Dark Serpent

  ‘Agreed. Any other business?’

  ‘Defending the Earthly?’ Ma said.

  ‘They won’t attack the Earthly,’ the Tiger said. ‘They don’t want the humans to know any more than we do. They’ll come straight here.’

  ‘The riots in 2011 in London were them,’ John said. ‘They will start something similar in this Centre.’

  ‘There has been unrest all over Europe,’ the Phoenix said. ‘This is them?’

  John nodded.

  ‘Tiananmen all over again,’ the Tiger said. ‘And innocents will be pulled in just as they were before.’ His voice dropped with restrained rage. ‘Demons massacring humans for fun, and the government looking on with delight.’

  ‘Directly after this meeting I am gathering the Thirty-Six to discuss the defence of the Earthly,’ John said. ‘The four of you concentrate on the Celestial.’

  ‘We need the stones back,’ the Dragon said. ‘Does anybody have a special bond with the Grandmother?’

  ‘I’ll talk to Gold,’ John said. ‘Anything else?’

  ‘A safe journey to you and Emma, my Lord,’ the Phoenix said more gently.

  ‘I will find her. I have promised,’ John said.

  ‘Just don’t spend too much time there once you do. In and out like a White Tiger; let the Elite gather the information,’ the Tiger said.

  ‘I will be here when I’m needed,’ John said. ‘Enough?’ From their expressions, they were eager to start work. ‘Dismissed.’

  After the meeting with the Thirty-Five Generals, John headed back to the Mountain and spoke to the Lius about the preparations there. He went to his office in the early evening and flipped through his emails. Exhaustion was making him see double; he would have to stop soon.

  Simone came in and sat across from him while he tried to read the reports on the demons.

  ‘Any word on Emma?’

  ‘She’s free. She’s safe. All I need is one gateway open and I’ll be up there to pull her out.’

  ‘The demons have really taken over the entire West?’

  ‘They have.’

  ‘The Celestials say there’s going to be a war.’

  ‘We are preparing,’ he said. ‘Stay in the Mountain where you’re safe.’

  ‘I want to fight too.’

  He glanced away from the computer to her determined face. ‘You’re too young.’

  ‘I’ll be eighteen in a few months; I’m nearly an adult. Have them make me a weapon. I want to help.’

  He opened his mouth and closed it again.

  ‘That’s right,’ she said, smiling slightly. ‘This is the reason I’ve trained all my life, so I can help you defend the Celestial. This is our Mountain and our home and our realm and I’ll be damned if I let any demons come over these walls again.’

  He leaned on the desk to face her and pulled out a scroll.

  ‘Don’t try to stop me, I’m helping,’ she said fiercely.

  ‘What sort of weapon?’

  Her eyes widened. ‘What, that’s it?’

  ‘I think something with a bit of reach on it — maybe a halberd or polearm? You’re not a great expert with a sword, but two smaller knives to match your speed? A pair of wakizashi-sized daggers; you’ve always reverse-handed well and you move so damn fast they’ll never see them coming. Or a staff. I can have something very special made and you can load it with energy, or even yin.’

  ‘You’ll give me my yin back?’ she said, eyes even wider.

  ‘What you said about the damn wall. And frankly …’ he leaned back and pulled his hair out of its tie, ‘the idea of having you fight next to me to protect our Mountain is the coolest thing anybody’s said to me all day. One condition, though.’

  She quirked one eyebrow at him and he wondered when she’d learnt to do that.

  ‘Study Internal Alchemy and pursue Immortality or all bets are off.’

  ‘Deal.’

  She rose and held her hand out. He stood as well, grasped hers and released the binding he’d placed on her control over yin. The yin had always been there, but she hadn’t been able to touch it. Now she could, and she shivered. Her eyes went black for a moment as the yin flooded through her, then returned to normal and she gasped. She released his hand and flopped into her chair, which was instantly covered with satisfying ice.

  ‘An hour a day on controlling that,’ he said. ‘Don’t work with it alone until I say so. Your Arts are weak as well. We’ll have to spend some serious time together to bring you to full potential.’

  ‘Okay,’ she said, obviously still slightly dazed.

  ‘How about a staff of Seven Stars? I can have chakra vessels put into it and it will hold your energy the same way the sword does.’ He sat back down at his desk. ‘It will take some time to make, though, and I have a very fine pair of daggers that would be perfect for your build and reach until it’s finished.’

  ‘Um …’ She stopped, thoughtful. ‘Can I have a smaller version of Seven Stars? Give me intense training on sword work and bring me up to speed.’

  ‘You want the same thing as me?’

  ‘That sword is completely bad-ass.’

  ‘No,’ he said, and she frowned. ‘I won’t give you the same as me. You are your own person, and let’s face it: your style is different. A pair of short broad blades with the stars in both of them? You’ve seen me pull Seven Stars apart; this would be the same thing, just all the time.’

  ‘Curved blades, sickle-shaped,’ she said. ‘Something with a curved tip that I can use to slip into throats and bellies to rip stuff out, and slip behind heads to take them off. If they’re curved, they’ll be less likely to get stuck in demon shells; I can lever them out.’ She frowned. ‘I don’t remember what they’re called, but they were used a long time ago. I think they’d suit me.’

  He scribbled on the scroll. ‘The blade is called a khopesh, and you’re right, they’re very ancient. First one I saw was in India about three thousand years ago. Perfect for you: they’ll give you the impact of an axe and the finesse of a sword, and the tips for ripping. They’re also an excellent weapon to wield on horseback.’

  She smiled. ‘Freddo will be thrilled to bits. Lisel might agree to teach us again.’

  ‘They don’t need to be completely sickle-shaped,’ John said, drawing on the scroll. ‘A flatter curve is more powerful than a circular one. I’ll have them sharpened on both sides so you can backhand if you want. Sounds ideal.’

  ‘Can they be black? And I need armour; I’m not skilled enough to summon my own yet.’

  ‘Your livery’s dark blue, I’ve seen it. Armour and weapons both in that colour.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said, eyes wide. ‘Damn, Dad, that really does sound very cool. Dark blue armour, and blades with chakra vessels?’ She smiled slightly, and suddenly the little girl was gone and she was all woman. ‘Best eighteenth birthday present a girl could ever ask for.’

  He finished the order on the scroll and rolled it up. ‘Give this to Moaner in the forge. Tell him to give them priority, but not to rush. It will take them some time to create the right alloy to make the blades blue, and fixing the chakra vessels is a precision task. You’ll need to be there when he creates them, so arrange a time with him.’

  ‘I’m not taking resources away from the war effort, am I?’

  A small part of him died when she said that. A war effort meant death and deprivation and suffering.

  He shook his head. ‘No. You’ll be as important as me when the demons come.’

  ‘Are you sure they’re coming?’

  ‘It’s just a matter of time. They’ve been building up to this for years.’

  ‘I suppose we all knew it was coming. It’s just …’ She sighed. ‘You try not to think about it; and now people are heading up here to be safe, you can’t not think about it.’ She bent closer and touched his temple. ‘Come home and rest, Dad, you’re wrecked. Your hair is even going grey.’

  ‘As soon as I’ve checked these reports. Have the staf
f keep some food warm for me.’

  ‘I’m waiting up for you, so don’t be too late,’ she said.

  She patted his hand and went out, leaving him feeling very old.

  He returned to the emails, flipping quickly through the reports and scanning the information. The details on the new demons, the insect/snake hybrids, were seriously disturbing. He read the first two paragraphs of an email from the Tiger’s Number Two about Freddo’s mother and moved to the next one, then went back and undeleted it. He’d seen the word ‘unusual’.

  The horse is unusual in that it has not come from any of the regular racing stables that supply the Jockey Club. It appears to have been bred on a stud attached to the Anglesey Manor; records show it was born there. This is the only horse ever to go through the Jockey Club from that stud, and further research shows that it’s the only horse ever to have come out of that stud ever. The stud bred one horse and Freddo’s mother is that horse.

  He picked up his phone and called the Tiger’s Number Two, Rohan.

  ‘My Lord,’ Rohan said.

  ‘Freddo’s mother is the only horse ever to come from the Anglesey Manor?’ John said. ‘Really?’

  ‘If any others were bred there, they weren’t entered into any stud books,’ Rohan said.

  ‘The stables there have been deserted for a very long time. I estimate at least seventy years since they’ve seen a horse.’

  ‘I wonder where the horse came from then?’

  A small ferocious ray of hope lit up inside John. ‘I’m heading over to have a look. Thank you for your assistance.’

  ‘No need, my Lord. The Number Ones are about to head over there to try to lure a demon out through one of the gateways. They’re just doing the handover to us Number Twos before they go. I’ll tell them to take a detour on the way and check out the manor.’

  John hesitated, then realised he was right. ‘Very well. Tell Michael to call me the minute he finds something.’

  ‘My Lord.’

  John pushed his chair back, grabbed the phone and went out to the Imperial Residence. He missed Zara’s comforting presence outside his office. Dinner with Simone and hopefully Leo would help to take the pain away, and he really was exhausted.

  Emma

  Something moved next to my head: a silver scaled leg with a cloven hoof, glowing in the darkness. I flopped onto my back to see it better, and wished I had the energy to appreciate it more. It morphed between an Eastern qilin and a Western unicorn: one minute it had two antlers and a scaly goat’s body, and the next it was a horse with a single horn and cloven hooves.

  ‘Hello,’ I said. ‘You’re beautiful.’

  It fell onto its front knees and curled its hind legs behind it to lie down next to me. Warmth and light radiated off it and I immediately felt more alive.

  ‘You’re not,’ it said, and its voices sounded like three speaking in unison: a man, a woman and a child. It dropped its head slightly and blew warm sweet air on me. ‘You’re very ordinary-looking, and I like that. You’re true to yourself.’

  ‘Thank you. I try. Why are you here? I’m not nearly important enough to merit a visit from you.’

  ‘You aren’t, but if the future is to be resolved, you need to be in it.’

  ‘I’m that important?’

  ‘You, no. The things around you, yes. Kind of.’ It shook its head. ‘You’re not important, but you’re vital and real and full of life. And there’s a thing that will need to be done. And it needs you.’

  ‘I’ve done enough,’ I said, snuggling into it. ‘Your scales are lovely.’

  It nuzzled me with its horse nose. ‘Most people are awestruck into silence when they meet me.’

  ‘Hey, I’ve slept with the Xuan Wu and seen its Turtle form. I’ve yet to see anything top that,’ I said. ‘Whoa. Is your presence making me high or something? I feel really … good. Euphoric.’

  ‘Either my presence, or the blood loss and exposure. Probably a combination.’ It snorted gently with amusement. ‘I wonder if I’m habit-forming.’

  ‘You should be a controlled substance,’ I said. ‘Is it okay if I sleep until he finds me? You’re lovely and warm, and I feel like I haven’t been warm in forever. You won’t leave me, will you?’

  ‘Go right ahead.’

  ‘And of course, if I’m hallucinating, I’ll just die and that’ll be that.’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘You’re a big help,’ I said, and fell asleep curled up next to its satiny scales.

  34

  Zhenwu

  ‘I decided not to go with that sword shape because the horse people use them on Game of Boobs,’ Simone said over breakfast the next morning.

  ‘Don’t let that stop you,’ Leo said.

  ‘What’s Game of Boobs?’ John said as he sat with them.

  ‘Fantasy series on HBO,’ Simone said. ‘They call it that because of the gratuitous nudity. It’s full of unnecessary boobs.’

  ‘When’s it on?’ John said.

  ‘Dad!’

  ‘I want to see the depiction of the khopesh.’

  ‘Like I believe you,’ she said with derision.

  ‘Leo’s right, don’t let that stop you. They probably use that shape because it is the right shape for that purpose. It will be the most suitable weapon for you.’

  ‘And nobody has to see your boobs,’ Leo said.

  ‘Leo!’

  Leo grinned into his bacon.

  Simone laughed, and John heard how forced it was. They were trying to cheer him up. It was probably obvious that he was fretting now that he’d run out of things to keep him occupied.

  ‘I’ll need to give them names,’ Simone said.

  ‘Yang and Yin?’ Leo said.

  ‘Cliché,’ Simone said, stretching the word out with derision.

  ‘Penn and Teller.’

  ‘Oh, I like that.’

  ‘Siegfried and Roy?’

  ‘The Tiger would adore that. How about Cloud and Squall?’

  ‘I don’t get the reference,’ Leo said. ‘But weather terms are always good.’

  ‘Stop thinking of male names and honour some famous women,’ John said. ‘Scientists, leaders, warriors.’

  Simone and Leo shared a horrified look.

  ‘I didn’t even realise I was doing that,’ Simone said. ‘How about Ada and Marie?’

  ‘Who are they?’ Leo said.

  ‘Only two of the most famous women —’ Simone began, but John’s phone rang and she stopped.

  He snatched it up. It was Golden Dragon, the Blue Dragon’s Number One.

  ‘Talk to me,’ John said.

  ‘We’re three li from the manor, and there’s something my wood nature felt the minute we got here. It’s … strange. Damn, it’s like the most evil spot I’ve ever been; there’s these trees and they’re … grotesque. Really, really creepy, and it’s the middle of the night, which makes it worse. Whenever I attune to the harmony you gave us, something seems to happen with the trees, then stops.’ His tone changed to chagrin. ‘There’s something here, my Lord, but my dragon nature isn’t wood-based enough to make it resonate. You need something seriously wooden. I suggest you have a tree take a look.’

  ‘Text the coordinates to my phone.’

  ‘My Lord.’

  After he’d hung up, John looked from Leo to Simone. ‘I need a tree.’

  ‘Aren’t the trees kind of boycotting you?’ Leo said.

  ‘Yeah,’ Simone said. ‘They all hate him.’

  Yue Gui. I need a tree. He shared the information with her. Her son was a tree; she had to know one that would help him.

  Father. Hold, she said.

  John ate while he waited, excitement building within him. If this was a tree-only gateway, and he could find a tree who was willing to assist, he could finally break in there. Demons were completely unable to work with tree essence; trees were too natural and pure.

  Father. Sang Shen will help you in return for a pardon. He is genuine.

  ?
??What, Daddy?’ Simone said when she saw his face go grim.

  ‘Sang Shen will help, but I need to free him,’ John said.

  ‘Yue Gui can’t help it,’ Leo said. ‘She’s just being a mom.’

  ‘Are you about to make a pact with the devil?’ Simone said.

  ‘No,’ John said. ‘The devil’s about to make a pact with me.’

  Will he cease this ridiculous vendetta against Emma?

  Yes.

  One condition. He has to act as a representative for Emma with the trees, and work to rebuild their goodwill towards both of us.

  Yue Gui was silent for a long time as she relayed the message to her son. John wondered if he’d asked too much. He needed a tree and right now Sang Shen was probably the only one who would help.

  He agrees. He is on the Earthly, hiding in Hong Kong’s forest park. Do you need to go to him to free him?

  No. He’s free now. Confirm.

  Confirmed. Her voice changed to relief. My thanks, my father.

  Sang Shen spoke to him. My Lord.

  How soon can you be in the UK? John said.

  I’ve never travelled that far.

  Do you know where it is?

  Sang Shen was silent. He wouldn’t admit that he didn’t know where to go. John cursed the tree’s pride.

  Can you meet me in Hong Kong, Sang Shen?

  My Lord.

  Top of One Black Road. Do you know where that is?

  Sang Shen’s voice sounded impatient. Of course I do.

  John put down his spoon and rose. ‘He’s meeting me halfway, then I’ll take him to the UK.’

  ‘Wait, Daddy,’ Simone said.

  She rose and came to him and put her arms out. He pulled her into a hug, and she used the contact to feed him Shen energy, brisk and pulsing with her youth and fervour. She stopped the feed just as quickly, impressing him with her control.

  ‘Enough?’ she said, studying his face.

  ‘More than enough.’ He put his hand on her cheek. ‘You impress me more and more every day. I’ll keep you posted.’

  She glowed with pride as the room dissolved around him and he headed down to the Earthly.

  Sang Shen was already waiting for him on the black-stained roof of the Peak apartment, the low clouds flowing around him. John landed across the roof from him and waited.