Heaven to Wudang (33 page)

‘Don't be ridiculous, you're not bad luck. It was just coincidence,' I said.

‘I'm sorry, my Lady, but there's no such thing as a coincidence,' Zara said. ‘I am not meant to be worn as jewellery. Both times I have done it, my wearer has died. I do not wish to risk anyone else.'

‘How about being a personal assistant to the Dark Lord himself?' I said.

‘No,' John said.

Zara looked at each of us in turn, her expression bright with hope.

‘Before you even think about it, check out his desk,' I said.

She peered around me to see and her expression changed to disbelief. She glanced from John to his desk and back again.

‘Would you be willing to deal with an impossible man who not only can generate a mess like that in a very short time, but also will complain bitterly after you've cleaned it up that he can't find anything?' I said.

‘But … he's the Dark Lord. Heaven's greatest Champion, Right Hand of the Jade Emperor … the Xuan Wu, the power of yin …'

‘The power of chaos,' I said. ‘Believe me, this is
tidy
.'

‘I'm right here,' John said.

‘Yeah, if you were behind your desk, it would be twice as bad already.' I turned to Zara. ‘All you have to do is say you'll think about it. I know it's a huge step to take, and I can vouch for the fact that it'll be a frustrating and thankless job.'

‘I'm still right here,' John growled.

‘John, a stone would be perfect for this. A diamond's lattice is the most efficient memory storage of all the stones; you'll never lose anything as long as you have her.'

‘Oh, now you're insulting
me
,' Gold said.

I leaned back and kept my face straight. ‘You're mostly quartz, Gold. You're the best timekeeper on the Mountain.'

Zara put her hand over her mouth and collapsed over the table in silent laughter.

‘When can you start?' John said.

Zara straightened and bobbed her head. ‘Immediately, my Lord.'

‘I'll have a desk ornament made for you to sit in, if you like,' I said.

She brightened again. ‘You are too kind, ma'am.'

‘Gold, arrange it,' John said. ‘And now I really must make a move to the other three Bastions. The Winds have been doing the equivalent of swords on rocks in my head since we started talking.'

‘I want to see the recordings around Zara's damage,' I said. ‘Arrange it for when we return, Gold.'

‘Ma'am,' Gold said. ‘Also, about me recruiting —'

‘Already fixed,' I said. ‘We're offering Leo the job.'

‘I hope he takes it,' Gold said. He rose and saluted us. ‘My Lord. My Lady.'

‘May I come with you to the Bastions, my Lord?' Zara said. ‘I would like to start assisting you now, if I may. I am eager.'

‘Very well,' John said. ‘Go ahead of us to the Eastern Palace, warn the Dragon that we're on our way. But before you go, advise the Golden Boy that if he enters our presence again without showing due respect, he will be punished. Dismissed.'

Zara saluted John and disappeared.

Gold fell to one knee and saluted as well, head bowed. ‘This small and humble Shen begs his Lord's forgiveness.'

‘Lady Emma has been far too lenient with you,' John said. ‘Tighten up the protocol. Remember who you are, and where you are.'

‘I will never forget, my Lord, because in your service I have come very far.'

W
e rode a cloud together to the Eastern Palace, which was so high that John had to provide me with air.

The Eastern Palace, home of Qing Long, the Spirit of Wood, was a mighty floating tree a kilometre tall with roots nearly as deep. Its roots held the soil together into a circle of ground two kilometres across, with water constantly streaming from underneath it. The buildings of the Palace stood around the Tree's trunk: glittering pale blue and turquoise glass high-rises, up to thirty storeys high, nestling under its branches. The buildings grew smaller as they spread from the Tree, making it appear as if they were gathering around it. Smaller trees, flower-filled gardens and ponds adorned the ground around the tree, between shining white-tiled pathways edged in blue.

We landed at the end of a wide avenue leading up to the Dragon's own dwelling. In contrast to the modern high rises, it was a traditional Japanese castle, with eight storeys of pitched roofs and upraised corners, white walls and blue tiles. It sat in the centre of a perfectly circular pond, surrounded by maple and mulberry trees. Their leaves were changing colour, providing a spectacular autumn display that was reflected in the water.

The Dragon was waiting for us in Celestial Form at the edge of the Tree's grounds: three metres tall, slim and elegant, his long turquoise hair held in a topknot and floating down to his knees. He was dressed as a Japanese samurai in a wide-sleeved turquoise robe embossed with silver dragons over a pair of broad silver silk pants and soft leather black boots, with the dual swords in his belt. He was flanked by six warriors, similarly dressed, three on either side of him.

As John and I stepped off the cloud, the Dragon and all his retainers fell to one knee in perfect unison and saluted us. ‘Ten thousand years.'

‘Rise,' John said.

The Dragon stood and bowed to John. ‘I thank you for your generosity in visiting my small abode. Please, take tea with me.'

John bowed back. ‘Thank you for your kind offer. I would first check your halls and plazas for the presence of demons that only I may detect.'

The Dragon turned side-on and gestured towards the castle. ‘Please, then, this way.'

His Retainers formed an honour guard around us as we walked side by side towards the castle.

A smaller version of the Great Tree, thirty metres tall, stood in the centre of the avenue up to the castle. Young dragons, in both human and True Form, lounged on the circular grass garden beneath it.

‘Get lost,' the Dragon said loudly as we approached, and they all either flew away or disappeared. ‘How is the Princess? Is she well?'

‘She is well,' John said. ‘The clan of the North fares well. How is your family?'

‘My family thrives and prospers; both here and at my undersea Palace.'

I began to wonder if coming along had been such a good idea. Normally when I came to the Eastern
Palace it was to eat with Jade at one of the excellent food outlets — the cold buckwheat soba noodles they made by hand in the Palace were unmatched anywhere — and I didn't have to deal with the tedious protocol.

We approached the Palace, walked across the surface of the pond, and the wooden doors swung open. The Retainers formed a guard outside the door, and we went through a lobby area, traditionally furnished, with a polished wood floor. Living branches of the Tree were embedded in the walls and ceiling, seeming to provide extra structural support. A modern elevator was directly ahead, the steel doors stunningly decorated with gold enamel chrysanthemum flowers each a metre across. The back of the lift was glass, and as we shot upwards we could see out onto a central open atrium the height of the building.

On the top floor, the doors opened and we went out. A kneeling female dragon opened the paper-screened shoji door for us, and we removed our shoes and went inside. The door closed again, and the Dragon waited without moving for her to leave.

I went to the window and looked out. The dragons around the small tree had returned, and the gleaming white avenue was now bustling with life: children running around, families walking together. The canopy of the Great Tree stretched overhead.

I turned back to the room. Large, brightly coloured silk cushions were scattered on the tatami mats around a central coffee table set with tea things. The dragon girl must have gone, because the Dragon strode to John and pulled him into a huge embrace, kissing him on both cheeks.

‘God, it is good to have you back, Ah Wu,' he said, his voice thick with emotion. He pulled away, still holding one of John's hands. ‘Come and talk with me
for a while; then go check for the demons. I'm sure there's none here but you never know.'

He led John to the table by the hand and we all sat around it. The Dragon poured green tea with toasted rice in it for each of us, and raised his cup. ‘To the return of the Dark Lord. And about damn time too.'

I raised my cup.

‘The Tiger and the Phoenix want me as well, Ah Qing, I can't stay forever,' John said.

‘I understand, Ah Wu. We'll have plenty more time like this.' He turned a shy smile to me. ‘You did a great job, Emma. Ignore the bullshit; you'll do just fine.'

‘Thanks, Ah Qing,' I said. ‘Is the Tree awake? I'd love to say hello.'

‘Oh yes, she'd like to look at your sword.' The Dragon turned to John. ‘Hop out the window and do a quick once-over of the Palace while Emma and I show the Tree her blade. When you come back I'll have some vegetarian sushi for you.'

There was a tap on the screen, and the same young female dragon opened it on her knees.

‘I said I was not to be disturbed!' the Dragon yelled at her.

The Tree's human form came in and the Dragon irritably waved for the young woman to close the door.

The Tree wore a Japanese kimono of autumnal colours, embroidered with the same leaves that were falling outside. Her red and gold hair was unbound and fell thick and straight to the floor around her. She bowed elegantly to me, and I stood and bowed in return. She gestured for me to sit again and I did.

‘Tree,' John said.

‘Turtle,' the Tree said, her voice full of the sound of whispering leaves. ‘If you find anything here I will be extremely surprised.'

‘I will too,' John said.

The Dragon went to the window and slid it open wider. John took a running leap out of it and disappeared. The Dragon returned to the table and poured more tea.

‘I hear that my little son Justin has been going out with Simone,' he said. ‘She's chosen the smallest and weakest of all the dragons on the Tree, but he's smart and determined and will go far.'

‘I'm very impressed with him,' I said. ‘Do you know why no dragon traits have emerged in him?'

The Dragon shrugged. ‘With a population as large as this, there are bound to be one or two right on the edge of the curve. It happens. He's using his intelligence and common sense to work around it, and making a fine job of it. I just wish the other dragons would cut him some slack.'

‘You could tell them to leave him alone,' I said.

He smiled wryly. ‘What, and blow my cover? I've built this persona over centuries, Emma. I won't throw it away for one emo kid.'

The Tree interrupted. ‘Sorry, but I'd like to see the sword, please.'

‘Oh yeah,' the Dragon said. ‘Bring it out before the Tree bursts into flames with curiosity.'

I summoned the Murasame and felt the slight hesitation before it obeyed me. It appeared horizontally on my outstretched hands, and I ordered it not to hurt the Tree, then held it out for her.

She raised one slender hand and the sword floated above the table, then the scabbard slid halfway off it.

‘Interesting; it is still painful even though there is no physical contact,' she said.

‘I can feel it too,' the Dragon said. ‘And that's with you telling it to behave?'

‘Yes,' I said. ‘It's a hundred times worse if I don't give you permission to touch it.'

‘Damn,' the Dragon said.

The Tree waved her hands and the sword returned to the scabbard, then fell to rest on the table. ‘I have seen enough.'

I touched the sword's handle, told it to go home, and it disappeared.

The Dragon and the Tree spoke in unison. ‘I was interested because there's a sword in Osaka …'

The Dragon raised both hands. ‘Sorry, my mistake. I was still connected to the Tree.' He poured more tea for me.

‘The sword in the museum in Osaka is supposedly the real Murasame,' the Tree said. ‘I honestly thought that your blade was some demon-spawned bastard blade that was the source of much of your grief with your demon nature,' the Tree said. ‘I did not want to tell you until I had seen the blade and was sure.'

‘And?' I said.

‘And the blade you wield is definitely the Murasame itself. It is darker and more destructive than anything a demon could create.'

‘I don't know whether I should be pleased or not,' I said.

‘Be pleased. One day you may have the chance to use it on the Demon King himself,' the Dragon said.

John flew in through the window, somersaulted and landed on his feet. ‘Nothing. Next stop, the West.'

‘It's been great to be able to talk to the real you for a change, Ah Qing,' I said. ‘Come to the Mountain more often and share tea with us.'

‘No, you come here,' the Dragon said. ‘Simone and Leo don't know, and I want as few to know as possible. I will not display weakness to anyone except my Lord.'

‘You're not being weak, you're being human,' I said.

He smiled slightly. ‘Same thing.'

‘Wasn't there mention of vegetarian sushi?' John said.

The Tree dropped her head for a moment, and the branches that were integral to the ceiling separated from it and writhed down to us, carrying black lacquer trays bearing a collection of vegetarian sushi: rice and cucumber, pickles, and bean curd rolled in dried seaweed.

‘Thank you,' I said as a pair of pointed Japanese chopsticks appeared in front of me.

John didn't bother with chopsticks. He ate the sushi the traditional way, by hand, and with obvious enjoyment.

The Dragon ate one roll delicately, then bent his head without looking away from the table. ‘How is Jade?'

‘Living the quiet life, working hard, watching her children grow,' I said. ‘She has been providing you with visiting rights, hasn't she?'

‘Exactly as negotiated.' His expression became wistful. ‘That's the only chance I have to see her.'

‘It would help a great deal if she knew your true nature, Ah Qing,' I said.

The Dragon fingered his chopsticks, then put them down and placed his palm on the table. ‘She does, Emma.'

‘But you fathered the babies as your public persona — you said it was a meaningless fling on both your parts, a typical Dragon pairing. Does she prefer your public face? Some women just like assholes.'

‘No,' he said. ‘She won't marry someone as duplicitous as me.'

‘Does she love you, Ah Qing?' John said.

The Dragon tilted his head and smiled slightly at the table.

‘Do you love her?'

The Dragon looked up into John's eyes, and John's expression darkened. ‘You stupid reptile.'

‘I could say the very same thing to you, my brother.'

‘Have you spoken to her father of this?' John said. ‘I'm sure he would put your case to her.'

‘Yes,' the Dragon said. ‘The Dragon King ordered her to accept my proposal and she defied him. He's disowned her: she's no longer his eighty-second daughter.'

‘What does the Phoenix think?' I said.

The Dragon gestured dismissively. ‘She has nothing to do with this. If I choose another wife, that is my business. She only has input after the new bride has been brought into the Tree.'

‘No, I mean that maybe the Phoenix could talk to Jade,' I said.

His head shot up and he stared at me. ‘What a good idea. But better yet — you are like a sister to her, Emma, and like a sister to me. Would you talk to her?'

‘Emma Donahoe, Celestial matchmaker,' John said.

‘I don't know if I can morally justify encouraging a friend to marry someone who already has multiple wives.'

The Dragon shrugged. ‘You know we do things differently. And dragons do things extremely differently. It's actually unusual for us to be monogamous.' His expression became wistful again. ‘But I would for Jade.'

‘You'd give up all the others for her?'

He nodded, his eyes dreamy.

‘What about the Phoenix? Would you give her up?'

‘Nothing to give up; that's a business partnership more than anything. As I said before, it's a marriage of politics, ordered by the Celestial. Jade would understand.'

I leaned over the table to speak intensely to him. ‘Would you give up your arrogant façade for her? Would you be your real sweet self in public, if all that's stopping her is your duplicity?'

He leaned back and stared at me for a long time.
‘I have cultivated this persona for centuries. If I were to reveal now that it is an act, I would be completely humiliated.'

‘You're too proud to give that up for Jade?' I said.

He bent his head. ‘I am ashamed to say that I am.'

‘Then I don't think I have anything to talk to Jade about.' I turned to John. ‘West next?'

John didn't reply; he was gazing with sympathy at the Dragon.

‘Thank you for understanding,' Qing Long said.

I rose. ‘You break my heart, Ah Qing, you really do.'

John rose as well. ‘Talk to her when she brings the little ones. Maybe she can understand too.'

‘I live in hope,' the Dragon said.

He rose and embraced us both, and John summoned a cloud to take us to the West.

 

The Tiger was subdued when he met us at the arched, red-stone entrance to the Western Palace.