| |
Back at home, Kai grabbed the first bottle of alcohol that she came across in the drinks cupboard and downed a mugful. At least I’m not hearing people’s thoughts about me anymore; that was as irritating and uncomfortable as a public feed on social media when you post a new selfie. She coughed and choked as the vodka she had drank cleared her sinuses.
Catching her reflection in the TV’s black screen, Kai stared. Even distorted she could see the beauty of her new features. I’m going to have to wear sunglasses and cover my head when I’m tracking people now; otherwise, they’ll know I’m coming. She poured another half mug of vodka, filled the rest with orange juice and sipped it thoughtfully.
“Amira said that my normal abilities had been enhanced. And I could talk to the Yáogǔn jīngshén; that part of it could come in very handy.” She swallowed another gulp, “Being a quick healer would be useful as well... as long as I don’t get my head chopped off!”
She wandered into her bedroom and looked in the full-length mirror, examining herself. “It’s days like these that make me wish that I was in the skip generation of our family.” She told herself, raising her mug to her reflection and draining it.
The alcohol finally began to take effect and she kicked her shoes off, threw her jacket and gloves onto the chair near her window and lay down on the bed, watching the room spin around her for a few minutes before falling asleep.
––––––––
HER EYES HAD BEEN BANDAGED leaving only her nose and mouth free. The wrappings covered her ears, muffling what little sound could be heard into an indistinct mumble. She could smell disinfectant, food and flowers.
Her body had been strapped down to the surface she was lying on; her fingers were flat against something smooth and soft. A lightweight blanket covered her from chest to feet, but wherever she was, it wasn’t cold.
I remember getting off the flight, going through customs and collecting my suitcases. There were so many people around me that I wasn’t sure where to go and none of the signs were in English, so I followed the crowd toward what I thought was the arrivals lounge.
She strained to hear what the voices were saying.
That’s no language that I recognise. Wherever I am it smells like a hospital, but if I was ill and in hospital, I wouldn’t be strapped down to the bed.
She cast her mind back to stepping through the crowd into the arrivals lounge and spotting the sign with her name on it, carried by a young woman in a smart uniform. I went over and she handed me a card that said “This is my driver; they will bring you to the hotel. See you soon, love Uncle Andy.” The driver took my luggage and led me to a big black car. I got in... and that’s the last thing I remember.
Footsteps approached and a gentle touch on her face made her try to pull away. “Shush Little One. I can hear you thinking from outside the room.”
“Who are you? Where am I? What is going on?” she said, trying to stay calm.
A waft of jasmine floated across her as the person stroked her face again, “All will be revealed in good time, Little One.” The voice was female and had an odd lilting accent, nothing like the local Chinese speech.
There was a second set of footsteps, and another voice joined the first, “The transport is here. You’ll need to put her to sleep again.” This one was male, with the same accent, just deeper and rougher.
“Fair enough.” The first voice said and there was a crinkling noise, “This might sting a little. Stay calm and all will be well.”
She felt the familiar scratch of a needle on the side of her neck, “No. Please don’t do this! I’ll do as I’m told, I promise.”
“Hush. It won’t be long now.” The voice said as the scratch became a sharp pain and a flood of cold liquid rushed into her neck, “I promise that I’ll tell you everything soon.”
The cold liquid made her feel dizzy, even with her eyes bound. It seemed to flood quickly through her body and deadened her, limb by limb. It reached her chest, and she felt her heart slow down. Eventually it slid silently into her head. What is going on, where are they taking me? Mummy, Daddy... help me please!
Sleep swallowed her.
––––––––
THE THROBBING IN HER head told her that she was alive still. Kai yawned and stretched, not really paying attention to her surroundings as she felt the hangover from the previous night’s unintended binge begin to kick her awake.
“Miss Riordan, would you be able to stomach some breakfast?” someone asked.
That brought her straight into consciousness, eyes open and sitting up. Then she realised that she was naked and the sheet covering her was made of silk. She grabbed the sheet and pulled it up around her.
“Where the hell am I?” Kai glared at the young woman wearing the sober uniform of a maid stood beside her.
“You have the honour of being a Guest at the Hēilóng Gōngdiàn, Miss Riordan.” The maid replied touching her jacket sleeves and Kai saw the embroidered dragon and tiger on the arms.
Black Dragon Palace, the official home of the Black Dragon and White Tiger. Oh shit, I shouldn’t have refused to meet the White Tiger! She frowned, “How did I get here? The last thing I remember is getting drunk and falling asleep on my own bed in my loft.”
“I will leave that to the Master to explain,” The maid said, “Which would you like first, shower or breakfast?”
Kai’s stomach rumbled. I clearly didn’t have any choice about being here, so I’d better be a good guest if I want to get out of here alive. She sighed, “Shower then Breakfast please.”
The maid bowed, “Of course Miss Riordan.” She gestured to a door on Kai’s left, “The bathroom is through there and you will be provided with attire as soon as you have finished eating.” She picked up a fluffy white towelling robe and handed it to her.
Kai swung her legs over the side of the bed and put the robe on. Then she headed for the bathroom. She had been in the shower for five minutes before she realised there was something wrong... and what it was. I haven’t had any images from anything that I’ve touched here. She looked at her hands. I’m not wearing any gloves, not even normal ones which only dull my abilities.
The silence was deafening.
When she emerged from the Bathroom, the maid showed her through into a sitting room. “I’ll bring you your breakfast now; is there anything specific that you require?”
Kai thought for a moment, “Coffee and fruit is my normal breakfast, but I’d appreciate some waffles to go with it.”
The maid smiled and left the room.
Kai walked over to the window, where a small table and chair had been set up. Looking out the window, she realised that the Hēilóng Gōngdiàn was outside the city. I have no idea where I am at all.
The window looked out onto the palace grounds, a lush wonderland of local trees and plants that created a very private feel to the gardens. There didn’t seem to be any walls, which suggested that the land the palace was set into was massive. Kai opened the window and took a deep breath of air. We’re up in the mountains surrounding the city, I think. My family’s estate smells like this.
The maid returned pushing a small cart, “The Master says he will accept your presence in his office in an hour. I’ll bring your clothes immediately.” She laid out the food and coffee on the small table.
As Kai sat down to eat, she realised something else. Where did the hangover go? I woke up with the usual throbbing headache, but it’s disappeared already. With a shrug she worked her way through the waffles and syrup, the fruit salad and the coffee. There’s more here than I normally have to eat, but I’m feeling really hungry this morning so I may as well indulge... after all it’s not every day that you become a demigod.
When the maid came back, Kai felt ready to face whatever the White Tiger was going to say.
“I laid your clothes out on the bed; the Master had them specially made and blessed by Lady Amira, so you won’t have any problems wearing them.” The young woman said.
I haven’t had any problems so far... what is going on? Kai went into the bedroom. Laid out on the bed was a short sleeved, Jade silk Qipao, embroidered with peach blossoms and lotus flowers. A pair of matching flat shoes sat below the dress on the bed and beside the dress lay a green and gold domino mask. A pair of long jade lace gloves were draped across the mask with neatly folded underwear underneath it.
“What on earth? I’m not going to a party, am I?” she demanded of the maid who had followed her, “Where are my normal clothes? I didn’t get changed before I fell asleep last night, so I know I was wearing them.”
The maid bowed, “They are being cleaned, Miss Riordan. Besides, all the inhabitants of the Hēilóng Gōngdiàn dress formally while in residence. That includes the mask which is essential as all residents’ identities must be kept secret.”
“But you know who I am, and the White Tiger must know who I am, he had someone call me the other day!” Kai glared at the costume on the bed.
“Miss Riordan, please. This is the rule for guests as well as residents; we often have high ranking visitors, and it is for their safety as well as that of the Master and Mistress.” The maid said.
Sighing, Kai got dressed, then the maid put her hair up with jade hair sticks. “I’ll take you to the Master’s office now.”
––––––––
MR DERWIN-HEPLER PUT the phone down and groaned.
“Bad news?” His partner, Mrs Reading-Smith asked from her desk at the other end of the office.
“The worst. It’s not just the petty cash now. The IT department have identified an embedded virus in our intranet that has been taking personal details from the clients files and sending the information who-knows-where.” He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache building.
“What kind of details?” she looked alarmed, “Please don’t say it’s bank details or client’s money.”
He shook his head, and she relaxed a little.
“It’s their addresses and family details from the Law side.”
She closed her eyes and rubbed either side of the bridge of her nose with a sigh, “Did they say if it’s come from the World Wide Web or locally?”
He shrugged.
“I’ll go down there myself; I’ve always been better at the technical side of the business than you.” She stood up, put her suit jacket on and left the office.
Derwin-Hepler stared at his computer screen. I wish I’d never gone to that Hunter in the first place. They warned me if I sought help from outside that I’d regret it, but I didn’t think they’d do something like this.
The computer bleeped a notification at him, and he opened his email. Only one new message in his inbox and the address made him swallow, taking a deep breath before he opened it.
The message had three words on it:
YOU WERE WARNED
As he watched, the words became a snake that crossed his screen from side to side, eating every pixel until the screen was black. Then another message appeared in bright blue letters:
CONTINUE AS PLANNED OR LOSE EVERYTHING
––––––––
KAI FOLLOWED THE MAID through the ornately decorated corridors. The palace was a quiet place, but at every corridor junction a pair of black uniformed guards stood, and their scrutiny made Kai feel like giggling like a naughty toddler.
She swallowed the feeling and kept walking, memorising the route as she walked. After twenty minutes, they arrived in a well-appointed waiting area. The maid spoke to the secretary and Kai was ushered through a door behind his desk into surprisingly bare office
Behind a simple desk at one end, wearing a white trimmed black Changshan and ornate mask in the form of a White Tiger was the second most powerful person in Te Ling.
Kai stopped walking as she got to the desk and bowed deeply.
“Miss Riordan, please sit down.” He gestured to the chair in front of him. Once she’d settled into the seat, he said, “I am pleased that your Healing Ritual went so well. I apologise for the methods that we employed to get you here, but Lady Amira assured us that it was the best way to get your full attention.”
Kai’s lips twitched. So, Amira is a part of this too, hmm?
“I hope that your suite was to your liking. It is assigned to you for whenever you need it and with your recent... upgrade in skills, we would like to offer you a formal position with the Triang.” He said.
“That explains the outfit at least,” she gestured to the Qipao, “Peach blossom for immortality and luck and lotus flower for enlightenment. I think I need to talk to Amira about patient confidentiality.”
“If it makes you feel better, she gave her report to the Triang reluctantly, but the curse the mage laid on you was a powerful one and like it or not, your abilities now not only qualify you for this position, but you will be able to aid us by doing what you do best; investigating.”
“I see. Does this position come with more than a fancy outfit and mask and suite that I’ll probably never use?” Kai folded her arms and sat back.
“There is a seat in the Triang Council sessions, and you’ll have direct command of the Special Division. There is an annual stipend and special bonuses.” The White Tiger pushed a small folder over the desk to her.
She stared at it as if it had grown legs and scuttled across, making no move to touch it.
“I also have information that the three cases you took on recently may be connected. The young woman who has gone missing has a very important birth Mother and her adoptive uncle is connected to the difficulties that Derwin-Hepler are experiencing.” He passed another file across, “This may help you solve the murder that Chamberlain was accused of.”
“He didn’t do it.” She snapped, the moment of Chamberlain’s death flooding back into her mind.
“We know that now. Sadly, too late to save him.”
Kai stood up, pushing the chair back, “So you want me to become the Triang’s Private Investigator?” she moved away from the desk and began to pace, trying to keep herself from walking out.
“You’ll still be able to do your normal business, but we will need your special skills for certain cases and this way you will be well remunerated for the time you spend on them.” He watched her move in silence for a few moments.
So, I get a high-powered position, lots of money and a special suite here. What’s the catch? She stopped behind the chair she’d sat in and leaned on its back, looking down at him.
“Those are a lot of upsides, what’s the downside?”
The White Tiger chuckled, “Amira warned me that you would be sceptical. She recommended you for this post when you first arrived in Te Ling, but the Black Dragon at the time was uncertain about your skills, so you were left alone and watched. You had the odd challenging case thrown your way by Special Division, just to gauge your abilities.”
“I’ll say it again. What is the catch?”
He sighed and stood up, moving around the desk toward her, “Once you are confirmed in the title only Death will release you from it. You will be in a very privileged position and will know some very secret information. You will be expected to take it to the grave.”
“I see.” She licked her lips thoughtfully, “How much time do I have to make a decision on the offer?”
“I will allow you to take the information we have on the other cases and work on them, but if you wish any further aid from Special Division, you will have to agree to become the Jade Cat.”