Red Phoenix

  ‘Yep. Simone likes to have rides on his True Form, his tiger form. It’s enormous.’

  ‘He’s really a tiger?’

  ‘He really is. Anyway, back to Mr Chen. He’s constantly draining his energy by staying in human form. He’s really weak while he’s like this. He goes to Paris and meets Kwan Yin. She helps him by feeding him energy for a few days—tops him up, so to speak—so that he can retain the form and stay with us.’

  Michael nodded silently, listening carefully.

  ‘You have to understand something.’ I ran my hands through my hair. This was very tough. ‘As soon as Simone is able to defend herself, Mr Chen will revert to True Form and leave us. He’ll be very drained. It will take him a long time to come back. Maybe more than a lifetime. Ms Kwan, Kwan Yin, says something between ten and a hundred years. I’ll look after Simone, and all the other stuff, when he’s gone.’

  Michael’s face didn’t shift. ‘How long before he goes?’

  I swallowed it. ‘He thinks probably when Simone’s about eight years old.’

  ‘She’s nearly six now, Miss Donahoe.’

  ‘I know. I know every minute of the day. We have to keep him here until she’s able to defend herself.’

  ‘I understand. Is that why you two never married? Because he has such a short time left?’

  ‘No, it’s not, Michael.’ Something inside me really began to hurt. ‘The fact that he’ll only be around for a short time makes no difference to either of us at all.’ He opened his mouth but I cut him off. ‘You notice that we never touch each other?’

  ‘Yeah.’ He grinned. ‘You two are really old-fashioned.’

  ‘No, we’re not.’ I smiled through the misery. ‘Exactly the opposite, in fact. Which is funny, considering how old he is. The reason we never touch is because if he touches me, he could kill me.’

  He went completely still.

  ‘If we were to physically share our feelings, even with just a touch, we would share our energy as well. And he is very drained. He would suck the energy out of me, suck the life out of me, and kill me. We have to be extremely careful.’

  Michael gestured with one hand across the table. ‘Then how come you wear his ring?’

  I glanced at the ring, a small square piece of very green jade on a plain gold band, with three studs on either side. It was supposed to be sentient, but I had been wearing it non-stop for months now and it still hadn’t woken to me. I wondered if it ever would.

  ‘If he ever comes back in my lifetime we will be able to touch. Then we can be what we want to be for each other. He’s promised to come back for me. I’ve promised to wait for him.’ I looked up at Michael and smiled. ‘And that’s the whole story.’

  ‘I hope it happens for you, Miss Donahoe,’ he said quietly.

  ‘Thanks, Michael, you don’t know how much I appreciate it.’ I shrugged it off and spoke more briskly. ‘So that’s why we’re going to Paris. It’s a long way from the demons’ power centre, so it’s a good place to do it. Mr Chen will be locked up with Kwan Yin, and the three of us will take Simone sightseeing. I think you’ll enjoy it.’

  ‘Sounds like fun. I’m looking forward to meeting the real Kwan Yin.’

  ‘She’s a wonderful person. She’s very special. You’ll love her when you meet her.’

  ‘Why are we going from Macau, and not Chek Lap Kok?’

  ‘Oh, you’ll like this. We’re going on Mr Chen’s private jet.’

  ‘A private jet! That is so sweet! Wait until I tell my friends about it!’

  ‘Remember, you have to be careful what you tell your friends, Michael. Don’t give anything away, please.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am. Don’t worry on that account. I have to be careful what I tell people, ‘cause no way would they believe the truth.’ He hesitated; he’d obviously thought of something. ‘Will Simone be okay when she starts school? It’s sort of really normal for her; she may say something she shouldn’t.’

  ‘I sincerely hope she’ll be all right. If she gets into trouble I hope you can help her out.’

  He nodded. ‘Yes, ma’am.’

  ‘Anything else?’ He shook his head. ‘Okay, dismissed.’

  Michael went out. I sat and drank the tea. Are you okay? ‘I’m fine.’

  He brushed over my hair. It was like a hand touching me with nobody there. He dropped it onto my shoulder.

  ‘Don’t do that. It’s a waste of your energy and you’re close to empty. Don’t risk it.’

  The touch disappeared. I sipped the tea.

  ‘Are you still there?’

  Yes.

  I sighed.

  It breaks my heart to do this to you.

  ‘I have never been so happy in my entire life.’

  You are a fool, Emma Donahoe.

  ‘So are you, Xuan Wu.’

  It will happen for us.

  ‘I know. I’m okay, you can stop watching me. Guard your energy, stupid turtle.’ Yes, ma’am.

  I sat in the dining room alone for a while after his presence left me.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ‘And a Snake Mother came in and said it wanted Leo’s skin,’ Simone said from the back of the car. ‘And he told it to come and get it, and then…’ I couldn’t see her from the driver’s seat, but her voice became breathless. ‘And then Leo pulled its tongue out and killed it.’

  ‘That must have been very scary,’ Charlie said. ‘Leo looks after me. Emma looks after me too. They protect me. I’ll be okay.’

  ‘Of course you will, dear,’ Charlie said. Michael glanced at me from the front passenger seat. ‘I’ll tell you later,’ I said softly. ‘But believe me, you don’t want to know.’

  ‘Michael would probably run if he saw a Mother,’ Simone said.

  ‘That was a very nasty thing to say, Simone, I’m surprised at you,’ I said. ‘Michael’s sworn allegiance, he’s a Retainer, he’d never run. Tell him sorry.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Simone said, sullen.

  Michael snorted with derision and looked out the window.

  ‘It’s so pretty,’ Charlie said, watching the scenery of Hong Kong Island as we travelled down Stubbs Road. Everywhere there was even the tiniest square of flat land, there was a highrise. Kowloon, on the other side of the harbour, was a mass of tall buildings of different sizes and shapes, mostly residential blocks. Hardly anyone lived in a house in Hong Kong; there wasn’t the space.

  ‘But the pollution is bad, isn’t it?’ she went on. ‘You can hardly see the other side of the harbour.’

  ‘When it’s very hot like this, there’s an inversion layer,’ I said. ‘The pollution’s trapped.’

  ‘I see.’

  We came to the bottom of Stubbs Road and topped out over Wong Nai Chung Gap. As we passed the ridge, the scenery of the south side opened up. There were fewer highrises here, less densely packed, with more greenery. Some of the residential blocks were only three or four storeys tall.

  We drove through Shouson Hill, a prestigious enclave of low-rise apartment blocks built around the gently undulating hill, then rounded the curves of the south coast of the island to Deep Water Bay.

  The usual Saturday crowd packed the beach and people filled the water within the shark net. Rubbish floated at the end of the beach; it broke my heart. John could never swim in this water, in his own element. I had an inspiration: I would take him back to Australia when it was warmer there. I could visit my family, and he could swim in the sea. It would do him so much good. And then I realised: my family would see everything. Maybe not such a good idea.

  ‘Ocean Park, Charlie,’ Simone said, pointing across the bay to the peninsula on the other side. Deep Water Bay gave a good view of the cable car that wound around the peninsula of Ocean Park.

  ‘Would you like to go there with me? Before I go back to London?’ Charlie said.

  ‘No,’ Simone said. ‘I don’t like Ocean Park. I went with Leo and Monica before Emma came, and bad things happened. I don’t like it.’

  ‘What happ
ened?’ Michael asked me softly.

  ‘One of the dolphins was sick and talked to her,’ I said, matching his low tones. ‘It cried for her help, and she couldn’t do anything.’

  ‘I hate Ocean Park,’ Simone said.

  The road outside the car park at Repulse Bay was blocked with people queuing to go into the car park, even though it was full.

  ‘If queuing ever becomes an Olympic sport, Hong Kong will win all the medals,’ Michael said.

  Simone giggled. ‘That’s funny.’

  The traffic jam finally cleared and we passed the beach to the far south side of the island. Fortunately Stanley wasn’t too packed; everybody was at the beach. I found a place to park and we all piled out.

  ‘You know your way around, Charlie?’ I said.

  ‘I haven’t been here in a while, ma’am, but I think I remember. The market isn’t very big, anyway.’

  ‘Let’s just wander around and see what we find. Stay close to Simone, Michael.’ I glanced around at them. ‘While we’re in there, guys, can we drop the “Lady” and “ma’am” stuff, please? It’ll attract unnecessary attention. Just Emma, okay?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am,’ Charlie and Michael said in unison, and I sighed.

  ‘Can I call you Mummy?’ Simone said brightly.

  I felt like I’d been hit in the stomach.

  I knelt on one knee and took both Simone’s hands in mine. ‘Simone, darling, I’m not your mummy. Your mummy was married to your daddy. She died. I’m not your mummy, so you can’t call me that. It wouldn’t be right.’

  ‘Okay.’ She wasn’t fazed; it obviously wasn’t an issue for her. ‘When you marry Daddy, can I call you Mummy then?’

  I brushed some hair from her eyes. I would love her to, I really would. I doubted I’d ever have children of my own; I’d probably be too old when John returned for me. If he did return for me. She was the closest thing I would ever have. ‘No, Simone. It wouldn’t be right.’

  ‘Okay, Emma.’ Her little face was serious. ‘I would like to, you know. But if you don’t want me to, that’s fine.’ She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek. She released me and took Charlie’s hand. ‘Let’s go.’

  I rose. ‘One more thing, Simone.’

  She smiled up at me.

  ‘If you sense any demons, let us know straightaway, okay? Just say “bad people” or something.’

  Simone dropped Charlie’s hand and put her little hands on her hips, tilting her head with impatience. ‘Of course I will, silly Emma.’ She took Charlie’s hand again. ‘Let’s go.’

  I saw Michael’s face. He had watched Simone’s little performance with something approaching contempt. He noticed me and nodded, professional again.

  We walked down the narrow hill to Stanley market, which was a maze of narrow laneways winding through the village. Each stall had an awning, and the awnings stretched from one side of the lane to the other, giving the impression of being indoors.

  ‘I haven’t been here in a long time, Emma,’ Charlie said. ‘I think it was better when I came before. Everything seems more expensive now.’

  ‘It’s still cheaper than London for this sort of thing, though, isn’t it?’ I said.

  ‘You can’t even buy this sort of thing in London. And everything’s cheaper than London, Emma,’ she said. ‘London’s nearly as expensive as Hong Kong.’

  ‘Nowhere’s as expensive as Hong Kong,’ I said. ‘Everything costs more here.’

  ‘Not Chinese vegetables,’ she shot back, and we laughed together.

  Charlie bought some touristy T-shirts for her nieces and nephews back in London, and some little Chinese toys. She found some nice handicrafts for her other relatives: cloisonné and ceramics. One stall had some delightful Chinese papercuts under a pile of old magazines and she bought them all.

  ‘You should go to China Products in Central as well,’ I said. ‘No, hold on, there’s one in Wan Chai. Next time I go down to the building in Wan Chai, I’ll drop you at the China Products there. You’ll be able to find some really good stuff.’

  ‘That’s a good idea, Emma. Whenever it suits you should be fine.’

  ‘I’m teaching Monday. Come with me. I’ll take Simone to the Academy and drop you at the store. You should be fine by yourself. No danger if you’re not with Simone; they know you’re not trained and it’s not honourable to go after you.’

  ‘Thanks, Emma.’ Charlie reached out and squeezed my hand. ‘I appreciate it.’

  ‘Not a problem.’ I stopped at a raised step outside one of the shops. ‘Sit here and have a drink of water, it’s very hot.’

  ‘I’ll buy some cold water, ma’am,’ Michael said, and trotted down the hill to a hole-in-the-wall shop selling drinks and snacks. He returned with some mineral water for everybody. The water bottles were already soaked with condensation from the humidity. Charlie lowered herself to sit on the step and fanned her face, then placed the bottle of water on her flushed cheek.

  ‘It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,’ she said.

  ‘Take your time. Rest. You have a drink too, Simone.’

  ‘At least it’s cloudy,’ Charlie said. ‘If the sun was out it would be impossible.’

  I shrugged. ‘That’s summer in Hong Kong.’ ‘You’re used to it?’

  ‘I don’t think anybody ever gets used to it.’ ‘So what do you do?’

  ‘Be like Daddy,’ Simone said cheekily. She waved her bottle of water. ‘Stay inside in the air conditioning, and if you go out, have a shower straightaway when you’re inside again.’

  We had dinner at home before Leo took us to Temple Street.

  ‘Sir on the phone, ma’am,’ Monica said through the door between the dining room and the kitchen.

  I put my chopsticks down, went into the kitchen and took the call on the phone next to the door.

  John sounded close to the end of his patience. ‘I could really use you down here, Emma. The Generals are being particularly difficult; there are some major problems in the Northern Heavens because I never go there any more. It’s like taking the battery out of a toy or something. No energy up there. All the trees are dying.’

  ‘We’re going to Temple Street, John. I’m needed to guard.’

  ‘It will be very busy, you won’t be at much risk from demons.’

  ‘It’s not just demons I’m worried about. You know the sort of stuff that goes on down there.’

  He sounded amused. ‘That’s just an excuse and you know it.’

  ‘Simone needs me.’

  ‘All right, you’re out of it just this once. But next time they’re giving me hell you’re coming to help me out. You can’t avoid this forever, it will be your responsibility too. Okay?’

  ‘Yes, my Lord. And speak English.’

  ‘Damn,’ he said softly, and hung up.

  I sat in the back of the big car with Charlie and Simone. Michael rode shotgun next to Leo. Temple Street market was in Kowloon, across the harbour in Yau Ma Tei district.

  Leo drove us down the hill between the highrises of Wan Chai and into Causeway Bay. The road flanked the north shore of the island, four lanes each way. At Causeway Bay we entered the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. Two more lanes merged with the existing four, then everybody had to take turns to enter the two tunnel lanes. Leo inched through the traffic and poked the nose of the Mercedes into the next lane to grab his space; it wouldn’t be handed to him. Anybody who sat back and waited for someone to politely let them into a lane could quite easily become a target of road rage. Everybody pushed; but as John had said, there was method in the madness.

  As soon as we entered the tunnel the traffic accelerated to the speed limit. We shot through the autopay toll gate on the other side and we were in Kowloon.

  The scenery opened up on Kowloon side. There was more room to move here, but all the buildings were still highrises. The expressway continued north and we exited at Mong Kok onto Nathan Road, the main thoroughfare through Kowloon. People packed the sidewalks and
the shops were all open, their lights blazing. Typical Saturday night in Hong Kong.

  The Mercedes’ windows fogged up on the outside from the humidity and Leo used the wipers to clear them. He didn’t even have the air conditioning on terribly cold. The humidity was close on a hundred per cent, and the temperature was still blistering.

  ‘If it’s too much for you, let me know, Charlie,’ I said. ‘The temperature doesn’t vary much from day to night. It’s still awfully hot.’

  ‘I’ll make it,’ Charlie said cheerfully. ‘There are still some things I need to buy.’

  ‘If you can’t do it, just say so. I’ll go out later and collect anything you want,’ Leo said.

  Charlie’s voice softened. ‘Thanks, Leo. I think just a cold electrolyte drink when we get there, and I should be okay.’

  ‘Pocari Sweat,’ Simone said.

  ‘What, Simone?’

  ‘Pocari Sweat,’ Simone repeated patiently.

  ‘Japanese electrolyte drink,’ I said, and waited for it.

  ‘They have a drink called sweat?’

  ‘Actually it’s not too bad,’ I said.

  ‘I have to try some,’ Charlie said with enthusiasm.

  We entered Shanghai Street. Temple Street was next, but the road was blocked for the market. We parked in a large car park at the entrance to Temple Street.

  Fortune tellers lined the narrow road to the car park. They worked from small folding tables with folding stools, their spaces on the pavement carefully marked by the government. Large banners hung above the tables describing their skills, some in both English and Chinese. Some read heads and faces. Others read palms. Some used tortoise shells and the Yi Ching; John would have been horrified. A large number of people wandered from stall to stall and sat to have their fortunes told. Charlie watched, fascinated.

  Leo carefully eased the car up the ramp into the car park and took a ticket from the gate. A few suspicious-looking young men loitered at the entrance and eyed us curiously, but a large black Mercedes was one of the most common types of car in Hong Kong.

  ‘Any of them demons, Simone?’ Leo said.

  ‘Nope,’ Simone said.

  The car park started at the third floor after a very long ramp. We went left and up again.