Blue Dragon

CHAPTER ONE

I tapped gently on the door. ‘Mum? Dad?’

‘Come in, sweetheart.’

I opened the door and sidled in. My father was rummaging through his suitcase on the desk. My mother was further inside, folding clothes on the bed.

‘You okay, guys?’ I said.

Both of them smiled weakly at me.

‘You don’t need to worry now,’ I said. ‘That attack’s been coming for a while. I think he threw everything he had at us. It’s finished. It’ll be quiet for a long time.’

My mother came into the little sitting room and gestured for me to sit next to her on the couch. Her bright blue eyes were serious under her short greying brown hair, and her long, kind face seemed more lined than usual. ‘Does that sort of thing happen often?’

‘Small attacks, all the time. Big ones like that, no. That’s only the second or third time we’ve had so many demons thrown at us at once.’ I paused and thought about it. ‘No, actually more than that.’ I smiled an apology. ‘We had about five demons come into the apartment when the Mountain was attacked last January. Then a couple of dozen came at us in China last April. The King of the Demons himself threw about fifty small ones and a dozen big ones at us in London, August of this year, and then straight after that the little bastard who came after us last night had a go at us with a big group at Jennifer’s house.’ I counted them up. ‘Four, not counting last night.’

‘Jennifer’s house? You mean your sister Jennifer?’ my mother said. ‘Oh, that’s right, Leonard works for Mr Chen. Jennifer was attacked? So she knows all about this?’

‘Yes. But Jennifer wasn’t attacked. They attacked us, at her house. Her family weren’t threatened at all, from what I could see.’

‘She never mentioned it,’ my father said.

‘I don’t think she wants to dwell on it,’ I said. ‘It was a very frightening experience for all of them. We’ve posted guards at their house, but no more demons have gone anywhere near them. The demons are after us. Wong wants to take John’s head to the King.’

‘They have a King?’ my father said, coming to sit next to me. Close up, the deep lines around his blue eyes made his tanned, leathery face look older. He studied me with concern.

‘Yeah. Big red-headed bastard. The little creep who came after us last night is his son. The King’s said that anyone who can bring him John’s head will be promoted to Number One son.’

‘They want his head?’ my mother said.

‘John—Xuan Wu—is the mightiest demon killer ever to exist. He ran them all off the face of the Earth a long time ago and they hate him. While he’s weak like this, they’ll keep attacking him. If they get his head, he’ll be gone for a very long time.’

‘What do you mean “gone”?’ my father said. ‘Dead?’

‘No. If they take his head, he’ll revert to True Form. He’ll change into a turtle, combined with a snake, and have to go away for a long time to recover from the exertion of maintaining his human form to stay with Simone and me.’

‘He’d change into a what?’ my mother said.

I sighed. ‘Yeah, I know it’s weird. Even the other Shen say he’s strange, and they’re all completely unbelievable themselves.’ I explained before she could ask. ‘They’re called Shen . Spirits. Not really gods, but that’s the closest word in English we have for it.’

‘So this guy you’re engaged to isn’t a human being at all,’ my father said. ‘He’s some sort of animal spirit.’

‘Got it in one. He’s the Spirit of the North, Emperor of the Dark Northern Heavens, a combination of a serpent and a turtle.’ They both opened their mouths and I answered before they could ask. ‘Yep. That’s right. He’s two animals. And it gets weirder. The Serpent is missing. Gone. Right now he’s just the Turtle.’ I spoke more softly. ‘It’s killing him to be divided like this. The Serpent is out there somewhere, looking for him, and he misses it terribly.’

‘Christ. Then that Tiger guy…’ my father began.

‘Yep. He’s really a white tiger.’

My mother’s mouth flopped open. ‘We had dinner the other night with a tiger?’

‘Remember what Leo told you—that he’s about the only normal human member of the household? He’s right,’ I said. ‘John is a turtle. The Tiger, Bai Hu, is a white tiger. Gold is a rock, Jade is a dragon—you saw her. Simone is half Shen; she may take some sort of animal form when she grows up but she’s the first human child John’s ever had so it’ll be interesting to see what she grows into. Michael is half Shen too, half tiger, being the Tiger’s son. He may be able to transform too.’

‘All right. So why were you a snake, love? You’re one of us,’ my father said.

I ran my hands through my hair. ‘I honestly don’t know. The whole thing has me really worried.’

‘The lady last night,’ my father said. ‘What was her name?’

‘Kwan Yin. Goddess of Mercy.’

‘She said that being with him has changed you,’ my father said.

‘Has it?’

‘Frankly?’ my mother said. ‘Yes.’

‘In what way?’

My parents shared a look. My father shrugged. They both smiled slightly at me.

‘You have no idea at all,’ I said.

Neither of them said anything.

‘Would you say that I’m more cold-blooded?’

My mother shifted. ‘I wouldn’t say that you’re cold-blooded, dear—’

‘Yes,’ my father said. ‘You always were a bit of a heartless bitch, but now you seem even more heartless.’

My mother was horrified. ‘Brendan!’

‘Last night, when we were threatened by those things. She was only worried about Simone; she didn’t even seem to notice us. When that black guy, Leo, said he wanted to die for them, what did she say? “Fight well.”’ He turned to me. ‘You were quite happy to let him go in front of you and die, Emma.’

‘So was John.’

‘Yeah. He’s unbelievably cold-blooded too.’

‘You don’t know everything about Leo, Dad. He’s terminally ill, he has AIDS. For him, to die on the battlefield protecting us would be the greatest thing in the world. I sincerely hope he doesn’t die in a hospital bed. He deserves much better.’

‘Oh my God,’ my mother said softly, her eyes wide.

‘Are you worried about catching it?’ I said. ‘I thought I knew you better than that.’

My mother snapped out of it and focused on me. ‘You just said that you hope he doesn’t live as long as he can, that you hope he can die sooner, in a fight. You really are cold-blooded.’

‘She is learning our ways and attaining the Tao,’ the stone in my ring said. ‘She is becoming detached and part of the One.’

My parents cast around, bewildered.

‘Who spoke?’ my father said. ‘Sounded like an Englishman.’

I showed them the ring. ‘The stone talks. And I wish it would shut up sometimes.’

‘My Lady, your mother has a headache and needs her morning caffeine hit, and your father is starving,’ the stone said. ‘Stop talking their ears off and take them to have some breakfast.’

‘He’s right,’ my father said ruefully.

‘Do not refer to me as he!’ the stone snapped. ‘Gender is reserved for you animals. We stones are above that sort of weakness. I don’t know why I give you the benefit of my wisdom when you insult me so casually.’

‘Come on, guys,’ I said, rising from the couch and opening the door to lead them out.

‘Why do you put up with that, Emma?’ my father said. ‘I’d be throwing that bloody thing down the toilet.’

I sat my parents down at the kitchen table. ‘Where’s Simone?’ I asked Ah Yat.

Ah Yat concentrated a moment. ‘Miss Simone and Master Leo are in the training room together.’

‘And Lord Xuan?’

‘Right here,’ John said from the doorway. He came in and sat at the table across from my mother. ‘Morning, Brendan, Barbara. Tea, tikuanyin,’ he ordered without looking at Ah Yat. Ah Yat busied herself with the teapot while my mother’s coffee infused.

I glared at him. ‘Stand up.’

His face went rigid and he didn’t move.

‘Celestial Highness Emperor Xuan Wu of the Dark Northern Heavens, you stand up right now,’ I said.

His face went wry and he rose, pushing his chair back.

I moved as close as I could to him while still remaining safe. He towered over me, a good head taller. His long hair was already coming out from its tie. It was more than four months since his last energy session with Ms Kwan and he was running low. He looked in his late forties; his hair had turned grey at the temples. He smiled slightly at me and his eyes wrinkled up.

I pointed at his black cotton pants. ‘They were new. Leo bought them only a couple of weeks ago.’

He glanced down. They already had a hole in the left knee.

‘You did that deliberately to annoy me, didn’t you?’ I said fiercely. ‘To get me back for throwing those old ones away. I told you not to wear them for Short Weapons.’

He threw himself down again and pulled his chair closer to the table. Ah Yat presented him with the tea and he poured for himself. ‘I am a creature of my word, and it was an accident,’ he said. He turned to my parents. ‘Has she always been this impossible?’

‘You are absolutely the scruffiest Immortal I have ever met,’ I huffed. ‘I’m surprised your Celestial Form is so tidy. Your armour doesn’t have any holes in it. Why do your clothes?’

‘That is extremely good coming from you,’ John said mildly. ‘Look at your jeans.’

I glanced down at my jeans and felt my face redden. I pulled a chair out and sat next to my father. ‘I didn’t know that was there.’

‘My Lord Mr Donahoe, my Lady Mrs Donahoe, what may I prepare for you?’ Ah Yat said.

‘Just Brendan, and if you have any cornflakes that’d be great. Otherwise, whatever’s going,’ my father said.

‘Just some fruit and toast, please,’ my mother said.

Ah Yat nodded, smiled, and disappeared. Both my parents jumped.

‘No cornflakes,’ I said. ‘She’s gone to buy you some.’

‘Speaking of armour, I must have some made for you,’ John said.

‘Don’t worry about it. Right now, every attack’s an ambush so there’s no point,’ I said. ‘And how come I came back with clothes on last night? I shouldn’t have been able to conjure them.’

‘What are you talking about?’ my father said.

‘When we transform, we lose the clothes. Of course,’ John said.

‘The Tiger loves it,’ I cut in. ‘Shocking exhibitionist.’

‘Anyway,’ John said, glaring at me, ‘we conjure the clothes when we return to human form.’

‘But I shouldn’t have been able to do that,’ I said.

‘Obviously the Serpent in you could,’ John said. ‘The stone was right: we must start some more advanced training with you. Who knows what you’ll be able to do? Try something now,’ he said, sitting straighter. ‘Try calling me.’

I thought hard at him.

‘Nothing,’ he said, sounding disappointed.

I shrugged. ‘Not surprising. The snake’s probably hiding right now.’

Ah Yat appeared with the cornflakes and placed the breakfast things on the table in front of my parents.

‘Thanks,’ my father said and poured the cereal. ‘How old are you, John?’

‘I have no idea,’ John said.

‘You look about forty or forty-five,’ my mother said.

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Far too old for me.’

‘I’m probably in the region of four to four and a half thousand years old,’ John said amiably. ‘I have no recollection of being born. I don’t know exactly when I gained consciousness. I joined with the Serpent about three and a half thousand years ago.’

My parents stared at him, speechless.

‘About three thousand years ago the human form was Raised and I was promoted to Dark Emperor,’ John said, almost to himself. ‘Celestial General. That sort of thing.’

‘And you still haven’t grown up,’ I said. ‘Tea, Ceylon. Toast with peanut butter, please, Ah Yat.’

Ah Yat disappeared again.

‘Must have run out of peanut butter,’ I said. ‘Don’t know why all the demons like it so much. Remind me later to ask her for a shopping list—we can order in bulk on the internet, have it delivered, and she can stop flitting around like that. People at the supermarket will notice.’

‘She probably changes her form if she has to go twice in a row,’ John said.

‘Eat,’ I said, gesturing towards my parents. ‘You’ll get used to it.’

‘Why black?’ my mother said. ‘You only wear black. Everything. And Tiger the other night—he called you a Black Turtle. What was that about?’

‘You know the Suzy Wong reference?’ I said, and she nodded. ‘Well, Black Turtle is Cantonese street slang for pimp. The turtle in general is renowned for its…’ I grinned at John, ‘behaviour, and there are a lot of nasty insults surrounding it. It’s not a good idea to say the word anywhere near anybody.’

Ah Yat appeared with a jar of peanut butter in her hand. She put it on the table in front of me.

‘Did you pay for that?’ I said.

Ah Yat didn’t reply; she just turned and busied herself at the sink.

‘You dishonour us, Ah Yat,’ I said. ‘Later, you will go back there, pick up one of these, pay for it and put it back on the shelf, and that is an order.’

‘I’m a turtle egg,’ John said.

Ah Yat silently collapsed over the sink.

‘See?’ I said. ‘He just called himself a motherless bastard.’

‘Well, I am,’ John said mildly. ‘I have no idea as to my origins or heritage. I just am.’

Ah Yat disappeared.

‘Damn. I wish you’d stop doing that,’ I said. ‘It’ll take ages for her to pull herself together and come back.’ I turned to my parents. ‘What would you like to do today? Would you like to see the Academy? Some kung fu? The students would love to show you.’

‘Anything you like will be fine with us, Emma,’ my mother said weakly.

‘Sunday, Emma,’ John said.

‘Oh yeah, I forgot,’ I said. ‘I’ll find Simone and let Leo go. He should have said something.’

‘Go,’ John said.

Leo and Simone were working with the sword together. Simone was using my weapon.

‘Can you make it sing, Simone?’ I said.

‘Watch this.’ Simone put the sword out in front of her and stilled. The sword made a pure resounding note of indescribable beauty. Simone ran it through a gentle scale, each note making the air vibrate in harmony. The sound stopped and she relaxed.

Leo and I stared at her with awe.

‘That was wonderful,’ I said. ‘How come it sounds so splendid for you?’

‘I used shen,’ Simone said, ‘not chi.’

‘Does Mr Chen know you can do that?’ Leo said.

Simone smiled and shook her head.

‘We need to let Leo have his day off, Simone,’ I said. ‘I’m still having breakfast with my mum and dad. Want to sit with us?’

‘Sure,’ Simone said. ‘I forgot, Leo, sorry. You go.’

Leo saluted us both and went out without saying a word.

‘Can you do shen work apart from that, Simone?’ I said as we went down the hall together.

‘No. Just that. I did it by accident the first time. It sounds really pretty.’

We went into the kitchen together.

‘Hello, Mrs Donahoe, Mr Donahoe,’ Simone said.

‘Hello, dear,’ my mother said. ‘Are you okay after last night? You weren’t too scared?’

John grabbed his teapot and cup, nodded to my parents, and rose.

‘Wait!’ I said quickly, and he stopped in the doorway. ‘Did you know that Simone can make the sword sing with shen?’

John glanced sharply at Simone, then returned to the table and put down the pot and cup. He pulled Simone to sit in his lap.

‘You put shen into Emma’s sword?’ he said.

‘It sounds really pretty when you use shen, Daddy,’ Simone said. ‘Much nicer than when you use chi.’

‘Don’t try to use ching, you’re too little,’ John said sternly.

‘Don’t be silly, Daddy,’ Simone said. ‘Of course not.’

My parents silently watched the exchange, bewildered.

‘Good,’ he said gently. ‘Can you hold out your hands for me and put some shen into them?’

‘Is that okay to do?’

‘It should be all right while I’m holding you.’

Simone held her hands out and concentrated. A ball of pure silvery-white shen energy appeared above her outstretched palms.

My mother gasped quietly.

‘How much do you have, do you think?’ he said.

‘I don’t know. There’s still a lot inside me.’

‘Put it back, sweetheart.’

The shen disappeared.

‘Is she already Immortal, John?’ I said. ‘You said only Immortals can work with shen.’

John put his hand on Simone’s forehead and concentrated. ‘No.’

‘Well then, why can she do that?’

He smiled gently. ‘Because she is who she is. Same as you.’ He rested his chin on the top of her head. ‘Don’t do that too much, sweetheart, it can be dangerous. Don’t do it unless I’m watching you.’

‘Okay, Daddy,’ Simone said. ‘Where’s Ah Yat? I’m hungry.’

‘You’re always hungry when you’re working with energy,’ I said.

Ah Yat appeared. ‘Yes, my Princess?’

‘Can I have some ramen, please, Ah Yat?’

Ah Yat bowed slightly. ‘My Lady.’

‘I have work to do. I’ll leave you to it,’ John said. ‘When you want to go out, call me. I’ll take you. There may be strays.’ He nodded to my parents. ‘Brendan, Barbara.’ He rose and gently slid Simone onto the chair. ‘Don’t do shen work unless I’m with you.’

‘What about the sword?’

‘That too.’

‘Okay, Daddy.’ Simone hopped off the chair and went to the fridge to find some apple juice.

Emma, I need to talk to you, John said silently. Come with me into my office.

‘I’ll be right back,’ I said to my parents. I glanced at my tea. ‘I’ll never finish this.’

Bring it with you.

‘Good idea.’

My parents stared at me as if I was completely crazy.

‘I am completely crazy,’ I said. ‘I’d have to be to put up with this.’

Too true.

‘Enough!’ I picked up my teacup and went out with John. Simone watched us go, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Daddy just likes annoying you sometimes, she said silently.

‘I will make a rule about this if you two don’t stop it,’ I said fiercely.

‘What’s going on?’ my father said.

‘You explain to them, Simone,’ I said. ‘Since you’re so clever.’

I stopped at the doorway and watched. Simone concentrated on my parents over the top of her apple juice. They both jumped as if stung.

John sat behind his desk and I took one of the visitor’s chairs. The desk was in an even worse mess than usual, probably a result of the end-of-year budgeting and the recruitment of the new novices.

‘I wish I had time to go through this room properly,’ I said. ‘When my parents have left, I’ll spend a whole day in here sorting this lot out. Even the Sanskrit.’

‘Go right ahead.’ He leaned forward over the desk. ‘What Simone just did is exceptional.’

‘I thought so,’ I said. ‘She’s not even on the Celestial Plane.’

‘Only the very few of the very largest of us can do that.’ He leaned back and retied his hair. ‘And she’s not even Immortal yet.’

‘You mean she may end up more powerful than you? I find that difficult to believe.’

‘I don’t think so. But she will certainly outshine many on the Plane. Emma, listen carefully.’

‘I’m listening.’

‘Stone.’

‘My Lord,’ the stone in my ring said.

‘Record this.’

‘Very good, my Lord.’

‘Emma, I’m just having the stone record this so that you don’t need to remember all of it. You and the stone can pass the instructions on to the Masters. Here goes.’ He leaned his elbows on the desk. ‘After I’m gone, I want Simone to learn travel, advanced energy weapons, summoning, and yin.’

‘Yin?’ the stone said.

‘Record. Do not comment,’ John said. ‘I want her to learn level three binding. Up to level ninety taming. Shen; all aspects of shen work. If I have not returned by the time she is twenty years old, then ching as well. I want her to have Dark Heavens immediately both myself and Leo are gone. And when she is fourteen years old, Gold is to bring down Seven Stars for her.’

‘When she’s only fourteen?’ I said softly.

‘Yes. Unfortunately, nobody else besides me knows how to make it shine, so I’ll tell you now, just in case.’

‘I’ve never seen it shine,’ I said.

‘I wish you could,’ John said, looking me straight in the eye. ‘Right now I can’t do it; I need to be near full strength and in Celestial Form. It is a sight to see. Hopefully you can pass the information on to Simone, and she will be able to make the sword resonate.’ He glanced at the stone. ‘Record this carefully.’

‘I really am most profoundly honoured, my Lord,’ the stone said softly. ‘Are you sure you want to tell me this?’

‘I think when Simone is about fourteen she will take some sort of Celestial Form,’ John said. ‘Based on what she did this morning, it is quite possible.’ He dropped his head and grimaced. ‘I won’t see it.’

‘What about a True Form?’ I said.

He smiled and shrugged. ‘No idea. I like to think she will be a Serpent, as you are.’ He obviously had a sudden thought. ‘Stop recording, stone.’

‘My Lord,’ the stone said.

‘Emma,’ he said, studying me intensely, ‘you never named your own sword. Why not?’

‘I just felt it was too pretentious.’

‘It’s easier to refer to the weapon by name, you know. Immortals can call weapons to them when the weapons have names.’

I sighed. ‘I know. I just didn’t feel right about it. It’s just my weapon, nothing special. Same as me, nothing special.’

He made a soft sound of amusement but didn’t rise to it. ‘Did it occur to you that the blade may already have a name?’

‘No, not at all,’ I said. ‘I never really thought about it too much, it was just my weapon. But I think I should give it to Simone now. It sings much more sweetly for her.’

‘It is the Silver Serpent.’

‘You’re joking. The sword’s name is the Serpent?’

‘That is the Serpent?’ the stone said.

‘Yes,’ he said to both of us. ‘Begin recording again.’

‘My Lord,’ the stone said.

John looked down at his hands. ‘To make Seven Stars resonate, Simone must be able to take a Celestial Form. Then she needs to light all the cauldrons and open all the gates. Do you know what a chakra is, Emma?’

‘I know. But that’s an Indian thing, not Chinese at all. You have dan tian, cauldrons and gates, not chakras.’

‘Same thing,’ John said. ‘Three cauldrons, the three dan tian. Three gates. One Inner Eye. Each corresponds to a chakra, there are seven altogether. There are seven cavities on the sword. One for each star, one for each chakra. She will need to load the sword with her own chakras for it to shine.’

‘That will be an incredibly difficult process to master,’ the stone said with awe. ‘One wrong step and she could destroy herself.’

‘I am well aware of that,’ John said. ‘I think she will be able to do it.’

‘She’ll be projecting her own dan tian into the sword?’ I said softly.

‘Yes. The sword will become perfectly aligned with her. She and the sword will protect each other. Part of her consciousness will enter the sword.’ His eyes turned inwards and he smiled. ‘The experience is incredibly euphoric when you do it right. The destructive power of the loaded weapon is immeasurable.’

‘Under what circumstances would she need to use it, though? There probably won’t be any demons that she’ll need to fear anyway, once she’s all the way there.’

‘You are quite right, Emma,’ John said. ‘She will only need to use it if faced by an overwhelming force.’ He leaned back. ‘Now, go and talk to your parents.’

‘How long do we have, Xuan Wu?’

His face went rigid. ‘Not long.’