Red Phoenix

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

The graduation was being held in a large hall in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, right next to the entrance to the Central Harbour Tunnel on Kowloon side. It was a huge squatting mass of brown-tiled buildings beside the five-lane entrance to the tunnel.

There was no parking on the grounds of the university for us; instead, we parked in the enormous ten-storey affair right next to the Hung Hom KCR railway interchange and the Hong Kong Coliseum. The Coliseum was a towering upside-down pyramid used for canto-pop concerts.

We took the pedestrian overpass from the car park, walking over the entrance to the Central Harbour Tunnel to the university on the other side. The centre of the campus was open space with the buildings flanking us on all sides. John glanced around appraisingly as we walked through the gardens to the auditorium. I knew what he was thinking.

‘Just remember,’ John said as we parted outside the changing room, ‘we’ll be able to sense anything coming in, and will send either Jade or Gold right to you.’

‘I’ll be fine,’ I said. ‘Go back to the auditorium. Look after my parents. They’re the ones that they’re after.’

‘We are all the ones that they’re after,’ he said. He smiled into my eyes. ‘I am so proud of you.’

‘Just go,’ I said impatiently.

The changing room was packed with people talking loudly and getting ready. I stopped inside the door and checked carefully. As far as I could tell, everybody was an ordinary human. I lined up, received my robes, and then found a corner to drop my gear.

‘Once you are robed, please take your place in the line for the procession. The ceremony will commence shortly,’ Jan said loudly from near the door.

I was right after the Chows. There were about a dozen of them collecting awards. Everybody stopped and carefully smiled for the camera as they received their certificate. I made sure that I did too; John had demanded that I stop so that he could take a photo.

When the ceremony was finished, everybody met and mingled in a reception room. John took photos of me with all the members of our family, even Jade and Gold. Leo gave me a huge hug. Simone was overexcited and starting to tire. My parents couldn’t stop grinning.

‘Time to go home,’ I said to everybody. ‘Enough. Let me return my robes, and we’ll head off.’

I made a quick detour to thank Jan, then went back to the changing room to return the robes. Jade went with me, just in case. Absolutely nothing happened.

We threaded our way back through the gardens to the overpass that would take us back to the Hung Hom car park. There was nobody for miles.

‘Stay alert,’ John said quietly.

‘Can you sense anything?’ I said.

‘No,’ John said, looking around. ‘Anybody else?’

‘Nothing,’ Simone said. Jade and Gold shook their heads silently as they walked beside us, guarding the flanks.

We walked over the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. There were a few people on the overpass, and some hawkers selling fake CDs and designer handbags.

‘Nothing,’ John said softly.

The other end of the overpass turned left into a long, enclosed walkway lit with glaring neon. There weren’t many people there. I began to feel extremely nervous. Our footsteps echoed eerily through the tunnel. It was unusual for the underpass to have so few people. It was normally very busy with people walking from the Polytechnic and Tsim Sha Tsui East to the Hung Hom station.

‘Anything?’ Leo said under his breath. ‘Something doesn’t feel right.’

‘If anything happens,’ John said, ‘Jade, take Simone, Gold, take Mrs Donahoe. Get them out of it.’

Jade and Gold were silent.

‘What?’ I said.

‘Simone is already too big for either of us to carry,’ Jade said, miserable.

‘I suppose I should be pleased,’ John growled. ‘But this is not exactly the best time for you to tell me this.’

‘Don’t be silly, Jade,’ Simone said. ‘I’m much smaller than Mrs Donahoe.’

‘On the inside you are already bigger than a human being, my Lady,’ Gold said. ‘You are a very special person.’

‘Oh.’

‘Emma’s parents, then,’ John said under his breath. ‘If you have to, get them out.’

My mother made a small gasping sound and I moved to take her hand. ‘We’ll be fine.’

The entrance to the Hung Hom KCR station was directly ahead. We turned right out of the tunnel into a dead end. It was the lobby for the lifts to go up to the car park. John glanced around the lift lobby. ‘Something does not feel right.’

‘Can you sense any demons nearby?’ I said as John pressed the button for the lift.

‘No,’ he said. ‘Jade? Gold?’

‘Nothing, my Lord,’ Gold said. ‘But something definitely does not feel right. Something feels…’ He hesitated. ‘Something feels very wrong.’

My mother clutched my hand so tightly it was painful.

‘You’ll be fine, Mum,’ I said. ‘If anything happens, you’ll be right out of here.’

‘But what about you, sweetheart?’ she said. ‘I can’t leave you here alone.’

‘I’ll be fine,’ I said. ‘We can all take care of ourselves.’

The lift doors opened and my mother screamed.

It was definitely some sort of demon hybrid. It appeared to be made of stone, about three metres tall. It had to bend to come out of the lift. It was roughly human shaped, but it had no recognisable features. It was brown and coarse and seemed to have been put together quickly.

We moved to put my parents and Simone behind us. The demon walked casually out of the lift and stood menacingly over us.

I felt them before I heard them. Their footsteps made the ground tremble. More of them. A lot more of them. They appeared on our left, coming out of the tunnel. No wonder John had not sensed them coming. They were earth elementals. Fake ones. Water was destroyed by earth.

‘Shit,’ John said quietly. ‘I can’t see them at all. How many are there?’

‘Jade, Gold,’ I said, ‘do it. Get them out of here now.’

‘We can’t,’ Jade said. ‘The way out is blocked.’

‘Simone,’ I said, ‘call a Celestial Master. We’re getting you out of here.’

‘I’m calling a few Masters,’ John said. ‘Damn!’

‘Blocked,’ Simone said. ‘Can’t call anybody.’

‘Stone?’ I said.

‘Sorry, my Lady, they have us silenced,’ the stone said. ‘There are about thirty of them, my Lord, ranging from about level thirty to level sixty or sixty-five.’

‘I killed its Mother!’ Leo said desperately. ‘How could it make things that big?’

‘They are fake stone elementals,’ the stone continued. ‘They have used sacred stones from circles in Europe to make them; they are extremely powerful Eastern-Western hybrids. The Jade Emperor is going to be monumentally pissed.’

‘Not as much as I am,’ John growled. ‘I can’t see them at all. Wait.’ He stopped and concentrated. ‘Not even with the Inner Eye. Emma, take the others and run. Get out of here. I’ll try to hold them off.’

‘Nowhere to run, my love. We’re trapped.’ I gestured towards the tunnel. ‘There are at least thirty of them blocking the way.’

‘Weapons?’ John said.

‘Sorry,’ Gold said, his voice full of remorse. ‘This is it.’

‘Mum, Dad, I am so sorry about this,’ I said.

‘Brendan, Barbara, listen to me,’ John said quietly. ‘Stay in the corner, stay very still and stay quiet. They don’t want you, they want us. They will probably ignore you.’

‘Do as he says, Mum, Dad,’ I said softly. ‘He’s right.’

My parents moved into the corner and crouched, clutching each other. Their faces were masks of terror.

‘Simone,’ John said, ‘go over into the corner with Emma’s parents. Jade, Gold. Guard them.’

Simone, Jade and Gold hurried into the corner. Jade and Gold transformed and stood guarding.

‘Please move behind me and allow me the honour of taking point, my Lord, my Lady,’ Leo said, stepping forward. ‘I should be able to stop quite a few of them before I go down.’

Neither John nor I moved. Words weren’t necessary.

‘Granted,’ John said.

Leo moved in front of us. We stood ready, waiting. The demons didn’t shift.

‘What are they waiting for?’ Simone whispered.

John and I shared a look. We knew what they were waiting for.

Simon Wong appeared in front of the massed demons.

‘Where’s your Wudang sword?’ I said loudly.

Wong scowled but didn’t reply.

‘The Tiger broke it in Guangzhou,’ John said.

Wong strode forward and faced us. He was in human form: an ordinary good-looking Chinese guy of about thirty.

‘Where’s the boy?’ he said. ‘I want him too.’

‘He’s with Na Zha,’ I said with satisfaction. ‘Go and find him.’

Wong’s face twisted into a grimace. ‘He’ll keep.’

‘We can take you,’ I said. ‘We can all take you. Even Simone could take you.’

Wong leered at Simone. ‘She gets prettier all the time.’

John stiffened but remained where he was. ‘Try me.’

Wong’s leer widened. ‘Why would I bother? You can see me. You can’t see them. I think I’ll just let them have some fun, and then come back later and collect all the prizes.’

‘You are such a coward,’ I said softly, but he had already disappeared.

I ripped my handbag open and fumbled through it. I found the phone. I shoved it into my pocket and threw my bag to one side.

‘No, Emma!’ John hissed.

‘I won’t use it unless you go down, or Simone is in real danger,’ I said.

John faced the direction of the demons appraisingly without saying a word. Then he nodded once, sharply, and moved fluidly into a guard position. ‘Are you wearing your black jade earrings?’ he said without looking at me.

‘Yes.’

‘Good. I wish I could tell you exactly what I’m thinking right now without endangering you. Don’t come too close to me.’

‘That’s enough for me,’ I said, and readied myself too.

‘I think this has to be the happiest goddamn moment in my entire life,’ Leo said, his voice breaking as he positioned himself in front of us. ‘I cannot tell you how pleased I am to be doing this. My Lord, my Lady, thank you so much. Emma, Simone, you guys stay alive, okay?’

‘We’ll do our damnedest, Leo,’ I said softly. ‘Fight well, my friend.’

The demons approached us, slowly and menacingly. They probably wondered whether John could sense them. Simone rose from the corner and came to stand between us. She took up a guard stance as well.

‘Don’t you dare attempt to fight these, Simone, you stay out of this,’ I said. ‘You are far too little.’

‘I want to help. Besides, I have to learn, Emma,’ she said softly. ‘Daddy’s leaving us soon. And I don’t think Leo will last long against things this big.’

Suddenly it all bubbled up inside me. All of the rage, all of the pain. I was about to explode.

I glared at the demons. This is all your fault. If they weren’t there, we could be happy. I could have my man; this wonderful child would be safe; I could share life with my best friend; we could be together on the Mountain; we could be a family. I suddenly hated them all so much I wanted to tear them to bits. The rage turned to power. My shen grew until my entire body burned. My chi filled my veins with raw fury. My ching flooded through me and made me glow red.

My blood was boiling ice. My head was ready to explode. Something tore in my brain. Something shredded in my gut. I clenched my hands into fists and thrust them forward. I wanted to rip the demons apart with my bare hands.

The power grew inside me until I couldn’t hold it. My skin was too tight. My eyes were too small. I was huge and dark and merciless and I wanted blood and slaughter and death. Blood. Darkness. Destruction.

Something at the base of my skull quietly went click.

Ceiling. Lying on the floor.

John’s head appeared above me. He smiled. His hair fell over his shoulder and brushed my face.

‘Come and help her up, Leo,’ he said, still smiling.

There was silence. Simone whimpered. I sat up and looked around. Leo and Simone were curled up together against the far wall. She clutched him. He appeared to be clutching her just as tightly. When they saw me look at them they both flinched away.

‘Don’t be ridiculous, it’s just Emma,’ John said matter-of-factly. ‘Come and give her a hand up, Leo, she looks dazed.’

‘I’m okay,’ I said. The demons were gone. John knelt on one knee next to me, still with a broad smile on his face. He looked relaxed.

I must have been knocked unconscious. ‘How long have I been out for?’ I rubbed my hand over my forehead. I didn’t feel like I’d been knocked out; I wasn’t dizzy and I didn’t have a headache.

I pulled myself to my feet and had a proper look around. All the demons were definitely gone. Then I felt a shot of anguish. My parents were gone too. Jade and Gold as well. John rose to stand next to me. He was still smiling.

‘Where’s my mum and dad?’

John’s smile disappeared. ‘Worry about them later.’

‘No!’ I shouted. ‘Worry about them now! Where are they?’

‘They are fine. Jade and Gold took them back to the Peak in your car. It was better not to take them directly considering the state they were in.’

‘They’re not fine and you know it,’ Leo said. ‘Her mother was in hysterics and her father was almost catatonic with terror. Gold will probably have to heavily sedate them when he gets them home. I hate to think about the long-term psychological damage of what they just saw. Nobody should have to see what we just did.’

‘They were terrified by the demons?’ I said.

‘No,’ Leo rasped. ‘The demons were nothing compared to what they just saw.’

My legs suddenly felt weak. I leaned against the wall.

‘You know I can’t touch her, Leo,’ John said. ‘She won’t hurt you. You saw what she did. She couldn’t possibly harm you. Come and help her.’

Leo’s voice was a low growl. ‘Is that an order?’

I heard what they said. I felt a shot of panic. Leo glowered at John. He rose and Simone clutched him around his legs. Both of them took a step back when I looked at them.

‘No.’ I sagged down the wall to sit on the floor. I wrapped my arms around my knees. ‘No.’ John’s face was full of compassion; he obviously wasn’t worried. But Leo and Simone were terrified. Of me. ‘No.’

‘We need to go home and help your parents,’ John said mildly.

‘I am not going in the car with that,’ Leo said fiercely, pointing at me.

‘Simone,’ John said. Simone’s head shot up. ‘Come here.’

‘You are completely crazy,’ Leo growled, pulling Simone closer to him. ‘You saw what that thing can do. You’ll let your daughter near that?’

‘That thing is your Lady and you have sworn allegiance.’

I rested my head in my hands. ‘Someone please tell me what happened.’ I looked up. Leo’s face was rigid with a combination of fear and hatred. ‘Leo, it’s me. Please don’t look at me like that.’

‘You sure that’s Emma?’ Leo rasped.

‘That is one hundred per cent pure Emma, my Lady and my love,’ John said calmly. ‘And I guarantee that she will not harm either of you. Did she harm you before? When she changed?’

I’d changed. I collapsed over my knees. Oh my God.

‘Look at her, Leo,’ John said. ‘I won’t order you, but you can see she needs you. Go to her. Simone, go to her. She won’t harm you. She’s just Emma. You love her and she loves you. She’s family. She needs you.’ His voice was strained with anguish. ‘She protected you. Help her!’

I didn’t see her come but I heard her little feet. Simone threw her tiny arms around me. I lunged forward and grabbed her. She stiffened, then realised that I was just clutching her in a huge hug. I pulled her down into my lap. ‘I would never do anything to hurt you, Simone, you know that.’ I looked up at Leo. ‘You too, Leo, you know I love you both dearly.’ I held Simone tighter and buried my face in her hair. ‘For God’s sake, will somebody tell me what happened?’

John came and sat next to me. He put his arm around my shoulders. ‘Do you remember anything?’

I shook my head into Simone’s hair. ‘We should take you home. You are probably exhausted.’

I shook my head again. ‘I’m full of energy. I’m just fine. I don’t feel like I blacked out. I changed?’ My voice thickened even more. ‘Dear God, John, please tell me. What happened to me?’

Simone’s voice was tiny on my chest. ‘You turned into a big black snake monster, Emma.’

We went up to the car in silence. Nobody said anything as John paid for the parking ticket. When we reached the car Leo stopped. ‘I’ll sit in the back with Simone.’ He gestured to John. ‘You drive and keep that thing next to you.’

My insides twisted as if the demon’s sword was inside me. ‘It’s me, Leo. I wouldn’t hurt you in a million years.’

Leo glowered at me as he opened the door to put Simone carefully into the car.

‘Mercy is waiting at home for you. Don’t panic, Emma, you will be fine,’ John said.

John drove the car down the ramp and we merged into the tunnel traffic.

‘What did I do, John? Did I destroy all of those demons?’

John made a soft sound of amusement. ‘You were remarkable. I couldn’t have done better myself. You used both energy and physical attacks. You were lightning fast. They didn’t have a chance. You took out a level sixty-five with energy and then blasted six level fifties. Then you took out all the others in a physical attack that was so fast that even I had trouble following you. I couldn’t see the demons, but I could see what you did to them.’

‘Did I at any time threaten to injure any of you?’ I said, my voice small. But I knew the answer to that question.

‘You knocked Simone off her feet,’ John said mildly.

I suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

‘A demon went for her. You knocked her out of the way and bit its head off.’

‘Yuck.’ I wanted to wipe my mouth. ‘So I was no danger to any of you?’

He could hear me begging for reassurance. ‘Emma, it was you. Of course not.’ He grinned. ‘Leo’s just prejudiced.’

I turned back to look at Leo. His face was taut with restraint. He had his arms folded over his chest. I turned back to the road. ‘How much me?’

‘Interesting question,’ John said. ‘One hundred per cent of you. But that was less than half of it.’ He glanced away from the road to look at me. ‘We will perform some tests when we return home. I’ll have the Tiger look at you. I’d love to have a look inside you myself, but that may not be a good idea. This should be interesting. Oh.’ He stopped and his face filled with wonder. ‘You are very powerful. I may be able to touch you after all.’ His face lit up with a huge grin. ‘Excellent. We must try when we have you home. With Mercy and the Tiger present, we can try under very controlled conditions.’ He banged the steering wheel with his palm. ‘Excellent!’

‘I cannot believe you are pleased,’ Leo said from the back of the car. ‘She was a goddamn snake.’

‘So?’ John said, glancing at Leo in the rear-view mirror.

I turned to see Leo. He lifted his arms in front of his chest, then dropped them, still crossed, in front of him.

‘Some of my best friends are snakes,’ John said mildly.

Leo stared out the window and didn’t say anything.

‘When we return I will accept your resignation,’ John said. ‘Feel free to pack your belongings and leave.’ Simone shrieked with horror. I went rigid with shock. ‘No!’

Leo stiffened and dropped his arms. He put his huge hands on his knees and leaned forward. His voice was ferocious. ‘No way! I am not leaving you! You try to fire me, I’ll camp out at the front door until you take me back in. I am your Retainer and I have vowed to serve you and Simone…’ He hesitated, then plunged on. ‘Until the day I die and there is nothing you can do about it!’

‘Please don’t fire Leo, Daddy,’ Simone said, her voice small. ‘I love him.’

‘Who have you vowed to serve, Leo?’ John said. ‘If you cannot keep your word, you are not worthy to be a Retainer.’

Leo leaned back, his hands still on his knees. He stared out the window.

‘Please don’t do this to him, John,’ I said quietly. Leo studied me, his face expressionless. ‘I understand exactly how you feel, Leo, I’d feel the same way if I were you. I’m horrified myself. I do know I’d never hurt any of you, regardless of what I am. But I understand.’ I knew what I had to do. ‘When we’re home, I’ll formally release you. You can continue to serve the Dark Lord and Simone. You won’t have to have anything to do with me any more if you don’t want to. You can stay with Simone while I’m near, if it makes you feel better. Believe me,’ I looked him right in the eyes, ‘I understand.’

Leo stared out the window again. I turned back to the front.

‘You are entirely undeserving,’ John growled. ‘You do not trust me.’ He gestured with one hand towards me without looking away from the road. ‘This is my Lady. I know her. She may have hidden depths, but she is still her.’ His voice became ice-cold. ‘I cannot begin to describe my disappointment. You let your prejudice overcome you. Five minutes ago you were overjoyed at the prospect of giving your life for her.’

He glanced in the rear-view mirror. ‘Simone.’

Simone’s voice was very small. ‘Yes, Daddy?’

‘Are you frightened of Emma?’

‘Yes, Daddy,’ Simone whispered.

My heart twisted.

‘Do you think she’ll hurt you?’

Simone hesitated. Then, ‘No, she won’t hurt me,’ she said confidently. ‘She’s Emma.’

‘Then why are you frightened of her?’

‘Because she’s scary,’ Simone said. ‘Like your Celestial Form. I’m scared of that too.’ Simone turned to Leo. I couldn’t see her, she was directly behind me. ‘Emma won’t hurt us, she loves us.’

I turned to Leo again. His face was still expressionless.

‘Here we are,’ John said. ‘Let’s go up and have a look at the Snake Lady.’

‘Please don’t call me that,’ I said quietly as I stepped out of the car.