Black Jade (5 page)

‘Gold?' I said.

‘Let him do it. He's right, it needs to be done. BJ and I can handle the tech.'

I sighed with defeat, and Justin dropped his head with a similar emotion.

‘Go report to LK Pak, the previous demon master,' I said. ‘He will show you everything you need to know. Tell him that he is still to find a permanent replacement for both of you.'

Justin shook his hands in front of his face, obviously unhappy, but determined to do the job.

‘I appreciate this, Justin,' I said.

He nodded, and he and Gold went to find LK.

Yi Hao came in and put some papers on my desk. ‘It's the right thing to do,' she said as I sat.

‘We need to win this, so everybody can be doing something they enjoy rather than something that traumatises them, wrecks their spirit, and could leave them dead.'

‘Being demon master won't do that to him.'

‘Being a soldier does it to everybody.'

‘What about you, ma'am?'

I waved it away. ‘All right, it does that to
sane
people, and I hate having to make them experience it.'

‘You're doing the best you can, my Lady. It will all be over soon, one way or the other.'

I sighed as a grim foreboding filled me. ‘That's what scares me.'

I walked through the tent city in the main court of the Northern Celestial Palace. Many of the refugees wore the red of the South or the white of the West: the Tiger's and Phoenix's families, homeless now that the Bastions had fallen. The stars came out above me as I picked my way between the tents, occasionally stopping to share a word of encouragement with the refugees. Many burnt small camp fires for cooking and heat; the late spring air had a chill in the evening. A phoenix in True Form lay on the ground in front of one of the tents, his feathers alight, providing a fire for the white-garbed refugees around him. They talked softly, sharing stories, and nodded grimly to me as I passed.

I reached the gate between the residential and administrative sections. The residential gardens and courtyards were also full of refugees. I turned right and went through a moon gate into the dragon tree courtyard, which contained more tents, then to the Imperial Residence, where the Tiger's more elderly wives were housed. I returned the DVDs I'd borrowed to the living room bookshelves, shared a few quiet words with the gracious wives, then went out, changed to snake, and flew to the Mountain to have dinner with my family in Persimmon Tree Pavilion. I landed near the pavilion and changed back to human to walk the rest of the way.

My eldest nephew, Colin — Jennifer's son, and brother to Andrew who had been kidnapped and tortured by demons — was waiting for me at the entrance with his Immortal stepfather, Greg. Colin had obviously been working out: he was no longer a pudgy teen; he was strong and muscular and moved with grace. He'd had a growth spurt too and was taller than me, with dark hair and eyes from his human father, Leonard.

‘Hi, Colin,' I said. ‘Is everything okay? You look serious.'

‘Can I talk to you before you come in for dinner?' he said. He looked over his shoulder at Greg, who nodded. Colin turned back to me. ‘In private.'

‘Greg, can you take him to the Residence?' I said. ‘There's nobody there.'

Greg nodded, put his hand on Colin's shoulder, and they disappeared. I changed back to snake and flew from Persimmon Tree to the Residence on the other side of the Mountain, again changing to human before I could freak anybody out.

They were waiting at the front door for me, and I guided them into the living room.

‘Sit,' I said, gesturing towards the couches.

‘No, I want to show you something,' Colin said.

‘What?'

‘Greg?' Colin said.

I watched them, bewildered, as Greg summoned a short Chinese-style sword and passed it to Colin.

‘Oh, no,' I said. ‘Not happening.'

‘Watch this,' Colin said.

He went through the open doors into the Residence's central courtyard, then around to the training room. I followed him, and leaned on a wooden pillar next to the door.

‘If you're planning what I think you are,' I began.

‘Just watch,' Greg said from behind me.

Colin began a Wudang level-four short-sword set — the highest level — and I watched with admiration that quickly turned to alarm. He wasn't just good, he was brilliant.

‘Who taught you this?'

‘I did,' Greg said. ‘Watch.'

Colin moved with deadly grace, performing the set close to perfection. His technique was nearly flawless.

‘Holy shit,' I said under my breath.

As he reached the end of the set, he concentrated, generated chi, and loaded the sword with it, making it vibrate and glow. The weapon made a deep bass thrum that I could feel through the floor, and his hair floated from the static. He had generated much more chi than could be expected from a human his age.

‘Holy
shit
,' I said even more softly.

I sent an image of Colin to John, who was in the Celestial Palace with the Generals.

Not surprising, considering his bloodlines
, John said.
I wonder if the other boys are as talented as this? They're your family, Western serpents, after all.

Colin reabsorbed the chi and his hair fell. He turned to me and put the sword away. ‘Okay, you've seen what I can do. Now use me.'

‘Colin, I can't —'

‘Aunty Emma, I'm eighteen in three months. I'm the oldest of all of us. Andrew can do it — Greg's taught him as well — and it's helped him recover. Mark's too broken by what he went through and no amount of training will help him. David's showing talent, but he's only fifteen. I'm the oldest, I'm nearly of age, and . . .' He fell to one knee and held the sword horizontally towards me. ‘I would be honoured if you would accept my blade in the coming battle. I want to protect our family and avenge my brother and my cousin.'

My throat filled. ‘Oh, Colin.'

‘Don't you dare say no,' he said softly. ‘I know exactly how talented I am — I could end up like you. There's a chance I can change to snake as well. I love the training more than anything I've ever done before — I feel like I was made for it. I want to protect our family and I'm an asset that you can't refuse.'

I wiped my eyes. ‘Damn, Colin, I am so proud of you.'

He smiled shyly. ‘Really?'

‘Your mother and grandmother will kill me.' I looked up at Greg. ‘Jennifer will divorce you.'

‘She's too attached to being a Celestial Princess to ever divorce me,' Greg said without looking away from Colin, his expression
full of pride. ‘It's been an honour to train this young man, but he's already learnt all I can teach him . . .'

‘What? You used to be the Tiger's Number One. No way.'

‘Seriously. He needs to move up to training with the Dark Lord.'

‘Please ask him to train me,' Colin said.

‘Up you get, lad,' I said. I linked my hands behind my back. ‘Do Andrew and David want to learn from us as well?'

‘Who's “us”?' Colin said. ‘If you mean Uncle John, absolutely! All of us do.'

You didn't tell them?
Greg said.

I shook my head without looking away from Colin.
I'd prefer they never know. It's done and finished and I'm separate. No need to torture my family with what might have been.

How much of his knowledge of the Arts did you gain?
Greg said.

I will never be one with the Arts as he is, and my human brain doesn't seem capable of holding all of his knowledge, but the answer to your question is: a great deal. Don't tell my family.

Wait . . . do the family know you're Immortal?

I sighed and my shoulders slumped.
That will be hard. It's tempting to hide it completely from them — to age myself as the years pass and then pretend to die when I'm old enough — but I cannot live a lie. I hope I don't lose them when they discover that I've attained Immortality, something they probably never will.

Now you know why so many of us disappear for a hundred years after we're Raised
, he said.

I nodded.
But I don't regret coming back. I am needed.

‘You're talking silently — I didn't know you could do that,' Colin said. ‘Who are you talking to? Uncle John? Can he train us?' He lunged towards the door, then stopped. ‘Can I bring the other guys to learn off him?'

‘None of you are of age yet,' I said. ‘You need your parents' permission.'

‘And don't look at me, I don't count,' Greg said.

‘Dammit,' Colin said under his breath.

‘Let's go and talk to your mother now,' I said. ‘Then you can come back to the training room tomorrow morning, all three of
you. I will teach you, not John; that will be much less scary for your families. Tell them that you'll learn from me for fitness and therapy, and don't mention that you wish to fight just yet. We'll deal with that when you're of age and can make that decision for yourself.'

Colin screwed up his face and opened his mouth to protest that he wanted to learn from the Dark Lord.

‘Before you say anything,' Greg said, his voice full of warning, ‘I think there's something you should know. Lady Emma, may I tell him?'

‘Share the information with the boys only,' I said. ‘I'll follow to Persimmon Tree in about ten minutes and we can talk to their parents over dinner. If they accept me training the lads, I'll see them back here first thing tomorrow morning.'

‘Wah, Emma,' Greg said.

‘It will pass with time.' I hesitated. ‘I think.'

‘Does it worry you?'

I shrugged. ‘I'm still me. There's some of me in him too. Sometimes he loses his temper and sounds Australian.'

‘Now that's something I'd really like to hear,' Greg said with humour. ‘Come on, Colin, I have a story to tell you.'

‘Don't tell my parents or sisters!' I said. ‘They really don't need to know.'

He waved back at me without turning around.

‘And thanks, Greg,' I added more softly.

He nodded and guided Colin out.

More students like you. Excellent,
John said with relish.
I wonder which other youngsters we can round up to teach. How old is Greg and Jen's little boy? Fathered by a powerful son of the Tiger, mothered by one of you Western Serpents . . .

Only three years old!

Perfect. Are they planning to have a second one? If we could use modern medical technology to overcome the obvious problem you and your sisters have with carrying girls to term —

A breeding program?
I said with fierce distaste.

He was silent for a moment, then,
And all it entails, I know. It's just that you're so damn powerful, Emma. The females of your line are much more gifted.

And dangerous. Let's work carefully with these boys as we bring out their talents, because their demon nature will emerge and they'll need to control it.

This will be great fun,
he said with satisfaction.
I hope I'm free to join you tomorrow morning.

I shook my head and walked over to Persimmon Tree Pavilion.

* * *

Thirty-Eight had made a modern Western meal for the family and we all ate in the Pavilion's dining room, crammed around the ten-seater round table. Persimmon Tree only had three small bedrooms, so it was a crush with all the family. Two of the boys slept in the living room on futons that were rolled up during the day.

Jen and Greg sat with Colin and Andrew, her boys, and the little one they'd had together, Matthew, who stubbornly refused a high chair. Alan and Amanda's boys, Mark and David, were constantly needling each other. The boys had grown so much: Colin was close on eighteen, Andrew and Mark were both sixteen, and David had just turned fifteen and would probably have another growth spurt in the near future. My parents were glowing with good health and appeared younger than when they'd arrived in the Heavens; a side effect of living in the Celestial purity.

I relished the feeling of having everybody back with me; I'd missed them terribly while they'd been in hiding. Luckily they hadn't found it difficult to move to the Mountain while the Earthly was being overrun by demons; and they appreciated that they were safe with us. Knowledge that their friends on the Earthly were being replaced and that they themselves were a huge target was deeply distressing for them, but they kept a brave face in front of the children.

My father raised his pasta-laden fork and waved it at me. ‘What's this about training the boys?'

‘We want to learn!' Colin said, and Andrew nodded fierce agreement.

‘I'll teach them myself, for exercise and health and energy,' I said.

‘Rubbish,' Jennifer said. ‘Colin wants to fight demons. He's been asking Greg forever to teach him.'

‘It's your choice whether I fight demons, Mum,' Colin said. He lowered his voice. ‘But when I'm eighteen and an adult, it's my choice.'

‘There's too much of this violent snake thing in all of them,' my mother said. ‘If I'd had the opportunity when I was a girl, I would have jumped at it as well. I think it's part of how we're made.'

‘Don't try to stop me, Mum,' Colin said into his food.

‘We'll talk about it later,' Jennifer said with quiet menace.

‘And, Emma,' my father waved his fork again, ‘you're Immortal and didn't tell us.'

I choked on my pasta.

‘Does this mean that when you go out to fight, we won't have to worry about you any more?' my mother said. ‘If you're killed by those horrible things, you'll just come back?'

‘Uh . . . yes,' I said.

‘Good,' she said, and returned to cutting up little Matthew's chicken. ‘About time. That's a huge relief. I swear, worrying about you has made my hair go completely grey.'

‘Exactly,' my father said. ‘And, Emma . . .?'

‘Yes?' I said, still pleasantly stunned at their reaction.

‘When we found out you'd become Immortal, John offered to show us the methods you people use to gain Immortality.'

‘
You people?
' Greg said with mock horror.

‘Shut up, Greg,' Jen said without looking at him. ‘You're one of them too.'

Greg buried his embarrassment in a deep drink of tea and filled their cups again.

‘Anyway, John said that he'd be glad to teach us the physical alchemy or whatever-it-is techniques that you've used,' my father said.

‘Uh . . . good?' I said, not sure where this was going.

‘How long can you hold horse stance?' my father said.

‘Indefinitely,' I said, thoroughly confused. ‘I meditate in horse stance sometimes.'

‘Whoa,' Colin said quietly.

‘Before you were Immortal too?'

‘Uh . . . yes. I mean, it was a complete bit— pain to learn. In more ways than one. It's unbelievably hard to gain that sort of strength. The training John put me through was non-stop suffering sometimes. But it was worth it in the end.'