Blue Dragon

CHAPTER TWENTY

On Saturday evening I was in my room when the sound of the television blasted out. It was guitar music, a sweet riff that meandered through the scales, but Simone had it awfully loud. I hesitated before I went in to ask her to turn it down; I was enjoying it, but John would want the volume lowered if he was meditating.

I opened the door to the television room and found Simone directly on the other side, about to emerge. ‘You need to turn that down, Simone,’ I said. ‘If you’re going out, don’t forget to turn the television off.’

‘It’s not on,’ Simone said. ‘That’s Daddy.’

I turned and listened. ‘That’s Daddy?’

She nodded. ‘I’ve never heard him play that before. I didn’t know it was his.’

We went to the music room together, and hesitated outside.

‘Let’s leave him,’ I said.

Come on in.

We shrugged and entered. The music stopped.

‘Don’t stop, Daddy,’ Simone said. ‘I like it.’

John returned the black electric guitar to its stand, then switched off the amp in the corner. ‘You do? I’m awfully rusty.’

‘That was rusty?’ I said. ‘That was wonderful.’

‘You both like it?’ he said. ‘Michelle…’ He stopped.

‘Mummy didn’t like it?’ Simone said.

John didn’t say anything, he just shook his head.

‘Well,’ I said, ‘we like it, so you’re going to play it for us right now.’

‘Yeah,’ Simone said, climbing on the piano stool. ‘Play for us.’

I leaned against the stand holding the guzheng, next to the wall. It was a horizontal stringed instrument, similar to a Western zither. ‘Do you play this too?’ I said, ‘I really like guzheng.’ I plucked one of the strings absently.

‘No, Emma!’ Simone shouted, but it was too late.

The force of the blast threw me across the room and I slammed side-on into the piano. The keys hit me in the ribs and I fell over.

John and Simone both rushed to me.

‘Careful you don’t touch her, Daddy,’ Simone said as she took my hand. ‘Now it’s okay.’

‘Are you badly injured?’ John said with concern, taking my other hand.

I checked myself internally. ‘Cracked ribs and a bruised liver. Give me a couple of minutes to heal it and I’ll be as good as new.’

Neither of them said anything; they just held my hands and watched me as I started to move the energy.

‘What hit me?’ I said as I moved the energy through my ribs.

‘That is the Celestial guzheng,’ John said. ‘The one that carries the Mark—’

‘—of Six Fingers? That’s Six Fingers’ guzheng?’ I said, my voice hoarse.

‘I thought you knew,’ he said.

‘That thing’s legendary.’

‘So am I,’ John said with amusement. ‘I think you’ve ruined the piano. The whole front of it is smashed in.’

‘Yay! No piano practice!’ Simone cried with glee.

‘Simone, are you okay?’ I said.

‘I’m fine,’ Simone said. ‘Somehow it went right through me and didn’t touch me.’

Leo tapped on the door and entered. He stopped when he saw us. ‘What the hell happened here?’

Simone giggled. ‘Silly Emma touched the guzheng.’

‘You were supposed to tell me what to avoid,’ I said fiercely from the floor. ‘When I first came to work here, you showed me around, but you didn’t mention that thing at all.’

‘Oh, by the way, Miss Donahoe,’ Leo said, moving further into the room to tower over me, ‘the Chinese musical instrument in the music room used to belong to a demon. It’s enchanted, and if you play it, it will destroy just about everything around it, so don’t touch it.’

‘Oh, so now you tell me.’

‘Shut up and heal yourself,’ John said. ‘It’ll take all day if you keep talking like this.’

‘Yeah, Emma, you can talk underwater,’ Simone said cheekily.

John and I shared a look.

‘Leo, take Simone out,’ John said, releasing my hand. ‘I’ll stay here and supervise Emma.’

Neither of them said a word as they left the room.

‘Concentrate, Emma, you can do this,’ John said. ‘Do you want me to put on some music?’

‘Some of your music?’ I said with derision. ‘That would make it take ten times longer.’

‘Suit yourself.’

‘I checked some of that German stuff you play. I found translations to the lyrics. Some of it’s really dark, John.’

‘I only play clean disks,’ John said. ‘Hard as they are to find. And since those ones are in German it doesn’t really matter.’

‘Some of the music you like is very dark.’

‘Dark is my first name.’ He pulled himself up, went out, and quickly returned with a cushion from the couch in the television room. He fell to one knee and passed it to me. ‘Put this under your head.’

I pushed the pillow under my head and made myself comfortable on the floor. I moved the energy from my ribs to my liver. A lot of the soft tissue had been crushed and it would take some time to bring it back. I worked carefully; soft tissue was much more fiddly to heal than simple cuts or breaks.

‘Good,’ John said. ‘You’re doing very well.’

‘Have you ever killed a human, John?’

He looked me in the eyes and didn’t say anything.

‘How many?’

He remained silent.

‘When was the last time?’

He flopped onto the floor to sit cross-legged next to me. ‘Nanjing. A long time ago.’

‘Tell me,’ I said softly as I moved the energy through my liver.

‘I’m very old, Emma. I’ve been around for a long time. I am the Arts of War. I am yin incarnate: cold, darkness, death. And times change.’

‘Tell me. Nanjing.’

‘They were mad.’ He looked away. ‘Berserk. Crazed. They killed everything in their path. Some of them did it in cold blood as well.’ He turned back to me. ‘Humans are astonishing sometimes.’

I didn’t say anything.

‘They were killing children,’ he said softly. ‘The children of my people; my children.’

‘How many?’

‘Them or us?’

‘Them.’

He dropped his head. ‘I have no idea.’ He raised his head and gazed at me. ‘A lot.’

‘You protected your children.’

He dropped his head and was silent again.

I concentrated on the energy in my liver. Some of the damage was very deep. I would be sore for a while.

‘They were your children as well,’ I said. ‘They are all subjects of the Eastern Centre.’

‘I know,’ he said softly, almost a moan of pain. ‘And they are all human, regardless of the Centre. They are the ones who seem to ignore that fact the most.’

‘Have you ever killed anyone in cold blood?’

He wiped his hand over his face. ‘Everything I kill, I kill in cold blood, Emma. I am cold-blooded.’

‘Have you ever killed anyone without honour?’

‘Nearly everybody I killed was without honour.’

‘No,’ I said, ‘I meant, have you killed anybody in a dishonourable way? Have you ever stabbed anybody in the back?’

He pulled his knees into his chest with his ankles crossed and wrapped his arms around them. ‘Of course not. But I can’t really see how that makes a difference. Dead is dead.’

‘You know I love you anyway, and I always will,’ I said. ‘I know you. I know you have only killed when there was no other alternative. And I know that times have changed. What was acceptable even a hundred years ago is completely unthinkable now.’

He dropped his arms from his knees and moved away. ‘You are much wiser than your years, little Emma Donahoe.’

I sighed and finished healing my liver. I rounded up the energy and put it back. I sat up and the room spun around me. ‘I need to sleep now.’

Leo opened the door and entered. He didn’t say anything, he just came to me and put one massive hand under my arm to help me up. He lifted me as if I didn’t weigh anything.

I leaned on him as he led me back to my room. He scooped me up and put me on the bed, pulled off my slippers, and tucked me in like a parent. He kissed me on the cheek and brushed his hand over my forehead.

‘He hasn’t played that guitar since Michelle died. He’d only play it when she wasn’t around, before.’

‘He’s very good,’ I said.

‘One of the best. You brought it back for him.’

‘I don’t deserve him,’ I said softly.

‘I know,’ he said, his voice a low rumble. ‘You don’t deserve any of us.’

‘I know,’ I whispered as I drifted away.

The next day was Sunday and both John and Leo forced me to rest so I could heal. Simone demanded sushi for lunch, and John and I trailed along. She loved raw fish so much it was like she was a sea creature herself. We could find something vegetarian later.

It was only a half hour wait before we were given three stools at the bar in front of the conveyor belt that held the small plates of covered sushi.

‘Can you come to the end of term concert, Daddy?’ Simone said as she munched on her third plate of raw tuna.

‘When is it, sweetheart?’

Simone quickly swallowed. ‘I don’t know. Emma knows.’

‘I’ll talk to your daddy about it,’ I said. ‘We’ll look at his diary.’

‘Then you don’t need to talk to him,’ Simone said cheekily. ‘He doesn’t do his own diary. You and Two Five One do it.’

‘That’s right,’ John said. ‘I can’t do anything without my Emma. Are you in the concert?’

Simone nodded, her eyes wide.

‘Then I’ll come.’

Simone squealed and hugged him, dropping her chopsticks. ‘Whoops.’

I gave her a new set of chopsticks from the box on the bench. ‘There’s hardly any vegetarian sushi going past,’ I said, watching the plates meander on the conveyer belt in front of us. ‘It’s all raw salmon and seaweed, and I’ve already had seaweed.’

The conveyer belt had a mirror behind it, reflecting the dishes. I saw something in the glass and froze. I spun on my stool to look out through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind us. The busy street was packed with people, but I was right.

‘April Ho just went past, John,’ I said urgently. ‘By herself.’

John concentrated and Gold appeared, crouched under the bench.

‘Mind Simone,’ John said.

Gold nodded and pulled himself out to sit on a stool. Nobody noticed. John and I hurried out of the sushi bar and followed April along the busy Causeway Bay street.

‘April!’ I called, and she hesitated, then continued.

‘April! April Ho!’

April stopped and turned. She looked around, saw me, but didn’t appear to recognise me. She turned to continue walking.

‘April Li!’ I called again, using her maiden name and running to her. She stopped and turned. I grinned as I approached her. ‘It’s so good to see you! I was worried about you.’

Her face was stiff. ‘Do I know you?’

‘It’s me, Emma,’ I said with a huge grin. ‘I haven’t changed that much, have I? Look.’ I gestured towards John behind me. ‘You can finally meet him. John Chen Wu.’

‘Pleased to meet you, April,’ John said politely. ‘I hear you had a baby not long ago. Congratulations.’

April’s face went even more rigid. ‘I think you are talking to the wrong person.’

I studied her closely. ‘April, it’s me, Emma.’

I think she’s had her memory wiped.

I inhaled sharply. ‘April, you went to China and had your baby.’

‘I have no idea what you are talking about.’ She spun and walked quickly away.

I raced to follow and walked alongside her. ‘April, it’s me, Emma. Don’t you remember me? We looked at your wedding photos.’

‘I am not married,’ April said grimly.

‘You were pregnant, April!’ I said desperately. ‘You were living in Discovery Bay. You went to China and had the baby, by caesarean. The ultrasound scans showed it was a boy.’

‘I do not think this is funny,’ April said, walking faster.

‘What about Andy?’ I said.

April stopped. ‘How do you know about Andy?’

‘He’s your husband,’ I said.

‘Not yet,’ April said through the frown. ‘I am marrying him in Australia later this year, and then we are going to Australia to live there together.’

Memory’s definitely been wiped. You’re wasting your time, Emma. She doesn’t know you at all. I wonder what happened to the baby. The grandparents had to know about it…

‘Oh, dear God,’ I said softly. ‘You’re getting married? What did your family say?’

April pushed her face right into mine, her features screwed up in a fierce grimace. ‘My family were killed in a car accident in Australia earlier this year.’ She put her hand to her forehead and saddened. ‘I don’t know why I’m telling you this, I don’t even know you.’

‘We were friends at the kindergarten.’

‘What kindergarten?’

‘Kitty Kwok’s kindergarten,’ I said. ‘Saint LaSalle Kindergarten, in Kowloon Tong.’

April’s face lit up. ‘Aunty Kitty looks after me.’ She took my hand and shook it. ‘If you know Aunty Kitty then you are a friend. She has been wonderful, caring for me after my family were all killed.’ She saddened again. ‘I shouldn’t be out like this; she says I’m not ready to be shopping by myself. But I wanted to go out for a while. I haven’t been out in a long time.’

‘Come with me, April. I’ll look after you,’ I said, squeezing her hand.

April’s mobile phone rang and she pulled it out of her bag. It still had the glittering aerial that flashed with coloured lights when it rang, but she had changed the pink furry Hello Kitty case for a blue Doraemon one.

‘Wei?’ she squawked into the phone. She smiled, pulled the phone away from her ear and pointed at it. ‘Aunty Kitty,’ she whispered. She put the phone back to her ear. ‘Yes, Aunty Kitty. I’m on Canal Street in Causeway Bay, I just went for a walk around.’ Her shoulders sagged as Kitty’s shouts were audible at the other end of the line. ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘I’ll be right back.’

She closed the phone and brightened. ‘Do you want to come with me and see Kitty? Our apartment is close by.’

‘Where is it?’ I said.

‘It’s…’ April hesitated, then turned, pointing. She stopped and her face went blank. ‘I don’t remember.’

They’re coming to collect her. Very big demons. Let’s get out of here.

‘What’s your phone number?’ I said.

April’s face was completely blank. ‘I don’t know. What’s yours?’

Don’t give it to her. They’ll know it’s you and probably try to use it to get to you. She’ll be safer if they aren’t aware that you’ve talked to her. John stiffened. We have to get out of here right now.

‘Bye, April,’ he said, and gestured for me to follow him.

‘Bye,’ April said, her face still blank.

I glanced back as we raced away. She stood on the pavement with people flowing around her. She seemed completely lost. Some burly men appeared behind her and spoke to her. She turned, one of them took her elbow, and they led her away. She glanced back, looking for me. She didn’t see me.

Back at the sushi bar I threw myself onto my stool and put my head in my hands. ‘I will get that bitch one day,’ I whispered, so softly that Simone couldn’t hear me. ‘April trusted Kitty. Look where it got her.’

They are taking a huge risk by not killing her immediately, John said. Why didn’t they kill her the minute they had the baby? They had no problem with killing her entire family. Why have they kept her and wiped her memory?

‘Even worse, what have they done with the baby?’ I whispered.

‘Hurry up and finish your sushi, Simone,’ John said. ‘We’re going home and having another energy session.’

‘Oh, come on, Daddy,’ Simone whined. ‘We spent the whole morning on sword. I want to rest.’

John dropped his head. ‘Okay, sweetheart. Tell me if I tire you out too much.’

‘Lately it seems to be all we do,’ Simone grumbled. ‘Just wushu. Nothing fun.’

‘It’s not fun any more, sweetheart?’ I said, my heart breaking. ‘It’s never been not fun before. You’ve always enjoyed it a lot.’

‘Too much,’ Simone said, still grumbling. ‘I want to spend a whole day having fun instead.’

‘Right,’ John said, putting his hands on either side of the stack of plates in front of him. ‘Tomorrow, we will have fun. No wushu at all. What would you like to do?’

‘Tomorrow’s a school day, John,’ I said softly.

‘We’re skipping school for a day and having some fun, Emma,’ John said. ‘Simone can go anywhere she likes.’

Simone squeaked with delight. ‘Anywhere?’

‘Anywhere.’

Simone jiggled. ‘I don’t know where I want to go. What I want to do. Can I think about it?’

‘You sure can,’ John said. ‘You can tell me later. Okay. Are we finished?’

Simone and I both nodded.

‘Both of you ate more than me,’ John said, waving his hand at the stacks of plates on the counter in front of us.

‘Simone ate the most,’ I said. ‘So she has to pay.’

John levered himself off the stool and took Simone’s hand to help her down. ‘That’s right. I’m not paying for you to eat all this food when I can’t have anything.’

Simone glanced at me, her face cheeky. ‘Next time we come without Daddy.’

I was about to open my mouth to say something cheeky back when I saw John’s face. It was completely rigid.

Next time we would be coming without Daddy, and Daddy knew it.

When we arrived home, Simone went straight into the television room and sat in front of the TV, zoning out. We left her and went into John’s office together.

‘Andy didn’t want to stay married to April. He wanted her to have an abortion,’ I said.

‘He asked her for a divorce?’

I suddenly remembered. ‘No, he didn’t. He wanted her to stay married to him, just out of the way. But he did want her to have an abortion.’

‘Why wouldn’t they want the baby? The baby was probably the whole point of the exercise.’

I ran my hands through my hair. ‘It was a boy, John. The ultrasounds showed it was a boy. April told me so herself.’

He was obviously confused. ‘But if you’re traditional, a boy is better. Why would he want her to abort a boy?’

‘Because they wanted a girl.’

He suddenly understood. ‘Simone.’

‘Or me.’

‘The copy of you in the dumpster.’

‘But I’m thirty years old, John. They couldn’t make a baby into a copy of me. It’s just not possible.’

‘You know that demons are hatched fully grown, Emma.’

‘But this one is at least half human! How could it be hatched?’

He rubbed his hands over his face and tied back his hair. ‘I don’t know. I have never encountered anything like this before. I have no idea how they are making these copies. I suspect that April’s baby boy was used in the experimentation and they let her keep the baby when they realised it could be useful. But that is just an educated guess.’

‘We have to go in and get her out,’ I said fiercely. ‘She’s my friend.’

‘We have no idea where she is.’

‘She’s in Causeway Bay. Somewhere. With a lot of big demons.’

‘You will go in and face that many powerful demons?’

‘Yes,’ I said firmly. ‘To help my friend, I will.’

‘Simone needs you, Emma,’ John said. ‘Simone needs both of us. They have not harmed April. She does not appear to be in any danger; in fact, she said that Kitty is caring for her.’

I couldn’t believe it. ‘You don’t think we should go in?’

‘I would love to go in and clean out that nest. But right now we are unable. We must protect Simone.’ His voice softened. ‘We have no choice, Emma. Our first duty is to Simone. She is the one who is in real, immediate danger here.’

‘Send in some Disciples.’

‘No.’

I glared at him.

‘I will not send my Dark Disciples against a powerful demon on its own turf. That would be a useless waste of life.’

‘Send in some Celestials.’

‘The Celestials are protecting the human Disciples, Emma.’ He sighed and leaned his elbows on the table. ‘Face it. Right now, there’s nothing we can do.’

I crossed my arms on the table and dropped my head onto them. He was right.