Black Jade

He took my hand and put the ring on my finger next to the Jade Building Block. ‘I am proud to call you wife. You are courageous, brilliant and full of integrity. You are my only one.’

  He gazed into my eyes and we shared a moment of true joy that we were finally here.

  ‘I declare you two finally married, Emperor and Empress of the North, and if you do not kiss each other right now this whole thing will be ruined,’ the Jade Emperor said.

  We smiled and grabbed each other and kissed, ecstatic.

  The crowd cheered and clapped below us.

  We pulled back, and John smiled at me. ‘Yue Gui,’ he said.

  Yue concentrated and a sword box appeared in her hands. She approached us and gave it to John.

  The cheers petered out in the square, and changed to the murmur of voices as people asked each other what was happening.

  John opened the box, took the sword out, and gave the box to Yue, who took it and stepped back. John held the sword horizontally in its scabbard out to me with both hands.

  For a moment I thought he’d managed to take the Murasame from Frankie. Then I realised that this sword was new, and the tsuba — the guard — had a representation of a snake on it. As the ebony scabbard moved in the sunshine, a textured pattern of scales shifted in colour over its length.

  ‘A gift for you, my Lady Empress. This is the Scales of Wisdom, a blade that took the Mountain forge nearly fifteen years to create. I handed the specifications to them the day you agreed to be my bride. Bear it with valour and as a symbol of my undying love for you.’

  I took the sword and removed it from its scabbard. It was a masterpiece of forging: the blade had been folded in such a way that the different grains of the steel formed a rippling finish.

  ‘Exquisite balance,’ I said. ‘Sharp and deadly, with energy spun through it to make it a more effective demon killer. What a beauty.’ I turned it over in my hand. ‘Snakeskin wrap on the handle, tortoise-shell tsuba . . .’ I glanced up at him. ‘No way.’

  He shrugged. ‘Only the best for my Emma.’

  ‘That was completely unnecessary; you should not have suffered for this,’ I said as I held the sword up for the photographers.

  ‘I didn’t suffer; it was a simple and painless procedure. I wanted my spirit to be with you whenever you use it.’

  ‘It’s wonderful, thank you,’ I said as I put it back into its scabbard.

  ‘Take it back out and load it with energy. Show them.’

  ‘Oh, okay.’ I drew the sword again, holding the scabbard in my left hand, and filled the sword with chi. Nothing happened. I tried shen. It made a deep bass hum that echoed through the room, and an aura of dark energy formed a cold cloud around the blade.

  The crowd went very still and silent.

  ‘That is so awesome,’ I said softly. I tuned the shen energy to my top chakra, and the sword’s pitch became deep and pure. The aura around it turned rich blue-purple.

  I withdrew the energy from the sword and it glittered like ice, the effect gradually fading until it returned to its steel form again.

  ‘As I said, my spirit resides in it,’ John said. ‘My love for you enhances its power.’

  I threw my arm over his shoulder, still holding Scales, and kissed him hard. ‘That is the best.’

  The crowd cheered again. Someone yelled, ‘Way to go, Emma!’ at the front — probably the Tiger.

  I put the sword away and passed it to Simone. ‘Ming Gui.’

  Martin came to me carrying a jewellery box. I opened it, removed the crown, and returned the box to Martin. I held up the crown. It was platinum with black snakeskin inlay; an elegant slender network of flowing lines, with a gap for his Inner Eye.

  I passed it to him and he studied it. ‘Beautiful.’ He glanced up at me. ‘Snakeskin?’

  I bowed. ‘From my own snake self. Part of my spirit resides in it, as yours does in the sword.’ I took the crown back from him and said, ‘Duck down a bit.’ He lowered his head to oblige and I placed the crown so it wrapped around his forehead and over his temples. ‘It will help you keep your hair under control as well.’

  He smiled. ‘I love it.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Can I make a matching one for you?’

  ‘I have enough already. I don’t need more.’

  ‘I think you should,’ Simone said. ‘It looks great. Complements your armour. Very Lord of the Rings.’

  ‘Open your Inner Eye. Just a touch,’ I said. ‘And don’t turn it on any of us.’

  The coronet flared to life, generating a black aura that produced an almost ultraviolet glowing orb over his Inner Eye.

  John’s face went slack. ‘I can see three times further. I can see inside things. I can see more than I’ve ever seen before.’ He closed his Eye and stared at me. ‘How did you do that?’

  ‘The Phoenix’s materials specialists helped me. I think we’ve been talking to the same people,’ I said. ‘No wonder they were so amused when I approached them about the crown. It will do more than just enhance your vision; it will be extremely destructive when you’re fully attuned to it, and may have some other capabilities we’re yet to discover. You’re the most powerful Shen we’ve ever put one on. This will be most interesting.’

  ‘Best gift ever,’ he said with awe.

  Simone handed me my sword, and John and I turned together to the Jade Emperor and knelt to him.

  ‘Dark Emperor, Dark Empress,’ the Jade Emperor said. ‘You are married in the eyes of the Celestial. Rule the Northern Heavens with wisdom and justice.’

  ‘Our honour is yours,’ John and I said in unison.

  We rose and turned to face the crowd.

  ‘Residents of the Northern Heavens,’ John said, ‘this is your Dark Empress. Obey her as you obey me. Salute your Empress.’

  ‘Salute your Emperor,’ I said at similar volume.

  Everyone fell to one knee — even the family members — and said the supplication, then stood again.

  Jade shuffled through her papers. ‘Wait, there were speeches —’

  John and I shared a look, and I smiled and nodded.

  ‘Princess Xuan Bei Si Min Simone, present,’ John said.

  Simone’s face went blank and she moved to kneel in front of us.

  ‘Celestial citizens,’ the Jade Emperor said from behind us, ‘this young woman single-handedly destroyed the Demon King and liberated the Heavens. She sacrificed her ability to live on the Third Platform to free all of you. Northern Heavens?’

  ‘Residents of the Northern Heavens,’ John said, ‘I present my daughter, the Saviour of the Celestial.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Stand up and turn around, Simone.’

  Simone glared at us, then stood and turned to face the gathered crowd.

  ‘Simone cannot live in the Heavens,’ I said. ‘It is only by the grace of the Jade Emperor that she is here today. So take this opportunity to show her how you feel about what she’s achieved.’

  ‘Simone!’ the Tiger roared from below us, and the crowd went completely wild. Some of them had brought streamers and confetti that they threw into the air, and more chi firecrackers went off.

  John and I stepped forward and stood either side of Simone as tears ran down her cheeks. We wrapped our arms around her waist and held her. I gestured for Frankie to join us, and he stood in front of me, leaning into Simone.

  I raised my sword. ‘Let’s have a huge party!’ I shouted, and the crowd cheered even louder.

  * * *

  It was very late when we staggered through the door of our room together, and stopped.

  ‘Did you do this?’ I said.

  ‘No,’ John said. ‘I think the Tiger may have sneaked in during the celebrations.’

  The modern quilt cover had been replaced by an old-fashioned pink silk one with a large red ‘double happiness’ character in the centre. Pink and red flowers in red vases covered every surface, and they’d draped the windows with pink silk.

  We fell to lie side by side on the bed, staring at the ceiling. br />
  ‘We made it,’ he said.

  ‘We did.’ I panted, trying to catch enough air; the combination of being drugged that morning and too much alcohol at the party had made me light-headed. ‘I feel so good.’

  He pulled the covers back, moved us onto the pillows and wrapped himself around me. ‘Found, Raised, married. No oaths limit our future; it is ours to make.’

  I kissed him, and we lost ourselves into each other. He separated into two male forms, and I was sandwiched between them, surrounded by cool silken skin over taut muscle. I kissed the Serpent as the Turtle held me from behind, and all four of his hands gently roamed my body.

  ‘How exhausted are you?’ he said.

  ‘Never too exhausted to celebrate being married to you,’ I said, and kissed him again.

  I pushed him apart so I could lie on my back, and both of him smiled down at me. The Serpent, fiercer and slimmer and taller, his eyes full of keen intelligence. The Turtle, smaller and darker, the essence of wisdom and kindness.

  ‘I love you so much,’ I breathed up at him.

  ‘My Dark Empress, my only one,’ he said, and the Serpent kissed me as the Turtle ran his mouth over my neck. He recombined and he was my Dark Lord, gentle and fierce, lying above me and smiling down at me with his tangled hair brushing over us. ‘This has been a trying day. I think you need someone to gently love you to sleep.’

  I put my arms around his neck. ‘Only if I may do the same to you.’

  ‘Always,’ he said, and lowered himself onto me.

  37

  John and I took Frankie and Simone down to the Peak the next morning, then I went to see Black Jade in the Celestial Palace where the Jade Emperor was keeping her.

  BJ was sitting on the bed, despondent, and the Jade Emperor and Gold stood on the other side of the invisible barrier that contained her. Two of the Jade Emperor’s adult children in their Imperial Elite uniforms stood guard either side of the door.

  ‘Try to think back,’ Gold said. ‘You were held by Six when you were a baby. Did he do it then?’

  ‘I don’t know, Dad,’ BJ said.

  My stone took human form and stood next to Gold. ‘Was it when you were at Lombok? You disappeared for twenty minutes.’

  ‘You were bait, Grandpa,’ she said, smiling sadly. ‘They needed me back to add new programming. They froze the Dark Lord’s assets so Dad would be stuck in Hong Kong sorting it out, and the family had to send me.’ Her expression went strange. ‘So it is there, in bits and pieces.’

  ‘You were already theirs when you went to Lombok,’ Gold said.

  ‘Apparently. I think I’ve been theirs for a long time.’ She wiped her eyes, and her voice went hoarse. ‘I’m so sorry. I’ve failed you all.’

  ‘The current Demon King — he was Number One then — he did this to you?’ my stone said.

  She nodded. ‘You should tell Nanna. She needs to know. The whole stone network needs to know — we’re still at risk.’

  ‘The Grandmother will be here in three days to collect you,’ the Jade Emperor said. ‘She will take you into her heart and attempt to fix what has been done to you.’

  BJ bent over her knees with emotion. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Jade Building Block,’ the Emperor said, and put his hand out.

  My stone took his hand and the Emperor concentrated, examining the stone.

  ‘I see,’ the Emperor said. ‘I cannot repair this. Have you asked the Grandmother?’

  ‘She can’t repair it either,’ the stone said, and folded up to return to my ring. ‘I want to stay with . . . Emma, this is a wedding band! You’re married? It is Lord Xuan, isn’t it? Tell me you two finally made it!’

  ‘No, she married me,’ BJ said. She stood and her face went fierce; her whole attitude changed from defeat to aggression.

  ‘What?’ the stone said. ‘You married Black Jade?’

  ‘No,’ Gold said softly.

  ‘Emma, return to the Northern Heavens,’ BJ said. ‘Don’t tell anyone we’re married. Tell them that you ran from the wedding, but you’re back now and ready to marry the Dark Lord.’ She held her empty hand out to me. ‘Take this piece of silk, and keep it with you at all times. I will be in touch shortly with more orders.’

  ‘No,’ I said.

  ‘Emma, you vowed to obey me!’

  ‘Under duress,’ I said.

  ‘You have to obey me,’ she said. ‘You promised.’

  ‘That may have worked if the Demon King was still in charge,’ the Jade Emperor said. ‘You could have controlled the Dark Empress. But I have returned to my throne and my Edicts are in force.’

  ‘She’s my wife!’ BJ shouted. ‘You have to respect the bonds of marriage. It’s one of the basic rights of the Celestial!’

  There was a commotion outside.

  ‘Let him in,’ the Jade Emperor said.

  Justin charged in and stopped, panting. ‘It is you.’

  BJ sagged with misery and wiped her hand over her face. ‘Hi, Justin,’ she said. ‘Go home. I’m not what you think I am.’

  ‘I think you’re cute and smart and funny and extremely cool,’ he said.

  ‘And married.’ She gestured towards me. ‘Meet my wife.’

  ‘I am not your wife,’ I growled.

  She became aggressive again. ‘You said the vows and promised to obey me. I don’t know why you’re fighting this!’

  ‘BJ, it’s us,’ Gold said. ‘Try to remember who you are.’

  ‘You shut up. This is between me and my wife,’ BJ said.

  ‘Black Jade,’ the Emperor said with a sad smile, ‘look at yourself. You identify as female. You have always identified as female, even when under the Demon King’s control. And same-sex marriages on the Celestial are not permitted. The marriage was invalid, and the vows are void.’

  Her eyes widened and she flopped to sit on the bed.

  ‘She’s not really controlled, is she?’ Justin said. ‘She can’t be an agent of the Demon King!’

  ‘I’m sorry, Justin,’ BJ said. ‘I really liked you but I had no choice. They did things to me and I have to obey the programming.’

  ‘The Grandmother of All the Rocks will be here in a few days to take BJ into her heart,’ the Jade Emperor said. ‘She may be able to return Black Jade’s free will.’

  ‘I’ll wait for you,’ Justin said to BJ.

  ‘It will take some time,’ Gold said.

  ‘I’ll still wait.’

  ‘Geological time, child,’ the Jade Emperor said gently.

  Justin’s face fell. ‘Oh.’ He looked up at the Jade Emperor. ‘Can I go with her?’

  ‘Just leave me,’ BJ said.

  ‘No,’ the Jade Emperor said. ‘But as she said, she has been programmed. I suggest you and the Golden Boy investigate ways to reprogram her — or more accurately, deprogram her. You are a programmer, right?’

  ‘I am,’ Justin said.

  ‘You think we can?’ Gold said.

  ‘You can fix me?’ BJ said, full of hope.

  ‘We can try,’ Justin said.

  BJ hopped off the bed and approached him carefully. She put her hand up and rested it on the invisible barrier. ‘Thanks, Justin.’

  He put his hand against hers. ‘Whatever it takes.’

  Gold put his arm around Justin’s shoulders. ‘We will fix this.’

  ‘I love you, Dad,’ BJ said, her voice hoarse.

  The Jade Emperor gestured for me to follow him out of the room, leaving Justin, Gold and BJ to talk under the scrutiny of the Elites.

  ‘Please notify Prince Ming and Lord Leo that the restriction on same-sex marriage has been repealed, and I want to be invited to the wedding,’ he said.

  I bowed to him. ‘Majesty.’

  ‘Dismissed.’ He turned away, then turned back. ‘Oh. Your teleportation restriction has been lifted as well. You can go where you please.’ He disappeared.

  ‘Bastard!’ I said, and teleported with no difficulty whatsoever to the Peak apartment to
tell Leo and Martin.

  I arrived in the kitchen to find John in Turtle form eating cat food out of a bowl on the floor. Frankie was crouched next to him, watching with fascination.

  ‘You teleported yourself?’ the Turtle said through a mouthful of pilchards.

  ‘We were right, that bastard restricted me.’

  ‘We will have our revenge later,’ he said with relish. ‘He didn’t keep the Jade Building Block with him?’

  ‘He said nothing could be done for me, my Lord,’ the stone said. ‘I will just have to live with the damage. Permission to return to duties assisting the Dark Lady.’

  ‘Dark Empress now, old friend,’ John said.

  ‘Who’s talking, John?’ Frankie said.

  ‘The stone in my ring’s talking, Frankie, it helps me out,’ I said.

  ‘A stone? Like Jade and Richie’s dad?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Oh, okay.’

  ‘This is the child!’ the stone said. ‘Your son! You’re married and have your son back? When did this happen? Good Lord, you are too. I missed it! Was I asleep? Wait . . . my time stamp says that I’ve lost months. I’m seriously damaged.’ Its voice went weak with misery. ‘What happened to me?’

  ‘You were damaged by the demons, stone,’ I said. ‘Just take your time and rebuild yourself. We’ll look after you. Ask Gold or me what happened if you can’t remember.’

  ‘I see. You should replace me, my Lady. The damage will interfere with my ability to perform my duties.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ I said with scorn. ‘As long as you wish to be my engagement ring, there’s a place for you here.’

  ‘Thank you, Emma. It will take me a while to sort out my matrix. I need to mark the edge of the damage, and link up to the remains of the network to download a summary of events. Give me a day or so, and then I can come back to work for you.’

  ‘Take your time.’

  I looked around for everyone. Leo and Martin were downstairs with Buffy; Yi Hao and Er Hao were at the markets, buying for both families and giggling together; and Simone was in Japan. I could even sense Smally, who was keeping the households on the Celestial maintained while we were on the Earthly.

  ‘Where’s the Serpent?’ I said.

  ‘Wellington Road,’ John said.