‘He has to know something that he can’t tell us. Something that will bring us victory,’ I said.
‘Er Lang?’ John said.
Er Lang leaned his elbows on the table, his expression grim. ‘I’ve never seen him like this. What we just saw is the most communicative he’s been in weeks. It’s like he’s given up and doesn’t care. I’m not sure he knows what he’s doing.’
‘He’s the goddamn Jade Emperor, guys,’ I said. ‘He knows everything.’
‘That may be the problem, Emma,’ John said. ‘Imagine if every future you saw was full of suffering. Every single one.’
I paused at the implications. ‘Can his mind handle it?’
‘Exactly,’ Er Lang said. ‘Is death preferable to imprisonment by the Horde? Maybe he thinks it is. Maybe he’s deliberately leading the army to their deaths because the alternative is worse.’
‘But they’re mortal,’ I said.
‘Even so.’
‘Can we negotiate a surrender anyway?’ I raised my hands. ‘Never mind. The answer came to me immediately: we must follow his orders.’
‘We can only hope that you’re right and victory will be ours through circumstances only he can predict,’ John said.
‘What do you two see?’ I said.
They shared a look and their expressions said it all.
‘My family are on the Mountain,’ I said, my throat thickening. ‘If they defeat the army at the Northern Heavens, they’ll tear straight through the Mountain to the Celestial Palace and destroy everything.’ I wiped the tears away. ‘My family have nothing to do with this, and the boys are just children. Matthew’s only three years old. I hate to think what the King will do to them to have his revenge on us.’
‘The Grandmother may be able to protect them,’ John said. ‘Her location is remote, isolated and sparsely populated.’
‘You’re right,’ I said, relieved. ‘The Australian desert is huge. The demons will never find them if we hide them there.’
‘Isn’t the extreme climate dangerous?’ Er Lang said.
‘Not as dangerous as staying here,’ John said.
‘Good point.’ Er Lang rose. ‘We have five days. I’ll work on the remaining troops; you organise a refuge for the non-combatants. I’ll be in touch if I need anything.’
11
‘The Grandmother and Gold are in your office,’ John said as we flew back to the Northern Heavens on his cloud. ‘Can you talk to her while I sell these securities? It needs to be done before the banks close.’
‘Leave it with me,’ I said.
He pulled me around so my back was on his chest, held me close and kissed the side of my neck. I put my arms over his and held them. We shared the closeness until we approached the Palace of the Northern Heavens. When it came into view, he released me and straightened, pulling his dark forbidding persona around him. I composed my face as well, and we tried to be as cold and regal — and as confident — as possible as we landed, then stepped off the cloud and strode through the refugees in our own Palace complex. He headed to the Hall of Dark Justice to handle the paperwork, and I went to the administrative offices next to the main court to see Gold and the Grandmother.
They were sitting in the visitors’ chairs; Gold in his tan suit and the Grandmother in a brown and gold tie-dyed shift.
I knelt and bowed my head. ‘Grandmother.’
‘Emma, dear, don’t do that,’ she said. ‘Up you get. You just saw the Jade Emperor, how bad is it?’
‘Gold, go out,’ I said.
Gold opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again. ‘That bad?’
I raised my hand. ‘Sorry. Some of the Dark Lord’s bad manners still linger. But it would be better if the stone network didn’t hear this.’
‘Out,’ the Grandmother said. ‘I’ll let you know as much as I can once we’re done here.’ She glared at him. ‘You have a big mouth, Gold, you know you do.’
He looked about to protest, then smiled wryly. ‘You have a point. But I want to know your plans for keeping my children safe.’
‘You’ll be a part of them. Right now, let us sort this out,’ I said.
Gold rose, saluted me, bowed to the Grandmother, and went out.
‘He’s probably eavesdropping anyway,’ I said, sitting behind the desk and indicating my computer’s microphone.
‘If he is, he’ll be in two pieces,’ the Grandmother said. ‘Now tell me how bad it is. I heard that Simone broke into the European Heavens. What did you find?’
Simone, I said, contacting her telepathically. Did you tell anyone what we found in the European Heavens?
Dear god, of course not, she said with horror.
Thanks. Need-to-know for now, please.
Of course! Geez, Emma.
‘We found a hundred thousand big humanoid troops, a thousand armoured centurions, and a support army of twenty thousand worms, slimes and dogs,’ I said out loud.
The Grandmother puffed out her cheeks. ‘You can’t beat that. They’ll overrun you.’ She leaned her elbow on the armrest and rubbed her chin. ‘That’s why you asked to speak to me. You’re hoping I can shelter the people who are hiding here.’
‘And the ones in the Celestial Palace. We have a hundred thousand mortal refugees, Grandmother, and when the demons win —’
‘When they win? What did the Jade Emperor say? If they’re going to win, you need to negotiate something now.’
‘That’s what we said. The Jade Emperor’s ordered us to fight. Here. In five days.’
‘He needs his bloody head read. Thousands of humans will die.’
‘Can you shelter them, Lady? I know our homeland. There are stretches of the Great Sandy Desert where a hundred thousand people could disappear with no difficulty whatsoever.’
‘Not any more. You know that fuss they made about immigrants? How they created a special security force to combat them? They filled the media with xenophobic propaganda about how Australia’s being overrun with illegal Asian immigrants . . .’
‘Oh, dear lord, our refugees are all Asian.’
‘Exactly, dear. He’s been ahead of you all the way.’
‘But that’s just the borders, the coastline. If we fly them into the Red Centre —’
‘There’s an army of humans there waiting for you. They train them there, just to keep an eye on me. They have helicopters patrolling the desert. Your refugees would be found and sent home to Asia, straight into the demons’ hands.’
‘I need to find somewhere safe for these people to go!’ I brushed my hair back and retied my ponytail. ‘Are the Australian Shen talking to you? What about the Australian Heavens?’
‘Like all Shen, they’re bound by the Earthly laws of the land they oversee. The government of Australia was voted in fair and square, and their laws say that no refugees are allowed. Like the rest of the Shen, they’re waiting to see who wins this and they don’t want to be involved.’
‘Do you have any suggestions at all, Grandmother?’ I said, my voice weak.
‘How about the desert of Western China?’
‘Patrolled as well. Heavenly and Earthly.’
‘Then you leave them where they are and fight to defend them.’
‘And gamble with their lives that the Jade Emperor hasn’t lost it and wants to send everybody to their deaths.’
‘Let me look.’ Her eyes unfocused as she looked into the future, and her face went grim. ‘Too complicated. Too much suffering and death. All I see is death.’
‘If anything comes up, please let me know. Any place not watched by the demons. Anyone who’d be willing to provide them with sanctuary. Anything.’
‘I will.’ She rose, and I did too. ‘You were right. Gold doesn’t need to know any of this.’
‘Thank you.’
She came to me and gently clasped my upper arms, kissing me once on each cheek. ‘I’ll keep looking. I know how important this is. Let me talk to my Elders.’
‘I appreciate it,’ I said, bu
t she was already gone.
‘Gold?’ I said loudly.
He came in and saluted me. ‘Top-secret meeting finished?’
‘Ask the Grandmother,’ I said. ‘You were arranging accommodation on the Earthly for some of the refugees. How many can the hotels take?’
‘About twelve hundred.’
‘Move them in. The most vulnerable — mothers and children — first. You have five days.’
‘What happens in five days?’
I went to the doorway to speak to Yi Hao. ‘Is the first one the baby formula?’
‘Yes,’ Yi Hao said.
Gold persisted. ‘Are you sure you can’t tell me more? We have Lord Xuan to defend us. The Horde don’t have a chance.’
‘That’s right. But I still want those mothers and kids out of here before Saturday.’
‘What about your family? What about my family?’
‘I’m giving you the most important mission I ever have, Gold —’
‘Wah, he’s still in there,’ he said, his eyes wide.
I continued, ignoring him. ‘I’m trusting you with the lives of my family. Find somewhere safe for them. Somewhere so remote the demons will never find them. The hotels owned by Celestials aren’t anonymous enough. Hide your family too. Make them invisible.’
‘Can’t your family go to Australia? They’re Australian citizens.’
‘The demons are waiting for them.’
‘That’s why the Grandmother can’t take our refugees,’ he said, understanding.
‘Exactly.’
‘What happens in five days? They’ll attack? We have the Dark Lord. Everything will be fine.’
‘How much of the future can you see, Gold?’
‘Hardly anything. I’m a very small Shen.’
‘So am I. So just keep saying that we’ll be sure to win — the last thing we need is panic. But have those mothers and children out of here before any attack happens.’
‘My Lady.’
‘I need a new phone as well. What was on the log — all those calls?’
‘Just random strings of data, white noise. I ran a few decryption algorithms against them and found nothing. I think there’s a glitch on my Celestial network but I don’t have time to track it down.’ He held his hand out and a phone appeared in it. ‘Here’s a new one for you.’
‘Thanks.’ I raised my voice to speak to Yi Hao. ‘Let the baby formula woman in.’ I lowered it again to speak to Gold. ‘We need the formula in a big hurry — I’ll probably have to head down to the Earthly and buy it myself. Any Asian person buying retail milk powder in bulk in Hong Kong is likely to be lynched after that Mainland run on it.’
‘Good idea. Take a demon with you to carry the shopping, and stock up on medicine and antibiotics as well.’ He saluted me and went out.
* * *
The minute Simone, Smally and I arrived in the Heavens with the trolley of formula and drugs, we were mobbed. Simone used energy to push the people back and stood guarding, keeping them at bay.
Yue Gui came out of the offices and strode across the square to us. As the crowd parted to let her through, a little green dragon took advantage of our distraction, raced up to the pile of supplies, grabbed one of the cartons of baby formula, and ran.
‘That’s for human babies!’ I shouted after her.
‘Stop her. I’ll handle this,’ Yue Gui said.
Simone and I pushed through the people to chase the dragon. She moved too fast to follow, flitting through the air a couple of metres above the ground.
‘That’s formula for human babies!’ I shouted again, but she ignored us.
She went straight to the medical centre and changed to human form of a fifteen-year-old girl. She ran through the centre of the packed patients to a dragon in True Form lying prone on a blanket next to a hospital crib holding a tiny baby.
‘Ah Ma,’ the girl said to the dragon.
The dragon raised her head. ‘Is that milk for your sister? Tell me it’s milk for the baby!’
‘It is!’
‘Thank you, Lady Emma, I owe you my daughter’s life.’
The dragon tried to rise but didn’t make it. She collapsed to lie on her side, panting.
‘Ah Ma had a very difficult delivery in human form,’ the girl said, taking one of the pre-made bottles out of the carton.
She looked around and Simone held her hand out. ‘I’ll warm it for you.’
‘She’s stuck in dragon form, the internal injuries are too severe,’ the girl said. ‘She was recovering in the Palace Under the Sea when it fell. One of the other mothers helped out with Bebe, but she didn’t have enough milk for ours and her own.’ She bent to speak to the dragon. ‘Can you do it, Ma Ma?’
‘You do it, I might hurt her,’ the dragon said. She put her front claw on the girl’s knee. ‘You are a good daughter, Ah Gau.’
Ah Gau stroked her mother’s claw, then picked up the baby and sat in a chair to nurse her. Simone checked the temperature of the milk on her wrist, nodded, and handed it to Ah Gau. The baby was on a drip and didn’t respond when her sister tried to feed her. She lay limp with her eyes open.
‘Eat, little one,’ the mother dragon said, her voice soft and desperate. ‘Don’t give up now.’
‘She won’t take it,’ Ah Gau gasped. ‘She’s too weak.’
Simone knelt in front of them. She took the baby’s hand and concentrated. ‘She’s ice-cold. Come on, we won’t let this defeat us.’
A silvery nimbus of energy floated around her, then surrounded the baby. The baby squealed, then threw her mouth open and wailed. Ah Gau tried to put the teat into her mouth and she fought it.
‘Put it on her cheek next to her mouth,’ the dragon said. ‘There’s a touch reflex.’
Ah Gau tried it, and when the teat touched the baby’s cheek she turned her face towards it. They had a small tussle, with the baby becoming more and more agitated as she reached towards the teat, until Ah Gau had it positioned correctly and the baby latched on and sucked enthusiastically.
The mother dragon gave a huge sigh of relief and her head flopped onto the floor.
I checked the box: enough bottles to last the baby at least another couple of days, when I could do another run.
‘Your daughter will be fine,’ I said to the dragon, and stopped. She was lying unmoving with her eyes half-open. Even without touching her I could see that her chi, her breath of life, was gone.
‘Ah Ma?’ Ah Gau said.
Simone knelt and put her hand on the dragon’s side, then took it away and shook her head.
Ah Gau wept over the tiny baby as she continued to give her nourishment. I put my arm around her shoulders while Simone notified a couple of demon staff to take the mother’s body away.
My phone rang and I yanked it out of my pocket. No caller ID. I rejected the call.
* * *
Jade was in my office when I returned. She closed the door and stood on the other side of the desk. She was pale and drawn, and her eyes were red. I didn’t ask her if she was okay because I knew the answer.
‘What can I do for you, Jade?’
‘I need you to talk to Jackie. She won’t go with your family.’
‘Can anyone order her to go?’
‘She’s not of age. She hasn’t pledged allegiance. Only the Jade Emperor himself would order her, and I won’t ask him. So can you talk to her for me?’
Jackie stormed in, wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She fell to one knee and saluted me, then rose. ‘Lady Emma, my mother needs me.’
‘You won’t be safe here. Go with them,’ Jade said.
Jackie put her arm around Jade’s waist. ‘I will not leave you alone after we just lost my sisters.’
‘But you won’t be —’ Jade began.
‘I miss them so much,’ Jackie said, the tears flowing down her face. ‘We need to stick together, no matter what happens.’ Her voice thickened. ‘You’re all I have left!’
Jade pulled her into an e
mbrace and they both let go, clutching each other.
‘Okay,’ Jade said. She pulled back and wiped her eyes. ‘You can help me.’
‘Just keep me busy,’ Jackie said. ‘If there’s anything you need done, Lady Emma, let me know.’
‘I will.’
They went out, leaning on each other.
12
It was a crisp spring night when my family and Gold’s gathered at the top of the Celestial stairway.
John divided, the Serpent took female human form, and she went down the stairs. She came back up accompanied by Amy’s father, Richard Wu. He looked in his mid-fifties and was stout with a strong New Zealand accent.
He stood at the top of the stairs and gaped up at the main gates to the Celestial Palace. ‘I finally make it to the Celestial Palace and I don’t have a chance to go inside and look around.’
Amy and Gold’s children, Little Jade and Richie, ran to him and hugged him.
He picked up Little Jade and kissed her on the cheek. ‘How are my best grandchildren?’
‘We’re learning kung fu off Aunty Emma!’ Richie said, pulling at Richard’s trousers. ‘We’re really good, we’ll fight the demons if they try to attack us. Hiya!’
He performed the first few moves of the modified set I’d been teaching him, making loud martial arts noises.
‘I’m glad I have you to protect me,’ Richard said, jolly.
‘Were you followed?’ Gold asked him.
‘I don’t think so. The streets were deserted.’
‘We’ll change everybody’s forms just to make sure,’ John’s Turtle said.
‘There’s an awful lot of us,’ I said.
‘We can handle it,’ his Serpent said. She gestured for Gold to approach, and put her hand out. ‘I’ll give you the pattern and we can work together.’
Gold hesitated, and John gestured impatiently again.
‘It’s okay,’ I said. ‘It freaks me out as well.’
‘Get over yourselves, it’s just me,’ the Serpent said.
‘John, that’s harsh,’ my mother said, scolding. ‘What if Emma suddenly changed into a man? How would you feel then?’
‘What, like this?’ the Serpent said, and the air became pearlescent around me.