarter of the sky; he also owns a complete Mountain in Heaven, on the Celestial Plane. He has palaces, servants, the whole King thing. He gave it all away because his wife asked him to stay on Earth with her.’

  ‘And that was Simone’s mother,’ I said. ‘Good Lord, Simone’s half god?’

  ‘Half Shen,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘Ah Wu is a Shen. We are residents of the Celestial, Immortals. If a human being lives a life of purity and compassion they are Raised to the Celestial and become Immortal. That is what happened to me. He is older and stranger, though.’ She smiled at the door.

  ‘But his wife died,’ I said.

  ‘The demons got her,’ Leo said. He dropped his head in misery. ‘I failed. I worked for Michelle before she met him, when she was an opera singer touring the US. I was her bodyguard. This demon stuff was all still new when they attacked her. They got her.’ His voice became very soft. ‘I failed.’

  ‘So now she’s gone, he can go back to Heaven or wherever, can’t he?’ I was looking for gaps in the story. ‘Why doesn’t he?’

  ‘He promised Michelle that he would not take True Form, and he kept his word,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘But it is a tremendous drain on his energy to stay in human form for so long, and he took it too far. He cannot return to his True Form now without staying in that form for a very long time. Maybe more than a lifetime. So he must stay here in human form and care for Simone, even though it makes him weaker than he has ever been in his history. The demons are after Simone and he must stay close to protect her, despite his weakness.’

  ‘Those men earlier—they’re demons?’ I said, incredulous. ‘And they’re after Simone? Why?’

  ‘If they have her, he must obey them,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘It would be dishonourable to harm her, but that would not stop them from taking her and using her as a hostage. He drove them from the face of the Earth a long time ago, and they would dearly like to return to its surface to terrorise humanity again. If they had Simone, he would be forced to let them.’

  ‘If they have Simone,’ Leo said, ‘he would let them do anything they liked. And he’s the one that protects everybody from them.’

  ‘He is sworn to destroy them all,’ Ms Kwan said.

  Leo sighed. ‘And he can’t hold it together forever. He’s like a battery, losing his charge all the time, getting weaker and weaker. He could charge himself up if he took True Form, but he’s so far gone now that if he did that he’d be stuck in True Form for a long time. They know that and that’s why they’ve targeted Simone. They think he’s so weak he can’t protect her, so they keep coming after her. He’ll lose it eventually anyway, run out of energy and be gone.’

  ‘That’s what you were talking about in his office,’ I said. ‘After we went to Repulse Bay. He hadn’t told you before that he only has a maximum of four or five years.’

  Leo smiled sadly. ‘He drives me completely crazy sometimes.’

  ‘And you believe all of this?’ I said.

  ‘After a couple of weeks I think you will too, Emma,’ Leo said. ‘It’s hard not to, because it really is true.’

  I sat straighter; I’d found a hole in the story. ‘Why’s he in Hong Kong, not Northern China? He’s the God of the North.’

  ‘More opportunities for Simone. She’s still in China, but she can learn about the West,’ Leo said.

  That made sense. I took a breath. ‘So he really will leave her in four or five years? If people are really after her, what will happen then? She’ll only be eight or nine years old.’

  Leo spoke very softly. ‘I’ll guard her for as long as I can. And she’s inherited some skills from him. Hopefully she’ll be able to take any of them by the time he goes.’

  ‘Hopefully?’

  Leo’s smile was full of misery.

  ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘I don’t completely believe you, but that’s beside the point. The point is that there are people out there who want to kidnap this delightful little girl and we saw some of them this evening. There are people after her and she needs someone to care for her.’ I swiped my hand through the air. ‘All of this god stuff doesn’t matter. Simone’s safety and happiness is the most important thing.’

  Leo and Ms Kwan shared a look. ‘Impressive,’ Ms Kwan said softly.

  ‘He was worried you’d resign after this evening, like all the others did. And then Simone would be heartbroken,’ Leo said.

  ‘No way will I ever leave Simone as long as she needs me.’ Then I heard what he’d said. ‘Others? How many others?’

  ‘At least fifteen in the twelve months before you arrived,’ Leo said. ‘He’d just about given up when you came on part-time. When the others saw the weapons they were scared away. You’re the first to find out who he really is.’

  ‘Leo, do you think he’ll teach me? I’d really like to learn the martial arts.’

  ‘I dunno, Emma, it’s up to him. But I think it’s a good idea. The more of us who are trained, the better we can defend Simone. You should ask him.’

  ‘I did,’ I said. ‘He said no, definitely not, and never to ask again.’

  Leo glan
ced sharply at Ms Kwan.

  ‘Leave it for now then,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘I will talk to him.’

  ‘Any questions?’ Leo said.

  ‘A million, but right now I think I’ll just wait and see. I’m not completely convinced, but I’m willing to stay on for Simone’s sake.’

  ‘Let’s go and tell him then,’ Leo said. ‘He’ll be delighted.’

  Mr Chen was sitting on one of the sofas with some Chinese tea on a side table next to him. Simone was busily drawing pictures of the Eiffel Tower, her drawing equipment spread all over the floor.

  ‘Will you stay, Emma?’ Mr Chen said.

  ‘Yes, I will.’

  ‘Thank you. You’re very brave.’

  I shook my head. ‘No. I’m completely crazy.’

  He made a soft sound of amusement, then nodded towards Simone. ‘Simone’s bedtime now, please.’

  I stopped in front of Mr Chen. He was dressed all in black as usual, a scruffy T-shirt and a pair of torn cotton pants. His feet were comfortably bare and his long hair had already come out of its tie.

  He saw the way I was looking at him. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to grow three heads any time soon.’

  Ms Kwan sat in the armchair next to him and he poured her some tea. ‘Four heads, a hundred arms and a thousand eyes,’ she said.

  ‘Maybe only two heads,’ he said. ‘I keep forgetting. It’s been a very long time now.’

  ‘Two heads again soon, I am sure, Ah Wu.’

  ‘Not too soon,’ he said, and they laughed quietly together.

  ‘I am going to do some research on Xuan Wu the minute we’re back in Hong Kong,’ I said defiantly.

  He seemed surprised, then grinned broadly. ‘Go right ahead.’ He crossed his arms over his chest and stretched his long legs in front of him. ‘Seventy-five per cent of what’s out there about me is wrong anyway.’ He gestured with his teacup towards Simone. ‘Bedtime, Simone.’

  ‘Come on, Simone,’ I said.

  ‘I don’t wanna go to bed. I wanna draw with Aunty Kwan.’

  ‘You have to go to bed now if you want us to take you to Tuileries tomorrow,’ Leo said from the dining room door.

  Simone leapt up and grabbed my hand. ‘Hurry up, Emma.’

  I could feel Mr Chen’s eyes on my back as I led Simone out. I turned. He was watching me, intently. When he saw me looking, he smiled and met my eyes. Something leapt inside me and I slapped it down, hard.

  CHAPTER TEN

  We walked over the Pont Neuf towards Notre Dame. Simone still had boundless energy and skipped beside us.

  The forecourt of the cathedral was packed with tourists from all over the world and there was a long queue curling out from the main entrance.

  ‘Do you want to go inside?’ I asked Simone. ‘There’s a lot of people waiting.’

  ‘Notre Dame’s boring,’ she said, and slowed to grab Leo’s hand. ‘Come on, Leo.’ She dragged him across the road towards some three-storey stone buildings around a gated forecourt. Wigged and gowned lawyers walked up and down the stairs. I checked my mini map of Paris: the Justice Building.

  ‘What are we doing here?’ I said, but they ignored me and I had to hurry to keep up with them.

  We went around the corner to where a tiny, dingy chapel nestled under the walls of the office buildings. I checked my map again: Saint Chapelle.

  The queue wasn’t as long as the one for Notre Dame. Simone stopped jiggling and stood quietly while we paid the entry fees.

  Inside, it wasn’t very impressive. The ceiling was quite low, and there was only a small amount of stained glass.

  ‘The rose windows are nice,’ I said. ‘Do you want to take a photo?’

  ‘No,’ Simone said and pulled Leo to the back of the chapel. A curving set of very narrow stairs led upwards. As Simone dragged Leo up the stairs his broad shoulders brushed against the walls, adding to the sheen of many bodies that had been there before.

  When we reached the upper chapel the beauty of the interior took my breath away. The ceiling towered above us, with narrow stained-glass windows between the even narrower stone buttresses. The windows extended from ceiling to floor in a glittering dazzle of colours. They were like insubstantial glowing curtains between the fragile stonework of the walls.

  A horseshoe of benches had been set up in the centre of the chapel to allow visitors a good view of the stained glass. Simone released Leo’s hand, sat herself on one of the benches and spent ten minutes silently staring at the windows.

  A group of young tourists walked past us and Leo watched them carefully. I caught his attention and raised my eyebrows. He shook his head slightly.

  Simone hopped off the bench and dragged us down the stairs again.

  ‘We have to be back at Ms Kwan’s soon,’ I said. ‘Anywhere else you want to go before we leave for London?’

  ‘Do I have time to go to Boulevard Haussmann and buy some stuff?’ Simone said. ‘I like the shops there.’

  ‘Sure,’ I said, stretching my feet. ‘Sore?’ Leo said.

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘Completely killing me.’

  He bent to talk quietly to me. ‘Me too.’ He straightened. ‘Not finished yet. Boulevard Haussmann. Okay, I’ll call the driver.’

  Simone pointed to the entrance to the Metro station. ‘I wanna take the train. Why can’t we take the train?’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ I said. ‘It’s a long way down to the station and a long way up again. It’s much easier to take the van, and we can get to the shops faster.’

  ‘Okay,’ Simone said. ‘Hurry up, Leo. Can we go to the Eiffel Tower one more time before we leave?’

  I sagged. ‘Simone, you’ve been there three times already.’

  She grinned up at me. ‘But I like it.’

  Leo pulled out his phone. ‘You don’t say.’

  After a last lunch with Ms Kwan, we went out into the narrow leafy street where our van waited.

  ‘I had fun with Aunty Kwan,’ Simone said. ‘She’s my favourite.’

  Leo opened the door of the van for us. Simone raced back to Ms Kwan for one last hug and kissed her on the cheek.

  ‘Look after your father for me,’ Ms Kwan said.

  ‘Come and visit us in Hong Kong,’ Simone said.

  Ms Kwan nodded, smiling.

  Leo took Simone and buckled her into the van.

  I approached Ms Kwan and spoke softly. ‘I hope it’s all true, Ms Kwan.’

  ‘Don’t worry, dear Emma,’ she said, smiling gently. ‘Bring him back to me in about eight months; his energy will not last longer than ten. But it is best if I come to him.’ She took my hands and clasped them, and again I felt the warm sensation of comfort. ‘Look after our little Simone. She is very precious.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I will.’

  I looked down at my hands where she held them. I wanted to tell her how much it meant to meet her, what it felt like to talk to her, how special she was. I wanted to thank her. But I couldn’t find the words. I looked up at her in desperation, to find her smiling at me.

  ‘It’s all right,’ she said, ‘I understand.’

  I climbed into the van and sat next to Simone.

  Mr Chen came out of the house, stood in front of Ms Kwan, and smiled down at her.

  ‘Let me know if you see any more of them,’ she said.

  ‘I will. Go back to your garden, Lady.’

  ‘I certainly will. All of this is much too elaborate for me.’ She raised her arms and sighed theatrically. ‘Ah, the sacrifices I make for you, Ah Wu.’

  He stayed perfectly still, watching her. Then he fell to one knee before her and held his hands clasped in front of his chest in the Chinese salute.

  Leo gasped.

  Ms Kwan stamped her foot. ‘Ah Wu! If you ever do that to me again I will not speak to you for a hundred years.’

  He rose and saluted her again.

  Her voice trembled as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. ‘You are a silly old man.’

&n
bsp; ‘I know. I will see you in eight months.’ He climbed into the van and closed the door. ‘Let’s go.’

  I glanced back through the rear window of the van as we pulled away. She was gone.

  It was a short hop from Paris to the UK. A driver with a stretch limousine waited for us at Gatwick.

  Leo and I sat facing the rear, and Mr Chen and Simone sat across from us, facing the driver. It was a crush with Mr Chen’s long legs and Leo’s huge mass and I understood why Mr Chen usually ordered a van.

  Simone slept in the car, but Mr Chen seemed full of energy. He looked ten years younger after seeing Ms Kwan, nearly the same age as me. Whatever it was that she’d done to him, it had worked.

  ‘Leo, do you think you will be all right without me tomorrow?’ he said. ‘If you and Emma take Simone to the Science Museum?’

  ‘Should be okay, Mr Chen. There’ll be plenty of people around everywhere we go,’ Leo said.

  ‘They only come after you when there aren’t people around?’ I said.

  Both Leo and Mr Chen nodded.

  ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Good.’

  They stared at me.

  ‘Why good?’ Leo said.

  ‘Because if we always make sure there are plenty of people around, Simone will be safe,’ I said. ‘Obvious.’

  Leo and Mr Chen shared a look.

  ‘Where are you planning to go, Mr Chen?’ I went on. Leo dug me in the ribs and I yelped. I rounded on him. ‘What?’

  ‘You ask too many questions,’ Leo said.

  ‘The hell I do. You’re always keeping me in the dark. I need to know what’s going on.’ I gestured towards Simone, who was sleeping on Mr Chen’s lap. ‘For example, now I know that she’s safer with more people around, I can make sure we’re always in busy places.’

  Leo chuckled and shook his head.

  ‘I want to go to Cambridge and meet up with some of my old postgrad colleagues,’ Mr Chen said. ‘It’s been a long time.’

  ‘You studied at Cambridge?’ I said, and yelped when Leo dug me in the ribs again. I slapped his arm. ‘Cut it out!’