A
fter a few days of tourist activities, my parents were tired but more relaxed about the whole thing. They seemed to be unwinding and enjoying themselves. Both John and Simone worked hard to win them over. My mother, particularly, was becoming very fond of Simone.
December weather was usually fine and clear, despite the cold, so we took them along the Lugard Road walk. The road was more like a pedestrian path, and wound all the way around the top of the Peak, giving a spectacular view of both sides of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the Outlying Islands.
My mother was hesitant about the height, but was okay when I held her hand. Simone and John came with us and the five of us enjoyed each other’s company. Simone held my mother’s other hand.
My father and John seemed to have hit it off; John liked my father’s gruff honesty and my father enjoyed John’s relaxed easy-going nature.
‘And this trail goes all the way around the top of the island?’ my mother said.
‘Yep,’ I said. ‘About an hour’s walk all the way.’
‘If your artificial hip worries you, let me know. I can arrange for you to be transported back,’ John said.
My mother stared at him, her face expressionless.
‘He can see inside you,’ I said.
‘That’s very rude, Daddy, you shouldn’t have done that,’ Simone scolded.
‘She’s quite right,’ I said. ‘Do it again and you are in big trouble.’
‘This is the Western part of the island,’ John said, ignoring us. He stopped at the railing and showed my parents. ‘Below us, all those tall buildings, is Kennedy Town. One of the oldest parts of Hong Kong. Then across the harbour you can see West Kowloon. It’s a good clear day today, you can see the Tsing Ma Bridge—that’s the bridge you came across when Emma brought you back from the airport. And over there,’ he gestured towards the left, ‘is Lantau Island. The airport is off the north side of that. Lantau is actually bigger than Hong Kong Island, but mostly uninhabited; people like to live near the centre of things.’
‘It’s incredible,’ my father said. ‘All the buildings are tall buildings. Everywhere. Where are the suburbs?’
‘Suburbs?’ Simone said.
‘There aren’t any,’ I said. ‘It’s like this from one end of the Territory to the other. Even out in the New Territories, people live in packed high rises in “New Towns”. There are villages of village houses all crammed together as well, but the vast majority of the population live in tiny high-rise apartments.’
‘I should arrange for someone to take you to see a government housing estate,’ John said, almost to himself.
‘Good idea,’ I said, and then saw the look on my mother’s face. ‘You okay, Mum?’
My mother was staring at the path in front of us, her face ashen. I turned away from the railing and froze.
‘Don’t anybody move,’ John said.
An enormous Chinese cobra lay motionless on the
path. It was shining black and more than two metres long, a really big one.
‘Is it dead?’ I said.
‘No,’ John said. ‘It’s watching us.’
‘Is it a demon?’ I whispered.
‘No,’ Simone said.
‘Natural snake,’ John said.
The snake raised its head. About a third of its body came off the ground. It was nearly as tall as me.
‘Don’t move,’ John said, very quietly. ‘Stay very still.’
My mother made a soft sobbing sound of terror.
‘Don’t worry, I don’t think it will hurt us,’ John said. ‘Everybody, stay very still. I may be able to talk to it.’
John carefully moved around us and eased himself towards the snake. It followed his movements with its head, watching him. When he was about a metre away he stopped to crouch and study it. He was slightly side on to us and his face went rigid with concentration.
The snake glanced at me, then turned back to John.
Then everything suddenly happened at once.
John’s eyes went black and he reached out to touch the snake.
Simone screamed, ‘
No, Daddy
!’ and flew around me to tackle her father before he could touch it. She took him completely by surprise and knocked him to the ground.
The snake snapped back, lowered its head, and quickly disappeared into the undergrowth at the side of the path.
Simone beat her father on the chest with her tiny fists and screamed, ‘You
don’t
leave me. I
need
you!’ She shouted at the bushes where the snake had gone. ‘You
go away
and leave my Daddy
alone
!’ Then she threw herself on him and sobbed.
John sat up and put her head on his shoulder. He squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in her hair.
‘Go
away
, go
away
, go
away
!’ Simone sobbed into his shoulder.
‘I’m here,’ he said gently. ‘I’m not going.’
‘Don’t you
ever
do that again!’ she gasped.
‘I’ll do it eventually, sweetheart,’ he said. ‘I won’t be able to stop it.’
I went to them. John’s face was full of misery. I held my hand out and he took it.
‘That was it, wasn’t it?’ I said.
He nodded into Simone’s hair.
‘Tell it to go
away
,’ Simone said into his shoulder.
John used my hand as a lever and pulled himself to his feet, still holding Simone. He released my hand and gently lowered Simone. She held his hand and both of them watched the bushes where the snake had gone.
‘What was all that about?’ my mother said softly behind me.
‘That was his Serpent,’ I said without turning. ‘The other half of him. If he rejoins with it then he’ll be gone for a very long time.’
Simone sobbed again loudly. I reached into my bag, pulled out a packet of tissues and passed it to her. She took one out and sniffled into it.
‘It’s gone,’ John said. ‘It’s still very weak. It hardly knows what it is. It won’t be back for a long time—’
‘Good,’ Simone said.
‘I wonder what happened to it,’ John said. ‘It’s nearly as weak, nearly as drained as I am.’
‘Do you remember what happened when you lost it? At all?’ I said.
‘Not a bit,’ John said without emotion. ‘I have absolutely no recollection of being divided.’ His tone didn’t change, his voice was still very mild. ‘If somebody has done this to me then they will pay very dearly.’
He turned and spoke to my parents as if nothing had happened. ‘Let’s go further around and look at Pokfulam. You can see Cheung Chau from there. Would you like to see the temple dedicated to me on Cheung Chau? It’s not very exciting, but you may be interested to see some of the stories and rituals that surround me.’
My parents just watched him silently.
‘Would you like us to take you home, guys?’ I said gently.
My father nodded. My mother didn’t move.
‘I’ll call Jade and Gold to carry you,’ John said.
My mother flinched.
‘No, thanks,’ my father said weakly. ‘We’d just like to walk back, if you don’t mind.’
‘You are perfectly safe as long as you are with me,’ John said.
My parents turned and walked back along the path without seeming to notice whether we followed them.
They are not taking this very well, Emma.
‘You can’t blame them, John.’
Back at the apartment we all sat at the dining table. My parents had glasses of scotch in front of them. The Serpent had pushed them over the edge. They’d had enough. Neither of them had shouted at us, they’d just gone very quiet. I didn’t blame them.
‘I can give you a choice,’ John said. ‘You can either go to the Western Palace, where you will be absolutely safe, or you can go back to your own home and I will post guards there for you.’
‘Where’s the Western Palace?’ my mother said.
‘It’s the Tiger’s palace,’ I said. ‘It’s on the Celestial Plane. It’s a beautiful place with gardens and fountains in the Western Desert.’
‘Heaven?’ my mother said.
‘Sometimes called that,’ John said. ‘But not really. More like a higher level of reality. If you go there, you will be perfectly safe. But it will be quite boring for you. You won’t be able to continue with your normal lives.’
‘How long before we can go back home and be safe?’ my father said miserably. ‘Before all of this blows over?’
‘Probably between one and two years,’ John said. ‘Depending upon how quickly I can take the head off that little bastard One Two Two.’
‘One Two Two?’ my mother said.
‘The demon that came after us at the graduation,’ I said. ‘No other demon is dishonourable enough to go after people who aren’t directly involved. He’s the only one who’s that much of a scumbag.’
‘What do you want to do, Barbie?’ my father said, turning to my mother. ‘I think it might be better to go with this Tiger guy.’
‘What would you do, Emma?’ my mother said.
‘Frankly,’ I said, leaning back, ‘I’d like to send you all to the Western Desert until this blows over. You guys, Jen and her family, Amanda and her family, everybody. Think of it as a family vacation. The palace is really nice, you’ll like it. And Jade or Gold can take me there, so I can visit you. Or you can come down here with guards, you’ll be fine. John?’
‘If that is your wish, and their wish, I have no objection,’ John said. ‘I will not let this situation continue for much longer.’
‘We have to get Simone up to speed.’
‘Yes we do. Brendan, Barbara,’ John said. ‘Would you call Amanda for us and explain? Then we can begin the arrangements. I will call Leonard and see what he wants to do.’
‘I just want to get out of here,’ my mother whispered.
The next afternoon we all waited in the living room: me, John and my parents.
The other three Winds materialised with Amanda’s family. They were all unconscious. John and I rushed to help with Amanda and Alan. Zhu Que gently lowered the boys onto the couch, one on each arm.
‘Are they okay?’ my father said urgently. ‘It
is
only temporary?’
‘They’re fine,’ the Tiger said as he placed Amanda onto the couch next to the boys. ‘It was quite a long way and it is a very stressful experience for humans to travel like this.’
‘It’ll be similar for you when you’re taken to the palace,’ I said to my mother. ‘But don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt.’
My parents hovered, concerned.
‘They will be fine,’ the Dragon said. ‘Phoenix, let’s go and get the others.’ He disappeared.
‘My Lord, my Lady,’ Zhu Que said, bowing slightly and saluting. ‘By your leave.’
‘Go,’ I said, nodding to her. She disappeared as well.
Alan came around first. He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. Then he saw Amanda and the boys, still unconscious, and staggered to them.
‘Don’t worry, they’re okay,’ I said, putting my hand on his shoulder to reassure him. ‘They’ll wake up soon.’
Alan glanced up at me. Then he saw John and the Tiger. He looked around carefully. ‘We’re really in Hong Kong?’
‘Really,’ I said. ‘It’s all true.’
Amanda stirred and moaned. Alan, my parents and myself all crouched around her. John and the Tiger stood behind us.
Amanda opened her eyes and saw us. She cast around, confused, then saw the boys and with a small cry of pain struggled to sit up to check on them.
‘They’re fine, Amanda,’ I said softly. ‘They’re really okay. You’re all okay.’
‘Something was chasing us,’ Alan said. ‘The young man defended us, and then the people carrying us brought us here.’
Gold appeared in True Form at the other side of the room with the bags. He didn’t take human form; his stone fell out of the air and landed on the carpet.
‘He’s injured,’ the stone in my ring said. ‘Quickly.’
I raced to Gold. ‘Can I pick him up?’
‘Yes,’ the stone said. ‘Pick him up with both hands. Let’s see.’
I gently lifted Gold and examined him, but couldn’t see anything inside him. I didn’t risk turning my Internal Eye on him, but his energy level felt like that of an ordinary stone. He didn’t feel special at all.
‘He’s okay,’ the stone said. ‘Just exhausted. Put him on one of the beds. He’ll take human form when he’s strong enough, and he can rest.’
‘Stay here, everybody,’ I said. ‘I’ll pop him on my bed, he’ll be fine.’
‘Is that Gold?’ my mother said. ‘You said he was a stone.’
‘Yes, it’s Gold,’ I said.
‘Wait.’ John came to put his hand on Gold.
‘Is he okay?’ my mother said.
‘Emma’s correct,’ John said. ‘Drained. He’ll be okay. He must have used energy to defend himself. Lay him down, he’ll be fine in about four hours.’
‘Can you feed him energy?’ I asked the Tiger.
‘Nope,’ the Tiger said. ‘He’s a stone. Completely different type of Shen. The chi is the same, but our natures are incompatible.’
‘Can I feed him?’ I said.
Both John and the Tiger snorted with amusement.
‘Not a good idea, I think,’ John said. ‘He’d find that more embarrassing than coming around in your bed.’
‘Hop in with him,’ the Tiger suggested. ‘Freak him out when he wakes up.’
‘You’re worse than Leo,’ I said, and turned away to take Gold to my room.
‘Emma,’ John said, and I turned back. ‘Gold will be very weak when he comes around and probably won’t be able to conjure the clothes. Cover the stone.’
I shrugged. ‘Okay.’
When I was in the spare room where I was staying I laid Gold gently on the bed, roughly where his chest would be, and pulled a light sheet over him.
‘Is he all right like that?’ I said.
‘Yes,’ the stone in my ring said.
I hesitated, watching him. He had nearly given his life for my family.
‘I’ll really miss him when he’s freed,’ I said.
Gold transformed into his human form, lying on his side under the sheet. He turned onto his back and looked at the ceiling, puzzled.
‘Why?’ the stone said.
I knelt next to Gold and took his hand. He smiled at me, heaved a huge sigh, turned his head away and closed his eyes.
‘Because I really like having him around,’ I said.
Gold shot upright to sit and cast around the room.
‘Rest,’ the stone said. ‘I’ll handle it.’
‘What?’ I said.
‘I am in big trouble,’ Gold said softly, and fell back onto the pillow.