Blue Dragon

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

It took Michael five tries before he could do the wall-running, but once he had the skill he could float off the wall easily.

‘My turn,’ I said, moving forward. ‘I want to have this right.’

Everybody moved back and I ran to the top of the wall. ‘What do you think is the highest I could go?’ I called down to them. ‘Could I make it to the top of a skyscraper?’

No, John said into my ear. You could probably manage about five, six, storeys and then run out of energy and fall off. Don’t try it; you wouldn’t have any energy left to slow your fall! Be very careful with this.

I didn’t reply, I just hurled myself from the top of the wall. I concentrated on moving the energy centres upwards to slow my fall. I had it. I held out my arms, rotated, and floated gently down to land on my feet.

‘Oh my God, that feels so good,’ I said softly. I glanced up at John. ‘How about if I jumped off a building? How high could I do that safely from?’

‘Once you have the skill, there is no limit,’ John said, amused. ‘Slowing your fall requires much less energy, just more control. The Tiger and I have taken energy students skydiving without parachutes more than once—it’s great fun.’ He smiled. ‘When I return, I’ll take you up and we’ll try.’

‘Where will you find a skydiving plane in Hong Kong?’ I said. ‘There isn’t space for small aircraft.’

His smile didn’t shift. ‘It won’t be Hong Kong, unless that is your wish. And I won’t need a plane.’

‘Me too,’ Simone said softly.

John grinned. ‘Okay, sweetheart. Now, who wants to learn to fly?’

‘Me first! Me first!’ Simone squealed, jumping up and down. She ran and tackled her father hard, nearly knocking him over. ‘I want to do some too!’

John hoisted her high and she squealed again. He lowered her gently. ‘Let Emma try first, you watch. Then you can try.’

‘Okay.’ Simone gestured to me. ‘Come on, Emma.’

I went forward. John led me to the obstacle course. ‘This will do.’

It was a military-style obstacle course, with walls, ropes and nets. ‘Ignore the obstacles, we just need the space,’ John said. ‘Run alongside.’

He stepped back to stand next to me, still facing the obstacle course. ‘Run. Run fast. At the same time, lift the centres. This should be easier than slowing your fall; the centres are moving in the same direction as you.’ He grinned. ‘Lift yourself. Not too high—you’ll probably manage some good momentum, if you fall you’ll hit the ground hard.’ He gestured. ‘Try it. Watch carefully, Michael, Simone. Emma will probably have it correct first time.’

I ignored him. I readied myself, concentrating, then threw myself forward and ran as fast as I could. I felt a thrill of shock. I hadn’t run like this ever before—there wasn’t space and privacy to do it in Hong Kong—and I was moving extremely fast.

I used the centres to lift myself. My feet cleared the ground. I had it. I flew about five metres, then landed. It was like a huge running stride, but as light as being in water. It was incredibly exhilarating. I kept the motion for a few more metres, then carefully slowed, stopped and turned.

I was a good three hundred metres away from them and I’d only run for about five seconds.

If you’re wondering, John said into my ear, you did the first hundred metres in about three seconds. World record?

I shook my head. I felt ridiculous.

You look like a cartoon, Simone said. You fly, but your legs are still moving like you’re running. You look really stupid.

‘No more Sailor Moon for you,’ I said softly.

I heard that.

I ran back to them. I managed about two hundred metres of it in the air, and carefully didn’t run while I was flying. I just let myself hang off the energy centres, revelling in the sensation. I landed, ran, slowed and stopped.

‘That is one of the most fun things I have ever done in my entire life,’ I said, gasping through the huge grin. ‘What a shame there’s nowhere to do it back home.’

‘You are incredibly fast,’ John said, glancing at his watch. ‘You did the last fifty metres in two point five seconds.’

‘Why don’t any of the students ever compete in the Olympics?’ I said. ‘If the training can make you that fast?’

John smiled indulgently at me. I turned away. ‘Damn.’ I turned back to him. ‘What’s the fastest any of them has done?’

‘A very good student can be close on the time of a world-class athlete,’ John said. ‘Some of them have crossed over into the professional field. Not many—maybe two or three at the most; they’re more interested in the Arts, that’s why they’re good enough for the Mountain in the first place. I will only take the most dedicated young people who love their Arts more than anything else.’ His smile became more gentle. ‘You knew you were fast, Emma.’

‘Michael’s turn,’ I said, gesturing. ‘I’ll bet he’s faster than me.’

‘No way!’ Simone shouted. ‘Me next!’

‘Emma, take Simone, hold her hand,’ John said. ‘Help her with the centres, make sure she does it right.’ He moved closer to me and spoke softly. ‘I’m counting on you. Keep her safe. You know this can be dangerous.’

‘You know what to do, Simone?’ I said, taking her hand.

‘Lift the energy centres, the dan tian,’ she said. ‘I saw what you did.’ She hesitated. ‘Watch me carefully; let me know if I do it wrong, Emma.’

‘Okay, sweetheart. Ready?’

‘Ready,’ Simone said, and gathered herself.

We ran together, holding hands. She wasn’t as fast as I was, but she was still very fast.

She grabbed the centres and lifted them, and I lifted myself as well. We hung on the air together, then both dropped and hit the ground running. Simone stumbled and I held her up. We skidded to a halt together and turned. I felt her excitement through her hand.

‘Again!’ she squealed, and jerked my hand.

‘One, two, three!’ I shouted and we ran together again. She lifted herself, I lifted myself, and we flew together.

When we touched down again, Simone continued to run and this time didn’t stumble. She didn’t stop; she let go of me, ran straight into John and tackled him, nearly knocking him over again. She grinned up at him with her eyes sparkling. ‘Can I go again?’

He grinned. ‘Go.’

She laughed, turned and ran again, lifting herself on the centres. She had it.

I moved closer to John. ‘I wish we had the space to do this at home.’

‘So do I,’ he said. He gestured and Michael approached us.

‘You want me to go with you?’ I said.

‘Can I try by myself?’

‘Go. Try,’ John said. ‘Take care, but I think you can do it.’

Simone returned, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling. ‘That’s more fun than swimming. Can I try jumping down?’

‘Jump down off the obstacle course,’ John said, and she ran to climb the ladder. The Dragon moved to catch her.

‘She won’t need him. She’ll get it right first time, same as Michael,’ John said, motioning towards Michael who was flying along the side of the obstacle course.

He was right. Both Simone and Michael were like children in a playground. They couldn’t get enough of the flying and falling. John and I watched them with amusement.

After five minutes I moved to sit under a tree, leaving John to supervise. I faced the water and enjoyed the view, relaxing.

I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye and leaned forward to see.

Leo and Martin stood at the end of the beach, watching the water together and talking. Leo had his arms crossed; Martin had his hands folded behind his back.

They faced each other. Leo reached up and stroked Martin’s cheek and lowered his face to Martin’s. Martin put his hand around Leo’s neck and pulled himself closer.

I faced the other way.

A couple of minutes later they strolled past me along the beach, hand in hand, talking softly. They didn’t notice me. But they dropped their hands when they were within view of Michael and Simone.

I sighed.

‘Don’t wear yourselves out,’ John called after about half an hour of Michael and Simone flying and leaping from the obstacle course. ‘There’s one more thing we need to do.’

He gestured for us to approach and we gathered around him.

‘Simone should do this first, she has good control of her shen,’ John said. ‘Projecting your consciousness into your chi. Generate chi, and move a very small part of your shen into it.’

‘But that’s shen work,’ I said, protesting. ‘I can’t do that on the Earthly Plane, only on the Celestial Plane.’

‘Not quite shen work,’ John said. ‘Joining the energy together, working with them together. Just more advanced chi work. You should be able to do it.’

He gestured for Simone to approach. ‘Generate about this much.’ He indicated about a tennis ball’s worth.

Simone nodded, concentrating, held out her hands and generated the energy.

‘Try something for me, Simone,’ John said gently. ‘Try turning the chi white. Don’t turn it into shen; you know what the difference is. Try to make it white.’

Simone concentrated on the chi, her little face rigid. The chi turned silvery-white, almost identical to shen energy except that it had golden bands through it.

‘Very good,’ John said softly. ‘Change it back to yellow.’

Simone inhaled slowly and deeply and the chi changed back again.

‘If you tire too much tell me,’ John said. ‘Now, leave the chi there, concentrate, and move a very tiny part of your shen into it.’

Simone’s face was stiff but her eyes were very wide.

‘Can you move a little more in?’ John said.

Simone didn’t move.

‘Good,’ John said, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper. ‘Now. Turn and float the chi gently away from yourself.’

Simone did as he said, and the chi floated off her hands and moved about two metres away from her. Her face changed from concentration to rapt awe.

‘That’s really amazing, Daddy,’ she whispered.

‘Slowly call it back,’ he said.

The chi gently returned to her. As soon as it was absorbed into her hands she flopped down to sit on the sandy ground.

He crouched next to her and took her hands, studying her face. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m okay,’ she whispered. ‘Just let me sit, Daddy.’

He held her hands and concentrated, then gently pulled her to her feet. He led her to one side and sat her under a tree. ‘Ah Qing, could you get her a drink?’

The Dragon nodded his huge blue and silver head and a sports drink appeared on the ground next to Simone. John opened it and passed it to her.

She took a sip and made a face. ‘That tastes yucky.’

‘Apple juice?’ the Dragon said, nodding again.

Simone took another sip, then a large swig from the bottle, her throat moving as she drank. She finished, gasped, and smiled up at her father. ‘I’m okay.’

He took her hand again and smiled. ‘Yes, you are. Emma. Your turn.’

‘Is she really okay?’ I said as I approached him.

‘She’ll sleep very well tonight,’ he said with amusement, then shared a quick glance with the Dragon. ‘Try.’

‘Is standing or sitting better?’ I said.

‘Standing,’ John said. ‘The chi starts higher.’

I nodded, put out my hands and concentrated. I generated a similar-sized ball of chi to Simone’s.

‘Can I try to turn it white?’ I said. ‘Is white chi somehow better?’

‘Try,’ he said. ‘White chi is much more destructive to demons. In all other respects, the colour of the chi makes no difference.’

I nodded again, concentrated and turned the chi white. It was much harder than making it blue; it took a great deal of concentration.

‘This is like starting all over again,’ I said as I felt the chi trying to move back into my hands.

‘Precisely,’ John said. ‘But it’s a useful type of energy to master. Change it back before you drain yourself too much.’

I released the whiteness of the chi. It went black. I held a ball of roiling black energy in my hands.

‘I didn’t know you could do that,’ I said. ‘What is black chi good for?’

John was silent. I glanced up and saw his face. It was rigid with restraint.

‘Stone, are you awake?’ he said.

The stone didn’t reply.

‘Do not move, Emma,’ John said very softly. He gingerly reached out to tap the stone on my finger, carefully not touching the black chi. ‘Stone,’ he said, his voice quiet and fierce.

‘I am looking,’ the stone said. ‘Hold.’

‘Hold very still, Emma,’ John said. ‘Don’t move, physically or mentally.’

‘Is this the first time you’ve seen anything like this?’ I said.

John was silent but his face said it all.

‘Not yin,’ the stone said. ‘Hold.’

John raised his hand to the chi and the stone yelped. ‘Don’t approach it, Turtle! It will harm you!’

‘Oh shit,’ I said softly, trying to retain my concentration.

‘Emma,’ the stone said, its voice soft and insistent, ‘turn and see if you can move this chi off your hands.’

I did as the stone instructed, turning away from John and moving the chi off my hands. ‘It feels like normal chi,’ I said. ‘I can’t feel the unusual colour at all.’

‘I wonder what it would do to a demon,’ John said.

‘Move it back,’ the stone said.

I nodded and returned the chi to my hands.

‘Do you have a demon jar here, Ah Qing?’ John said.

‘Of course not,’ the Dragon said. ‘This resort is thoroughly sealed; no untamed demons in or out.’

‘It will have to wait until we’re home then,’ John said. ‘Fascinating. You never cease to amaze me, Emma. The Celestial Masters will all want to see this.’

‘Is it demon essence, stone?’ I said, trying to control my voice.

‘Nope,’ the stone said. ‘It’s definitely black chi. Never heard of it before. Must contact the Hall of Records, Turtle, there may have been other instances.’

‘Good idea,’ John said.

‘Change it back to gold,’ the stone said.

I concentrated, and the chi returned to its usual golden colour. I didn’t feel the colour change.

‘Why could I do that?’ I whispered.

‘Because you are what you are,’ John said.

‘And what am I?’

‘You are my Lady. Now,’ John said, more briskly, ‘try moving shen into the chi. Try.’

I concentrated. I left the chi on my hands, moved my awareness to my upper dan tian, found my shen and carefully moved a tiny amount into the chi. The feeling hit me. Part of my awareness was inside the chi; it was as if my Inner Eye had moved into it. I saw my surroundings from two distinctly separate angles.

‘Now try moving the chi off your hands, only a short distance,’ John said.

I moved the chi off my hands, as he said, and floated it closer to Simone. I saw two images of her: one through my physical eyes and another through my chi.

‘Oh my God, this feels so good,’ I whispered. I tried something; I moved the chi higher. Nothing happened, so I carefully moved it level with the treetops. I could see the horizon through my chi. A huge thunderstorm had gathered out to sea; the lightning flashed inside it.

I pulled the chi back down to me and absorbed it. ‘Michael should quickly try, and then we should all hurry back to the resort,’ I said. ‘It’ll rain cats and dogs in about twenty minutes.’

‘Sooner than that,’ John said. ‘Try, Michael, but don’t hurry; you have all the time in the world. You should be able to master the skill easily. If you’re not too drained, Emma, go to one side and practise generating that black chi. I’d like to experiment with it when we return home.’

‘Permission to take a look at the black chi,’ the Dragon said. He was still in True Form. ‘It is fascinating.’

‘Good idea,’ John said. ‘Emma, go to the side, make some and let the Dragon see.’

‘He can have a look inside me at the same time,’ I said.

‘That is not necessary; we have seen all we need to,’ John said.

‘I want him to,’ I said.

‘No need, Emma,’ John said gently.

‘If the Dark Lord objects then I have no option,’ the Dragon said. ‘I won’t go against his wishes.’

‘I’m doing it anyway,’ I said. ‘Come on, Dragon, let’s have a look inside this unusually snaky female who can generate black chi.’

The Dragon didn’t move.

‘Come on,’ I said, waving him forward. ‘Tell him.’

‘Let her,’ John said with resignation. ‘If that is what she wishes, then I really have no choice.’

The Dragon shook his enormous turquoise head and followed me.

‘Look at the black chi now,’ John called to us. ‘Look inside Emma later, back at the resort. That storm will be here soon and you don’t have time.’

‘The Dragon can move it away for us,’ I said.

‘I will keep you dry if we are caught in the storm, but I will not tamper with the forces of nature unless it is absolutely necessary,’ the Dragon said.

‘Okay,’ I said. ‘I understand.’

The Dragon returned to his preferred human form: turquoise hair, silken grey robe, serene long face. ‘Generate the black chi.’

I held my hands out and put some chi into them, then turned it black. It was easy.

‘Not difficult?’ the Dragon said, his bright blue eyes focusing on the chi.

‘Can he touch it?’ I said.

‘Yes,’ the stone said. ‘Such a small amount should be all right for a powerful Shen such as he, at full strength.’

‘That stone is quite useful,’ the Dragon said, raising his hand to the energy. ‘Let me see.’ He held his hand above the energy and concentrated. His long turquoise hair floated around his head. He very slowly lowered his hand until it was just above the chi. ‘Fascinating.’ He quickly dipped his hand in and out of the chi. ‘Remarkable.’

‘Well?’ I said.

‘You can release it now. Michael has finished. We should return,’ the Dragon said.

‘And?’

‘To inspection, to touch, to feel, it is perfectly ordinary chi, nothing special about it at all,’ the Dragon said, bemused. ‘Please invite me along when you throw it at a demon. I would be interested to see what it does.’

I released the chi back into my hands and gasped with shock. I hadn’t changed it back to gold and the skin of my hands flashed black for a split second as it went in.

‘Oh my, that was good,’ the Dragon said, taking my hands and studying them. ‘Please do that again.’ He glanced up at my face. ‘That didn’t hurt you in any way, did it?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘It just felt perfectly normal. Are you okay, stone?’

‘It felt normal,’ the stone said. ‘It just looked black. As you say, Lord Qing, most fascinating.’

‘Do it again,’ the Dragon said, releasing my hands.

I generated chi, turned it black and dropped it into my hands. They flashed black again.

‘Try generating black chi right from the start,’ John said. He had approached us without me noticing and stood beside the Dragon.

I concentrated, held out my hands and generated a ball of black chi.

‘Try moving your shen into it,’ John said. ‘Just a very small amount. See if you can move your consciousness into it.’

I came around on my bed back in the hotel room with John and Simone holding my hands.

I closed my eyes. ‘I really must stop doing this to myself.’