I stopped and turned to face the snake. Something in its eyes called to me and I raised one hand, desperately wishing I could touch it. It pushed its head more slowly towards me and came through the glass as if it wasn’t there. It touched its snout to my hand and time stopped. We hung suspended in the moment, touching snake to snake. The world spiralled away from me and the water rose up to meet me, its darkness filled with the immeasurable cold intelligence of the Serpent. It pulled its head back, nodded to me, and spun to disappear back into the wall of water.
The water collapsed, sending a black surge against the glass and then subsiding.
I jogged up to the podium to speak in David’s ear. ‘Pretend that was part of the show, courtesy of Chencorp, please. Nobody’s in danger.’
David raised his hands and spoke loudly over the PA system. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause for the special three-dimensional installation courtesy of Chencorp, one of the patrons for this evening. That was a one-off display of the installation before it is dismantled for a world tour, a demonstration of some of today’s most advanced holographic technology.’ He dropped his voice. ‘How’s that?’
‘Absolutely perfect. I owe you.’
There was scattered applause through the room, then people surged forward and applauded me loudly, discussing the snake and water. I patted David on the shoulder and turned to go back down.
‘Wait,’ he said. ‘What if something like that happens again?’
‘Just say it’s an encore,’ I said.
He shrugged. ‘Turnout will be double next time we have a charity opening.’
‘All good for the kids,’ I said, and went back down to Simone and the men.
Before the auction we wandered around the paintings. Simone showed me a Western-style oil painting of a group of running horses, one of them palomino.
‘I like this one. Do you think it would look good in my room?’
‘Which room — on the Peak or at home?’ I said.
‘At home. It’s too big for the Peak, it’s a metre across. It would look good in the living room in my apartment on the Mountain.’
Leo studied the painting. ‘This isn’t terribly well done, you know. You only want to buy it because it looks like Freddo.’
She nodded a reply.
‘He should pay for it to compensate you for destroying the carpet and making you move out while it was replaced,’ Michael said.
‘Pay with what?’ Simone said.
‘A promise not to pee on the carpet in future would be a good start,’ Leo said.
‘Oh geez,’ Simone said softly, looking behind me, then quickly went to another painting, Michael and Leo trailing her.
I turned to see what had spooked them and nearly sighed with dismay. It was George Wilson, taipan of one of the big shipping companies. He was a good head taller than me and nearly the same around, carrying a large glass of scotch leaning against his stomach and a predatory grin above his double chins.
‘Here’s the girl in charge,’ he said too loudly, surrounding me in a cloud of alcohol. ‘Running the business by yourself, real executive woman. You can be in charge of me any day, honey.’ He moved closer and I backed away. He leaned into me and his breath made my eyes water. ‘I bet you just love showing your good-looking bodyguards how you’re in charge.’
Simone stormed to us and glared at him. ‘You’re drunk, George, and you’re making inappropriate comments to my stepmother.’
He grinned at her. ‘Look at Missy being the boss. I bet your Michael-boy likes you being the boss.’ His grin grew into a leer. ‘You’re growing up fast, honey.’
‘This is sexual harassment!’ Simone said.
‘Oh, Simone, really,’ he said, spreading his arms and spilling his drink on the carpet. ‘I’m just having a bit of fun — don’t go all feminazi on me. Don’t take offence when I’m just joking around. I haven’t even touched you.’
‘Touch me and I’ll break your arm,’ she said, and walked stiffly back to Michael and Leo.
‘You need to teach her, Emma, or she’ll end up one of these radical feminists who think they know better than men; ugly and bossy and no man’ll be interested in her,’ George said. He sidled closer to me. ‘So do you have a new man in your life yet? Peter Tong keeps boasting he’s dating you, but I don’t believe it.’
‘I’m not looking, thanks, George,’ I said.
‘No such thing as a woman who isn’t looking. Tell you what.’ He moved so we were side by side facing the art. ‘My wife’s gone to South Africa for a couple of weeks. Why don’t you come over? I have some fantastic art at my place.’ He turned to me and grinned broadly. ‘Why don’t you pop over, have a drink, maybe lunch … or dinner … take a look?’
I shook my head. ‘I’m not really that interested in art. I think I’ll go catch up with Simone. Later, George.’
He waved his drink at me. ‘Don’t be a stranger, darling. Has to be hard running that big company without any help.’
I rejoined Simone, Leo and Michael, who were forcedly discussing a garish abstract canvas.
‘Why are you so polite to him?’ Simone said. ‘Why don’t you just tell him where to go?’
Leo bent to speak softly to me. ‘You should, Emma. He’ll only respect you if you tell him to his face. Being polite is only giving him ammunition.’
‘Being rude would give him even more ammunition,’ I said. ‘There’s really no way of dealing with a man like that. I didn’t agree to go to his house to see his “art” while his wife’s away, so he’s probably labelled me already.’
‘He invited you to his house?’ Michael said, aghast.
‘You should tell his wife!’ Simone said.
‘She knows all about it,’ I said. ‘She just puts up with it because that’s the way he is. She went to South Africa to get away from him for a while.’
We watched as George joined another group, one that held his personal assistant. He placed his hand around her waist then casually drifted it lower. She stiffened, obviously uncomfortable, but didn’t move away.
Simone shivered. ‘She should sue him for sexual harassment.’
‘This is the Earthly Plane, Simone. If she did that, he’d make sure she never worked anywhere again. She’d get a bad reputation and be unemployable. These women stay in the job for a year, he gives them a glowing reference, and they go on to something well-paid and worthwhile.’
‘That is so wrong,’ Simone said. ‘All those other people are standing around talking as if it isn’t happening.’
‘Go to the lectures at CH about power and dominance,’ Michael said. ‘They’re fascinating.’
‘I stayed away because I’m not interested in either,’ Simone said. ‘But I think I will now.’
David Hawkes approached us again and towered over me. ‘Emma, do you mind if I have a quiet word?’
I nodded and we went to the side together. He gestured towards a seat placed facing the windows and we sat.
‘George Wilson is telling everybody that you’re a lesbian,’ David said with humour. ‘Just thought you’d like to know.’
I shrugged. ‘I’m not surprised. I turned him down.’
‘I wanted to ask you about Taoist philosophy. If all that stuff is real, then it’s worth pursuing.’ He gestured with his chin towards Leo. ‘Taoist Immortal. Who would have believed it? Everybody’s asking who his plastic surgeon is.’
‘Leo didn’t attain the Tao, though, he was Raised by the Jade Emperor.’
David let his breath out in a long gasp. ‘Damn. The Jade Emperor. And I thought meeting the President of the United States was cool. So tell me about pine nuts and spring water.’
‘You’ve been doing some research?’
‘There isn’t much in English. You have the word straight from the source — so, how do you do it?’
I shrugged. ‘I haven’t done it so I don’t know.’
‘Is there anyone I can ask?’
‘Do what?’ Bridget said
from where she’d approached behind us.
David turned and smiled at her. ‘Emma’s an expert on Taoist philosophy. I was asking her about it.’
She studied him carefully, her expression severe, then relaxed, and I did too.
‘I noticed you’ve been reading up on Taoism — you bought a lot of books,’ she said. ‘Are you thinking of converting?’
‘You don’t convert to Taoism, it’s not really a religion …’ I began, then changed tack. ‘It’s not an exclusive religion, anyway. Many Taoists are also Buddhists; it’s more like a spiritual philosophy than a religion. Taoists want to achieve Immortality, but once they’ve done that, they’ll go on to try to attain Enlightenment and become a Buddha. They don’t have a god as such …’ I changed direction again. ‘Or a single, all-powerful jealous god that doesn’t like you worshipping anyone else. It’s more about finding yourself and where you fit in the universe. Because when you know who you are, and where you are, and what you are, the rest of Reality just slots into place and you find yourself attuned to it — able to see it and affect it as much as it affects you.’
‘I have good reason to believe that what Taoists teach — about achieving Immortality — is true,’ David said to Bridget.
She studied him for a long moment. ‘As long as it doesn’t interfere with anything else, I suppose.’
‘I take it that means I’m not allowed to go to the top of a mountain and exist on pine nuts and spring water any time soon,’ he said with a grin.
She tapped him on the shoulder. ‘Don’t you dare. I need help taking the boys to soccer on the weekend.’
David rose. ‘I’ll ask you more about it later, Emma.’
‘It’s traditional for a Taoist to fulfil his or her duty, then pursue the Tao,’ I said. ‘Raise a family, see to their wellbeing, then take themselves off, as you said, to the top of a mountain.’
‘I was thinking Spain for our retirement, actually,’ Bridget said. ‘I don’t think there are any mountains there.’
‘Pyrenees darling, best skiing on the Continent,’ he said. ‘You can retire to caring for our visiting grandchildren, and I’ll study Taoist philosophy.’
She grimaced theatrically. ‘Grandchildren? Don’t wish that on me yet, Phillip’s only fourteen.’ She gestured towards the podium. ‘The bidding starts soon, honey, better get up there and do your stuff.’
David nodded to me and straightened his suit. ‘Duty calls, Emma, let’s see some money raised for these kids.’ He held his hand out and I shook it.
Bridget smiled. ‘Go do your thing, Mr Hawkes, and Ms Donahoe and I will discuss the best places to retire.’
He bent and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Don’t bother asking her, I don’t think she’ll share hers.’ He winked at me and strode away.
‘Please don’t set him on a path that will ruin his family,’ Bridget said mildly without looking away from David, who was loping up onto the dais. ‘I need him.’
‘Don’t worry, Bridget, I have too much respect for you to do anything like that,’ I said, also watching David as he introduced the auctioneer. ‘I’ll give him the information he asks for, but I know that his family needs him.’
She turned, quickly hugged me and kissed my cheek. ‘Thanks, Emma.’
The auctioneer moved up to the lectern and David returned to the floor to sit in front of the bidders.
‘We’re up,’ I said to Bridget. ‘Time to spend some money.’
When the auction was over, most of the guests hung around chatting, but Simone had spent a long day in school and we decided to head home to the Peak. We’d return to the Mountain in the morning after she’d rested. We paid for the parking at the shroff office under the Convention Centre and made our way to the car. Our footsteps echoed eerily in the car park; there weren’t many other people around.
A loud bang reverberated around the concrete walls. There was a horrible wet splat sound and Michael staggered. Someone was shooting at us.
I quickly raised my arms and summoned chi armour, which snapped into existence around me. Then I grabbed Michael and headed for the car. Leo threw himself out of the wheelchair, wrapped himself around Simone and pushed her towards the car as well.
‘Get low and run alongside the wall!’ Leo shouted.
A bullet hit my chi armour in the middle of my back and I staggered at the impact. There was a metallic ping as the bullet hit the concrete, its energy spent. Another bullet hit the floor behind us and shards of concrete sprayed across the back of my legs.
I half-pushed, half-dragged Michael towards the car, squeezing between the backs of parked cars and the wall. When we got there, I dragged him to the side and propped him against the concrete. My chi armour disintegrated; it would only hold for a minute at most and I’d done well to keep it around me that long.
‘Come on, Simone!’ Leo said, his voice full of urgency. ‘Disable that thing.’
‘What?’ Simone said.
‘Someone’s shooting at us,’ Michael said through his teeth. ‘I’m hit, I can’t … I’m sorry.’
He slid down the wall of the car park to sit, pulling me down with him. I pulled his jacket away and wrenched open his dress shirt; he’d been hit in the abdomen just below his ribs. Leo took off his tuxedo jacket and held it out to me. I wadded it into a rough pad and shoved it into Michael’s shirt.
‘Oh, shit, I didn’t realise,’ Simone said. ‘Give me a second …’ She hissed a long breath. ‘There are four enormous Snake Mothers out there, and they’re headed straight for us.’
‘Stop talking and disable that gun!’ Leo said.
‘I can’t see it,’ Simone said. ‘Michael …’ She knelt next to us and peered into his face. ‘How bad is it?’
‘I can’t heal it,’ Michael said, gasping. ‘There’s a lot of damage.’
One of the Mothers called from the centre of the car park lane: ‘Come out and play, little humans. We want to see what you can do.’
‘You take Emma, I’ll take Michael,’ Leo told Simone. ‘Let’s get them out of here.’
Simone put her hand on my arm and concentrated again. ‘Blocked,’ she said. She moved her head from side to side. ‘I think one of Six’s stones is in here somewhere.’
David Hawkes’s voice called out from the edge of the car park. ‘Emma, are you here? Emma, they say there’s a gas leak —’
The gun went off again and Bridget shrieked. I crawled towards the end of the car to see: David was lying on the ground, and he looked dead. Bridget stood over him, mouth open, frozen and screaming. Then they shot her too and she fell next to him, whimpering with pain.
‘They killed humans,’ Leo said.
‘What do you want?’ I called. ‘Don’t kill anybody. Let’s do a deal.’
‘They’re fine, they’re alive,’ one of the Mothers said, her voice hissing. ‘We’re not One Two Two, we’re honourable demons. We just want you, Emma. Come on out and we’ll let the others go.’
Simone’s head shot up and her eyes unfocused. She shook her head violently, grimacing with distaste, then appeared to give in.
‘What?’ I said. ‘Who’s talking to you?’
‘Your stone,’ she said. ‘Through your touch. Michael, Emma, hold still, this is worth a try.’
She reached towards Michael, slipped her hand inside his shirt, then pulled it out covered in blood. She quickly turned to me and swiped her hand across my face. I put my hand up to stop her, but too late.
‘What the hell, Simone?’ I started, then I tasted it. Michael’s blood tasted of Shen: warmth, sunshine and fresh air full of an icy fizz and mown grass. It poured into me and something dark and strong grew. I rose to stand and the power sang inside me with a deep bass rolling surge.
I pulled Leo up with one hand so he was standing next to me. ‘You and me, Lion, let’s go get them. When you have a good view of them, try your new shen energy.’ I glanced at him. ‘You’ve been abstaining, right?’
‘What happened to you, Emma?’ Simone
said.
‘I have no idea,’ I said, the power growing and roaring, making me bigger, wider, darker and much, much meaner. ‘But it worked.’
Leo stared at me. ‘Yeah, I’ve been abstaining. What have you been doing?’
‘Tasting the blood of a child of Shen,’ I said, my voice deeper than it normally was. ‘Call your sword, it’s time for some reckoning. David and Bridget didn’t deserve that.’
I put my hand out and demanded that the Murasame obey me. It appeared in my hand, then grew slightly to fit me.
‘Am I in some sort of Celestial Form?’ I said.
‘No, you’re just … taller,’ Simone said.
‘Stay here. Stay back.’
Leo called his sword, the Black Lion, and flanked me on my left shoulder. I walked around the front of the car into the centre of the lane. I smelled the demons before I saw them. The earthy rich scent of human blood from David and Bridget was a nagging distraction on the edge of my senses, but these demons needed to die.
They shot at me, but I saw the bullet slide slowly towards me and easily evaded it. The four Mothers stood in front of a van in human form: tall, sleek, beautiful women. One of them had a modern assault rifle, but I didn’t recognise the type; time to ask the Mountain staff about firearms training so I knew what I was up against. She shot at me again, and again I easily evaded it; obviously not an automatic weapon.
The range of effects I could accomplish with my black chi scrolled inside my head. It was an incredibly useful tool and I could achieve so much with it. I hoped I’d remember the list when I came down off this insane blood high.
I moved into a long defensive stance, held the Murasame horizontally above my head with the point towards the demons, put some black chi into it and shot it at the demon with the gun. She exploded. The other three Mothers backed up, intimidated.