‘Now,’ John said to the captain, his voice like ice, ‘you will tell me exactly who gave you the order to drop those charges, and where I can find them.’
‘Who are you?’ the captain said. ‘Are you Korean? Where are you from?’
John’s face became fierce. ‘Who gave you the order?’
‘Do what you like to me, I won’t give out security details of the People’s Navy’s military exercises.’ The captain’s eyes glazed over and he went limp in John’s hand. ‘Admiral Hu, on board the Liaoning,’ he said, as if from a million miles away.
‘Where is the Liaoning?’ John said.
‘I need the map to show you,’ the captain said.
John released him and he moved to a computer screen and pulled up the navigation charts. He pointed. ‘There.’
‘Scale,’ John said.
‘Here.’
‘Fifty. Seventy. North northeast. How big is the Liaoning?’ John said.
‘It’s their aircraft carrier,’ I said.
‘Got it,’ John said.
The captain snapped out of it when he saw me. ‘Wait, who are you? What did you use on me? How did you get on board?’
He reached to pull his weapon and John tapped him between the eyes. His expression went blank.
‘You think the admiral on the Liaoning is a demon replacement?’ the Dragon said.
‘I’m damn sure he is,’ John said.
‘Let’s go,’ I said.
‘With pleasure,’ John said grimly, and the three of us flew off north northeast.
7
The Liaoning was an ex-Russian aircraft carrier that the Chinese navy had bought, stripped under the pretence that it would be a casino ship in Macau, and then refitted and brought into service as a ‘training’ ship. John hovered above it, and we joined him.
‘How many aircraft can this thing carry?’ the Dragon said. ‘If they throw them at the Tree . . .’
‘They’re only at the flight testing stage; the pilots are still learning how to land on it,’ I said. ‘But the Russian sister ship carries eighteen fighter jets and seventeen helicopters, and is being refitted to carry another thirty fighters.’
‘Holy shit,’ the Dragon said.
The ship’s deck was clear of aircraft. Around its edge stood what appeared to be an honour guard of the crew in their white dress uniforms. The admiral and a couple of officers stood in the middle.
‘Why aren’t they attacking?’ the Dragon said. ‘They’re just waiting for us.’
‘They’re waiting for me,’ John said.
‘A trap?’ I said.
‘No, they do this sometimes when they know I am after them. A duel.’
‘With you?’ I said. ‘He’ll lose.’
‘With honour.’
‘Unless he cheats,’ I said.
‘They do that sometimes as well. Watch my back, Ah Qing.’
‘My Lord.’
John spread his arms and floated down to land on the deck ten metres from the demon admiral, with the Dragon and myself behind him as support.
‘Eastern Heavens,’ John said without looking away from the demon.
‘My Lord,’ the Dragon said.
‘Is the Tree secure?’
‘She’s already back in the Heavens. All clear.’
‘Good. Emma —’
‘You just concentrate and take it down,’ I said. ‘I can’t miss this opportunity to gain more information on the Liaoning and what we may have to face if they control it. The Dragon can send me to Court Ten if necessary.’
‘I have your backs,’ the Dragon said.
‘Very well,’ John said, and stepped forward to speak to the demon.
The demon saluted us Western-style, and, as one, the crew of the ship saluted as well, their feet ringing against the metal hull as they stomped on it.
‘Number Nine,’ John said. ‘It’s been a while.’
‘Xuan Tian,’ the demon said. ‘I hoped it would be you.’ He nodded to the Dragon. ‘Emperor Qing Long. I am profoundly honoured.’
‘How can you say that when you just tried to murder my children?’ the Dragon said.
‘I did not factor in your incompetence when I attacked,’ the demon said. ‘You had to know we’d do this eventually. Why weren’t you prepared? You should have been ready for us and had an evacuation plan in place.’
The Dragon gestured with his head towards the sailors surrounding us. ‘What did you tell them?’
‘You’re in league with the American woman here. You’ve been experimenting with mind-control and mind-altering substances, and they’re not to believe anything they see. I’ve told them that this is a personal matter of honour between the Dark Lord and me and they will not interfere.’
‘I’m not American, I’m Australian!’ I protested.
‘Ah, yes, Australia, America’s little lapdog. Where Chinese students are routinely beaten and killed by racist neo-Nazi skinheads, and terrified refugees are put in concentration camps to be raped, tortured and murdered. Thank you for clearing that up, it makes it so much easier.’ The demon turned to John and saluted again. ‘I have a request, Highness.’
‘No,’ John said.
‘Give me a one-on-one with Seven Stars and they can have free run of the ship while we do it. Every single crew member is up here. You can go right through and look at everything.’
‘Why?’ I said.
The demon grinned at me. ‘To be destroyed by the Seven Stars Sword of the Three Platforms, wielded by the Dark Emperor of the Northern Heavens himself for the first time since he returned? It’s more honour than I deserve.’
‘I agree,’ the Dragon said.
‘Is it worth it, Emma?’ John said.
I hesitated, then said, ‘Yeah. This is the only aircraft carrier in the region, and the demons have control of it. Knowing exactly what they have on board would be invaluable.’
‘How many stone Shen died to block our vision of the interior?’ John asked the demon.
‘Two hundred and ten.’
‘Holy shit,’ I said.
‘The Jade Building Block was not one of them, do not be concerned. The King is holding it. He has plans for it.’
I wiped my eyes. ‘I’m concerned for all the stones. Every stone lost is a tragedy.’
‘I really don’t understand you Celestials sometimes,’ the demon said. ‘They’re just rocks.’ He turned to John. ‘Do we have a deal?’
‘You’ll compromise your security so you can fall to Seven Stars?’ the Dragon said.
‘Demons have turned to fall to Seven Stars, Highness. The honour of dying to that sword, wielded by the Dark Lord himself, is unmatched.’
‘Then turn,’ I said.
The demon shrugged. ‘The result is the same, so I will die with my loyalty, my allegiance and my honour intact.’ He spoke to John. ‘They can go wherever they like if you will do this for me.’
‘Is he telling the truth?’ I said. ‘They’d really give that much to die to Seven Stars?’
John hesitated, then said, ‘Yes, he is. It’s true.’
‘What a pain in the ass.’
‘You have no idea.’
‘You watch his back, I’ll have a look around,’ I said to the Dragon.
‘No. Go with her,’ John said without looking away from the demon admiral. She hasn’t learnt shen suicide yet. Be ready.
Oh, wonderful, the Dragon said. I can see this ending with both of us dead and Emma in their hands.
I’ll keep it busy. Watch her back.
I gestured with my head towards the bridge tower. ‘Let’s go.’
John took full ugly Celestial Form and drew Seven Stars. The admiral changed to his demon form — two metres tall, green and scaled — and summoned a Chinese-style two-handed broadsword, a rare and specialist weapon. John’s face didn’t show it, but he was delighted to face a talented practitioner with a weapon similar to his own.
The sailors around the edge of the ship made loud sounds
of astonishment.
You call me the second you think anything’s strange, I said to John.
I’m the strangest thing here.
Conceded, I said, then, Gold.
Ma’am?
I’m in the Sea of Japan on the Liaoning. I need you as soon as you can be here.
Accessing . . . Turn on the GPS on your phone.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket as the Dragon and I ran up the stairs to the top of the bridge island. There were twenty-seven missed calls with no caller ID, and it dawned on me that it could be my stone trying to contact me. I turned the GPS on, and when we reached the surprisingly small bridge — less than ten metres across and two metres deep — we stood and waited.
Hurry, Gold, I said, checking out the window.
John was keeping the demon occupied with a well-matched battle, and the sailors were fiercely cheering them on. It would be ugly when John won.
Sealed. Can’t go in, Gold said. Leave your phone somewhere close by and I’ll use it to extract the data I need.
I don’t want to leave it, I said. I think your parent’s been trying to contact me — there’s a bunch of calls with no caller ID.
Really? he said with delight. Leave it there anyway, it’s connected to the network. I’ll check the logs later.
I rifled through the cupboards full of charts and binders of operating procedures, and found one with just enough space to jam my phone in.
‘Teleport us into the hangar bay,’ I said to the Dragon. ‘It’s the large open area under the main deck.’
The Dragon put his hand on my shoulder, but nothing happened.
‘Shit,’ he said, and spun to the door. He tried it and it was sealed. ‘Move back.’ I moved to the other side of the small bridge and he used all his strength on the door. ‘Shit!’
I looked down through the window. ‘Ah Qing!’
The three aircraft elevators lifted onto the deck, each of them carrying ten huge black-skinned demons. The human sailors took off when they saw them, running to the aft of the ship in panic.
The Dragon took True Form, squashing me against the comms panel and knocking the breath out of me. He rammed his head against the glass of the bridge with no result. He pulled back and tried it again, making the whole bridge shake, but he couldn’t break the glass. He changed back to human, and I sagged, gasping for breath now I was no longer crushed against the console.
The black-skinned demons charged John and overran him. He fought them with Seven Stars but the blade did nothing.
John changed to True Form, the Serpent and Turtle together, and generated a cloud of yin around himself that destroyed the demons. It destroyed the deck as well, and John plummeted through the hole.
‘There’d better not be a Celestial Jade cage under there!’ I shouted.
There was a roar like a jet engine and the ship shuddered in the water. The infrastructure trembled again and the ship rocked as if it had been hit. The sound lowered in pitch and John rose out of the hole, his True Form larger, darker and more menacing. Yin floated in a cloud of destruction around him as he rose, shredding the metal of the deck at the edges of the hole and causing a mini tornado of metal shards around him.
He pulled the yin into himself, then drifted sideways above the deck with the Serpent’s head and body writhing above the Turtle’s shell. He landed lightly on the deck and stood menacingly in front of the defiant demon admiral, who had moved back from the hole but was now standing his ground.
Are you okay? he said to me.
We’re stuck in the bridge. The way out is blocked.
Ah Qing, send her to Court Ten, John said.
‘What about you?’ I asked the Dragon.
‘I’ll send myself directly after,’ he said.
Not until I see you safely destroy this demon, I said to John. Is there a jade cage under there?
No, just many of those hybrid demons.
Damn, I would have liked to know how many aircraft are in there.
I’ll come and open the window for you, then I’ll keep it busy while you go down and have a look.
‘It appears that our friend Number Nine had a fast hard lesson in exactly how powerful the combined Xuan Wu is in True Form,’ the Dragon said. ‘He must have been promoted after Ah Wu separated.’
The Serpent lifted from the Turtle and flew towards us. Back up, John said, and we moved away from the window. The Serpent produced a circular cloud of yin and slowly moved it towards the window. At the same time, the demon rushed the Turtle with its weapon raised.
The Serpent looked away from us, distracted, and the yin shot through the window. The Dragon knocked me to the floor with one arm, then held me down with his foot as the cold yin flew straight into his head. He sucked it into himself, then bent and gasped with effort, still holding me down with his foot.
‘Let me up,’ I said. ‘You’re giving me more of a beating today than any of the demons.’
‘A moment,’ he said, then released me. ‘Sorry. My control isn’t as good as Ah Wu’s. There was a small chance it would escape me.’
I climbed to my feet. ‘I understand.’
I leaned over the console to check the deck below through the hole in the glass. John had recombined and the demon was attacking his heads, but the combined Turtle and Serpent were way too fast for it. The human sailors were gathered at the rear of the deck, watching with their mouths hanging open and loudly discussing what they were seeing.
The Dragon put his hand on my shoulder and we teleported out of the bridge to a position floating just above the bow of the ship.
You really are magnificent, you know that? I said to John.
That’s not a word often used to describe my True Form, he said, and changed back to Celestial Form. He swung Seven Stars at the demon’s black-scaled head and the demon ducked, then tried to break through John’s guard into his abdomen. John twisted the sword down faster than the eye could see and swept the demon’s blade away.
For fuck’s sake, stop playing with it, the Dragon said. Finish this and let’s go. That thing doesn’t deserve this kindness. It broke the rules and tried to kill my children!
I said I’d destroy it with Seven Stars and I’m a creature of my word, John said. Go through and make sure I didn’t leave anything behind. He blocked the demon’s sword again and took a couple of steps back to float over the hole in the deck. The demon followed him and both of them hung suspended over the empty space, still striking at each other. As soon as it’s dead we leave.
‘Pah, it’s more than it deserves,’ the Dragon said. ‘Let’s gather your information then get out of here.’
I changed to snake and we flew towards the hole together. The storage hangar under the deck was five metres wide and twenty long, only just large enough to hold the aircraft. It was deserted.
‘Sense anything?’ I said.
‘Ah Wu has broken the stone seal; I can see inside.’
‘How many aircraft?’
‘None.’ The Dragon pointed aft. ‘What’s supposed to be down that end?’ He tilted his head. ‘Towards the front of the boat it’s divided into rooms; below us are more rooms full of machinery; but that way there’s just one big room and it’s six decks high.’
‘Normally that would be the senior officers’ mess and quarters,’ I said. ‘One really big room? Let’s have a look.’
The Dragon nodded and took Celestial Form in his silver and blue scaled armour. ‘Have you made one yet?’ he said.
I changed back to human, then concentrated, grew, and pulled my armour to me. I didn’t have a Celestial Form as such, it felt too pretentious; but being bigger and stronger always helped. I held my hand out and summoned Dark Heavens.
‘Really not good enough, Emma. You can do a much better battle form than that, and you need to assert your individuality by getting your own damn sword,’ the Dragon said.
He stopped at the bulkhead between the hangar bay and the aft room, put his hand on the door, then took the h
andle and turned it. It wasn’t locked so he pushed the door open. We went through to a raised platform composed of steel grid suspended above the six-deck-high space. Below us stood hundreds of the black-skinned demons, silent and obviously parked. They needed the large space because they were close on five metres tall and all had leathery wings.
‘Majesty, Lady Emma,’ said a male voice with a cultured English accent. It came from our left, behind the open door.
The Dragon pushed the door closed to reveal a smaller black-skinned demon standing behind it. I raised Dark Heavens, and the Dragon shifted position, readying himself.
The demon raised both clawed hands. ‘I will not harm you. I haven’t been ordered to.’
It was the usual black-skinned Eastern-Western hybrid, two metres tall with long limbs, but its head was more of a bulge above its torso than a true head, and it had no neck. Its face made me step back: it was grotesquely small and disproportionate to the size of its head.
The Dragon made a small sound of disgust.
The demon bowed. ‘I apologise for my appearance, although I probably shouldn’t as I have no control over the way I’m made. Don’t try to attack me. You know you can’t hurt us.’
‘Are you in charge?’ I said.
‘No, I just mind the door. I think they forgot to tell us you were coming. We’re not ordered to do anything.’
‘Most strange,’ the Dragon said.
‘Want to turn?’ I asked the demon. ‘I can give you a good home on the Mountain.’
It shrugged. ‘I appreciate the offer, but that is too far from my Centre. We are being shipped —’ It raised its head. ‘You have permission to wander through, but if you linger anywhere I must move you along. So I ask you to go back through the door; there’s nothing else here but us.’
‘What would happen to all of you if we were to sink the ship?’ I said.
‘Please don’t do that, Lady; it’s a very long walk to shore.’
Its voice had the ring of truth. The Dragon opened the door and we went out of the room and back down the narrow metal corridor.
There are hundreds — I began.
One at a time, not both together! John shouted in my head. I’m facing a single-digit demon here!