‘Back, Leo,’ John said. ‘Guard.’
Leo moved to stand in front of Simone and me.
‘What’s going on?’ I whispered.
Ms Kwan answered the door. Martin stood there, smiling slightly. Next to him was an enormous demon. It had taken the shape of an ordinary-looking Chinese man in his mid-fifties wearing a plain shirt and pants. It was the biggest demon I had ever seen short of the Demon King himself. Way into the nineties in level. Absolutely enormous. None of us had a chance against it.
‘What have you done, Martin?’ I whispered.
‘Hold,’ Martin said loudly. ‘Number One will not harm you, he is here to talk terms. Remember, he has a similar goal to us. He has given his word that during this visit he will harm no one.’
John lowered his sword. ‘Go,’ he said. ‘Leave us.’
Ms Kwan disappeared. The Dragon also vanished.
‘Is his word good?’ I said.
‘Yes,’ John said. ‘He is renowned for it. Leo.’ John held Dark Heavens out, hilt first.
Leo collected the blades and stood holding them, guarding.
‘Enter,’ John said. ‘Leo, take Simone into her room. Emma, please go with them.’
Leo took Simone gently by the hand and led her, wide-eyed and unprotesting, into her bedroom. I didn’t move.
Martin and the demon carefully entered and approached John.
‘Emma, please,’ John said without turning around.
‘I am staying here and hearing what he has to say,’ I said.
‘Come. Sit,’ John said, gesturing towards the couch.
Martin smiled at me but I scowled at him.
Martin and the demon sat together on one of the couches. John sat on the other couch. I pulled the chair away from the desk and sat behind John. I folded one of my feet underneath me and leaned on the back of John’s sofa.
‘My Lady,’ the demon said, giving me a small smile.
I ignored him.
The demon gestured and a cup of black coffee appeared in front of him. ‘Tea, my Lady?’ I shook my head. He nodded to John. ‘Xuan Tian?’
John didn’t move. ‘Ming Gui,’ he said, ‘after this is completed, you will remain. I wish to speak to you.’
‘My Lord,’ Martin said with a wry smile.
‘Well?’ John said.
‘Anyone who presents your head to the King will be promoted to Number One,’ the demon said. ‘I will be out.’
‘I am well aware of that,’ John said.
‘If One Two Two gets your head, it will be only the beginning. He will be promoted. I hate to think of the consequences.’
‘The most immediate ones are for you,’ John said.
The demon smiled slightly but didn’t say anything.
‘What is your offer?’ John said softly.
‘Give me your head—’
‘No!’ I hissed.
‘Give me your head,’ the demon continued, ‘and I will remain as Number One. One Two Two will remain as he is. I will do my best to ensure that your family remain unharmed.’
‘Can you guarantee our safety?’ I said. ‘Simone’s safety?’
‘You will be safer than you are now,’ he said.
‘If I go to the King, he guarantees her safety,’ I said.
‘If you go to the King it will mean that One Two Two has taken the Dark Lord’s head and has been promoted,’ the demon said. ‘You certainly do not want that, my Lady.’
‘Can you take out One Two Two?’ John said.
The demon leaned forward, picked up his coffee and took a sip. He put the coffee back down and put his elbows on his knees. ‘No.’
‘Why not?’ John said.
‘He has done some things to himself and to his closest allies. He has made himself immensely powerful. I can’t take him.’
‘He’s more powerful than you?’ I said.
Number One nodded, his face grim.
‘What about the King?’ John said. ‘Why hasn’t he destroyed this one? It’s obvious where this is headed. He should have destroyed it a long time ago.’
‘That’s what I think,’ Number One said. ‘The King is overconfident. They get that way after a few centuries of being able to handle anything thrown at them.’
‘Am I correct in understanding that a lower-level demon can destroy the King and take over?’ I said.
‘Exactly,’ John said. ‘This particular King was Number One himself for about five hundred years before sneaking up and stabbing his father in the back.’
‘I have vowed not to try against my father, and I am renowned as a creature of my word,’ Number One said. ‘That is the only reason I am still here today.’
‘I really can’t see the advantage in giving you the Dark Lord’s head,’ I said. ‘The only real benefit seems to be to you.’
‘Please consider my offer, Turtle,’ the demon said. ‘You do not want to see One Two Two promoted, believe me. He has no hesitation in using modern technology.’ The demon leaned back and its voice remained mild. ‘He has contacted the other Centres. He is attempting to make pacts with the other Kings.’
John inhaled sharply. ‘No.’
‘Oh, dear Lord,’ I said softly.
‘The Celestial must be informed immediately,’ John said. ‘Martin.’
‘My Lord,’ Martin said.
‘I will consider your offer, One. Go. I will contact you if I decide to give you my head. If I do not contact you, do not approach, because I may take your head instead. Martin, remain.’
‘Okay, whatever you say,’ the demon said, and disappeared.
Martin remained on the couch. He smiled wryly again.
‘I should give you to the Dragon,’ John said mildly.
‘Please, go right ahead,’ Martin said, the wry smile not shifting. ‘I know it’ll take me a long time to work this one off.’
‘Did he tell you the deal before you brought him?’ I said.
‘Yep.’
‘Then why did you bother to bring him? That deal wasn’t anything we’d take him up on, unless we were desperate,’ I said.
‘You really are extremely stupid sometimes, Martin,’ John said. ‘It’s almost as if you want to stay out of my good favours.’
‘I did what I had to do,’ Martin said, still smiling.
‘Oh geez, you haven’t fallen for that bastard, have you?’ I said. ‘I can’t believe a Celestial like yourself would have anything to do with a high-ranking demon.’
‘It’s happened before, Emma,’ John said. ‘But I also find it difficult to believe, considering who Martin is, and whose son he is.’
Martin didn’t say anything.
‘Does he return it?’ I said.
Martin’s face didn’t shift.
‘Holy shit, but you are an extremely stupid little turtle,’ I said. ‘It’s hard to believe that you’re his son.’
‘I should disown you completely and send you to Hell for eternity,’ John said, his voice a low rumble.
‘There is a place for me there,’ Martin said, so softly I could hardly hear him. He straightened and spoke more loudly. ‘I’ll go. It’ll take me at least two years to return. You’ll be gone before I come back. You won’t see me again for a long time. Satisfactory?’
I couldn’t believe this. ‘Geez.’
‘Report to the Jade Emperor first,’ John said without emotion. ‘Tell him what Number One just told us. Wait to see if he wants to talk to me about this. If he doesn’t, then go. I look forward to not seeing your face for quite some time.’
Martin rose and smiled at each of us. He moved forward and knelt on the plush rug next to the coffee table. ‘My Lord,’ he said, saluting John carefully. ‘My Lady,’ saluting me. He rose and disappeared.
John bowed his head and sat silently. I didn’t move either. Neither of us spoke.
‘I cannot believe he did that,’ Leo said as we sat beside the pool watching Simone. ‘He used me, he used Simone, he used all of us. He brought that waste-of-time
huge demon straight through our front door to make an offer he knew we wouldn’t take. He broke every single seal on our apartment.’ His voice became more vehement. ‘He used me!’ He dropped his head. ‘I thought he was different. I thought he was…’ He didn’t finish.
‘Well, he’s in Hell now,’ I said. ‘He said it’ll take him a couple of years to come back out.’
‘Lucky for him,’ Leo said, raising his head so that he could watch Simone again. ‘’Cause if he comes out when I’m around, I’ll damn well send him straight back down there.’
‘I hope you get your chance,’ I said softly.
‘Not going to happen, Emma.’
‘I’ll send him back down there for you then.’
‘My Lady.’
‘God, the lifeguards here are useless,’ I said. ‘Simone’s been swimming around under the water for more than five minutes without coming up for air and none of them have noticed.’
‘They probably see that she’s still moving and don’t try to rescue her,’ Leo said.
‘Oh yeah. God, Martin was amazingly stupid.’
‘You got some useful information out of that demon anyway,’ Leo said. ‘It’s all happening at once, isn’t it. Xuan Wu out of action. This little demon bastard using all the new technology stuff. New hybrids. Contacting the different regions. Shooting for Number One.’
‘Shooting higher than that,’ I said, and he stiffened. ‘Interesting times. You know that isn’t a Chinese curse at all?’
‘What?’
‘You know, the curse: “May you live in interesting times.”
I’ve asked people. Nobody’s ever heard of it.’
‘Neither have I,’ Leo said.
‘Ah,’ I said. ‘So you haven’t read all my books yet.’
‘No idea what you’re talking about.’
Bastard, I signed.
I saw that, he signed back.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Iwoke with a start. John stood next to my bed, leaning over me.
‘Quietly,’ he said. ‘Come with me.’
I didn’t ask any questions; I just levered myself out of bed and followed him.
‘I’m not properly dressed,’ I whispered as I followed him through the living room. I wore a pair of old shorts and a tank top to sleep. ‘Where are we going? Is everybody okay?’
‘Everyone is fine,’ he said. ‘Just come with me. I want you to see something.’
He led me down the stairs, both of us barefoot. He wore his usual plain black pyjama pants without a shirt, his long hair braided down his back. I retied my untidy hair as we walked.
‘This had better be good, John,’ I said as he led me across the damp, cool grass towards the water. ‘I have to get up early tomorrow and pack. We’re supposed to be out of here by eleven to go home.’
‘I think you’ll like it,’ he said. He stopped. ‘It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it.’
I stopped next to him and looked up. The sky was completely clear and the stars blazed. There was no moon. A fresh breeze, full of the smell of the sea, made the dark water before us ripple. ‘What time is it?’
‘About midnight.’ He smiled, his dark eyes shining in the starlight. ‘Come.’
I followed him to the edge of the water. We stood and waited on the small beach.
‘The Dragon is coming in True Form,’ John said softly, his voice carrying over the gentle sound of the small waves. ‘Don’t be concerned, he’s coming out of the water…now.’
The Dragon emerged in full majestic True Form, nearly twenty metres long. His turquoise eyes glowed. He lowered his massive silver-fanged head over his front legs. ‘My Lord. My Lady.’ He turned so that his back was towards me. ‘Climb on, Emma. Right behind my head. Don’t worry, my scales won’t hurt you. Hold on to my frill.’
I stopped dead. ‘You want me to ride you?’
‘Hop on. We don’t have much time,’ John said. ‘Let’s go.’
I moved next to the Dragon’s head and he lowered his shoulders so that I could climb on. John didn’t move. ‘What about you?’
‘We are going under the water,’ John said. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be able to breathe. Just hold on to the Dragon, he’ll take you. Let’s go.’
‘You’re not coming?’
He gestured impatiently. ‘Of course I am. I don’t need a ride. Now hurry up!’
I pulled myself onto the Dragon’s neck and held on to the massive silver and turquoise frill that surrounded his head. I couldn’t ride him astride; he was too big. I had to sit side-saddle. He wasn’t cold and sharp; he was warm and the edges of his scales were smooth and fine. He had horns, like a deer, with two prongs; I hadn’t noticed that before. The horns towered over me.
‘Ready?’ the Dragon said.
‘Yes,’ I said.
‘Hold on tight,’ John said. ‘Here we go. No! Wait!’
The Dragon hesitated.
‘Emma, while we are under the water, the Dragon and I will be able to speak to you, but you won’t be able to talk to us.’
‘That will kill her,’ the Dragon said wryly.
‘I’ll survive,’ I said, nudging his frill. ‘Let’s go. This had better be good, I’m missing my beauty sleep.’
I think it will be worth it, John said. Let’s go.
The Dragon launched himself into the water but I didn’t feel the movement. The water pounded past us but there was no pressure.
Don’t hold your breath, the Dragon said. You can breathe.
I nudged his frill to show that I understood. I looked right. John swam next to us, matching the Dragon’s velocity without moving a muscle. He was stretched out as if he was flying. He noticed my gaze and smiled.
Not many humans have seen me swim like this, he said. I feel self-conscious swimming in human form, I know it looks strange. I hope you’ll see me swim in True Form one day.
I nodded. I hoped so too.
The Dragon’s body whipped beneath me but there was still no other sensation of movement.
The water became very dark as we plunged deeper. I gripped the Dragon’s frill tighter.
If the darkness bothers you, close your eyes, the Dragon said. I will let you know when there is something to see. Some of my human wives have found this part of the journey quite claustrophobic.
The wives were right. The water was dark and pressed in all around me. I couldn’t see a thing. I wasn’t sure whether the flashes of illumination that sped past us were real or just my eyes playing tricks. I closed my eyes and lowered my head. I wondered how deep we were.
About a hundred metres, the stone in my ring said. But we are a good twenty kilometres from shore. We are travelling very fast. We will drop off the continental shelf any second…There.
There was a definite change in the movement; the Dragon seemed to be using more effort to travel.
Not more effort, the stone said. He just sped up. Before, he was going about three hundred kilometres an hour. He has just doubled his speed. I must say, Emma, this is quite exhilarating.
That was pretty damn fast. I hoped that John could keep up.
The Dark Lord has absolutely no problem at all. I suspect he may be able to travel faster than the Dragon.
It is about a twenty minute trip, my Lady, the Dragon said.
If you are feeling unwell, give the Dragon a kick, John said. I know it’s quite a trek.
I opened my eyes. Nothing but darkness around me. I relaxed and closed them again, enjoying the sensation of travelling without motion through the warm darkness. The Dragon’s scales were smooth and silky, and his frill felt like a velvety chamois.
Don’t go to sleep, John said, jarring me out of my slumber. You need to hold on. Here we are.
I opened my eyes and nearly fell off.
‘Here’ was a fairytale castle, glittering with multicoloured lights. It seemed to stretch forever, with curved towers and arched walkways. The walls were transparent around the edges, milky white in the centre. It had a traditional
tiled Chinese roof, with upwardly curving edges and sweeping corners, covered with glistening white tiles and edged with coloured lights. It was enormous.
I opened my mouth to exclaim my astonishment and nothing came out. John chuckled into my ear.
I nudged the Dragon’s frill.
Thank you, the Dragon said. They all say that.
A pair of small gold dragons emerged from the arched entranceway that glittered with coloured fairy lights. They bowed to us. I nodded back as we passed.
Number One and Number Two, John said into my ear. He honours us.
We swept through the archway and a pair of enormous pearly doors opened before us.
I asked the stone if it had ever been to a place like this before. It was silent. Eventually it spoke.
No. I am speechless.
I laughed quietly to myself.
Yes, you are quite right. I also think it is the first time.
We travelled through a corridor that was at least twenty metres high, with towering walls of what looked like ice, but appeared to be glass or crystal. Flowing crystalline chandeliers provided sparkling light above us. The white floor was polished to a high reflective sheen.
There was another set of huge doors at the end of the corridor. They opened by themselves and we went through.
On the other side was an elegant formal garden, glowing with colour. But the garden wasn’t flowers; it was coral, and sparkling reef fish flitted between the tiny spires and archways.
I’m rather proud of this, the Dragon said. Huge amount of upkeep, but the wives like it.
I nudged his frill and he slowed as we passed through the garden. It was in a courtyard with towering walls on all sides made from a glistening semi-transparent material. They were at least five storeys high, and people and dragons watched us from the arched walkways on higher floors.
They’re not here to see the North Wind or the East Wind, Emma, John said into my ear. They’re hoping to catch a glimpse of you.
I dropped my head and tried to hide behind the Dragon’s enormous frill.
Won’t work, my Lady, the Dragon said, and abruptly changed direction, heading straight up. At the top floor he changed direction again and flew onto one of the walkways.