I stumbled back to my room, opened the door and stopped dead. The stone, in human form, lay on its back on my double bed, asleep. It had changed into a pair of ridiculous baggy green shorts and a plain white T-shirt. Its snow-white hair was tousled from sleep and its elegant face was peaceful. I had never seen it look so human.
To hell with it. I pulled off my jeans, left them on the floor, and climbed in beside it. I stopped: something was between us. It was Gold, in True Form, with his child next to him. I moved them gently to make room, turned onto my side facing away from them, and closed my eyes.
The stone shot up to sit.
‘Don’t go anywhere,’ I said without moving. ‘It’s okay. I know there probably wasn’t space for all of you in the student room. You’re here every night in the bed with me anyway. This is your room too, really. Go back to sleep.’
‘Another coup,’ Gold said softly.
‘For both of us,’ the stone said, just as softly.
It lay back down then turned so that it was facing me and put its arm around me. I spooned my back into it, and it held me close. Gold and the child moved up the bed to make room, resting against the back of my head.
‘I should take female form,’ the stone said. ‘This is inappropriate.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ I said. ‘That makes no difference at all.’
‘Lord Xuan would have kittens if he knew,’ Gold said.
‘Of course he knows,’ I said through a huge yawn. ‘Is he still doing sword katas?’
‘Yes,’ Gold said, sounding sleepy.
I didn’t remember anything else.
I woke an hour later, alone in my bed. The stone had returned to the ring, and Gold and his child were gone. My leg protested as I turned to rise. It had stiffened badly while I was resting.
‘How many children did you lose?’ I said.
‘We’re not sure, but at this stage it appears that I have lost about fifty or sixty,’ it replied as I went into my bathroom.
‘That piece of demon scum is going to die.’ I pulled off my clothes and turned on the shower.
‘You forgot to leave me outside the bathroom,’ the stone said.
‘No, I didn’t.’ I stepped into the shower, closing the screen behind me, and held the stone under the wash of hot water. Then I reached for the soap with my left hand, moving it out from under the stream.
‘Thanks, Emma,’ the stone said softly. ‘The water feels good. I really needed that.’
‘I know,’ I said. ‘That’s why I did it. Have you told the Grandmother?’
‘Not yet. But when she finds out you can expect some major earth tremors in Central Australia.’
‘I’d really like to meet her one day,’ I said.
‘One day I must take you,’ the stone said. ‘I think you and she will get along very well.’
I moved the soap into my right hand and held the stone under the water again.
I went into the dining room; nobody was there. I slipped through the door into the kitchen. Ah Yat was busy with vegetables for dinner. She quickly pulled down a mug for my tea without me asking.
‘Where is everybody?’ I said.
‘The Dark Lord is in the training room,’ Ah Yat said, returning to the vegetables. ‘Princess Simone is still at the playground with Master Michael and Master Leo.’
‘Where’s Gold?’
‘Sleeping, ma’am,’ Ah Yat said.
‘Let him sleep,’ the stone said.
I pottered around, feeling useless, for about half an hour. I asked Ah Yat to check on Simone occasionally. She was fine; she’d been through the shops at the Peak Tower and was playing in the little play area on the roof of the Peak Galleria.
I went into John’s office and began to tidy his mess. I sorted through the documents; some of them were tasks that weren’t finished. I tried to control my emotions as I put all the loose ends to one side to go through with him.
The training room door opened and closed, and I poked my head out into the hallway. John had emerged, exhausted.
‘Are you okay?’ he said when he saw me.
‘I’m a bit stiff but I’ll be fine. You?’
‘I’ll live. Stone?’ John said.
‘My Lord,’ the stone said.
‘Go and have a shower,’ I said. ‘Then we need to sort through the paperwork. We should do it before dinner, have it fixed now. We won’t have time when the Lady returns; you’ll be locked up with her for the rest of the week.’
He nodded sadly, and turned away to go to his room.
‘Emma, sit,’ John said when he returned to the office, his long hair still damp from the shower. ‘We need to talk.’
I didn’t ask, I just sat. He flopped into his big chair across the desk from me.
‘Emma,’ he said, leaning on the desk and looking me right in the eyes, ‘we don’t have much longer. I want you to do something for me after I have gone.’
‘Anything, John.’
‘I want you to promise me something.’
I hesitated. ‘What?’
He looked down at his hands and spoke softly. ‘If you have to go to the King, I want you to promise me something.’
I leaned on the desk as well. ‘I’ll never fall for that bastard, John, you can trust me. Don’t worry. I know he’s charming, but I can see right through it.’
‘I know that,’ he said, not looking up. He smiled gently at his hands. ‘I want you to promise that if you do have to go to him, you will pretend. So that he won’t give you to the Mothers. Make him think he has won you over.’ He raised his head to gaze at me. ‘Pretend. Until I return. Make him think he’s won. And when I return, you can hold him to his word to release you.’
I sat there, completely stunned, staring at him.
‘Promise me, Emma,’ he said. ‘Anything is preferable to you being given to them. Anything. Give me your word.’
I struggled to speak.
‘Please do this thing for me, my Lady. I do not wish to see you harmed. He will not hurt you. You will be safe. Simone will be safe. That is all that is important.’
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t do it.
Suddenly John’s head snapped up. He shot to his feet, vaulted over the desk, and raced out into the hall. I ran to follow him. He went into the living room, where Leo waited for us.
Leo fell to his knees. His face was full of anguish.
I had a sudden, horrible, sinking sensation. Simone wasn’t with him.
‘Where is she?’ I yelled. I crouched in front of Leo, grabbed his arm, and shouted into his face. ‘Where the hell is she?’
‘She is with Ming Gui,’ Leo said, his voice hoarse. ‘While we were at the playground, he appeared. He said hello, she ran to him, he took her hand and they both disappeared.’ He dropped his head. ‘I didn’t think fast enough. I should have grabbed her.’ He sagged over his knees. ‘I have failed. Again.’
‘Martin won’t hurt her, John, she’ll be fine,’ I said, pulling myself to my feet with relief.
John wasn’t convinced. ‘What if he’s taken her to Number One? To swap her for my head?’
‘Would Number One do that? He’s renowned for being honourable.’
John moved to sit on one of the couches. ‘I don’t know.’ His eyes turned inward. ‘She says she’s okay; they’ve gone out for something to eat.’ He snapped back to Leo. ‘Michael?’
‘Michael followed them, my Lord.’
‘Michael travelled?’
Leo nodded, still on his knees.
‘He has had no training. He could quite easily kill himself.’ John concentrated. ‘Found him. But he lost track of Simone. Wait.’ He was silent, focusing. ‘He wanted to return directly but I’ve told him to come the long way. It will take him a while, he’s on Kowloon side.’ He concentrated again. ‘Simone says she’s okay.’
‘Ask her where they are, John, and we’ll go and get her back.’
John’s face went rigid. ‘She won’t tell me. She says she’s fine, she’s having fun.’
My blood went cold. She was just being a perfectly normal six-year-old girl who loved her big brother. ‘Can one of the staff track her down?’
‘Not if she doesn’t want them to.’ John’s eyes unfocused again. ‘She’s telling me to leave her alone. If she is harmed in any way by your actions, Leo, I will have your head for this.’
‘I’ll present it to you myself,’ Leo whispered.
‘There’s nothing we can do. We’ll just have to wait,’ John said.
Leo rose and moved to sit next to me, putting his arm around me. I wrapped my arm around his waist and we held each other.
‘I have a really, really bad feeling about this,’ I whispered.
The doorbell rang.
‘Everybody get weapons now,’ John said. ‘It’s a huge demon.’
‘One Two Two?’ I said. ‘Why here, now?’
‘It’s not One Two Two,’ John said grimly. ‘It’s Number One.’
‘What’s he doing here?’ I said as I rose to get my weapon. Leo waved me back and went into the training room to collect them.
John went to the front door, grabbed Dark Heavens from its clips, then threw the door open.
Number One stood on the other side of the gate, smiling without humour. ‘I think you need to hear what I have to say.’
‘Come in.’ John opened the gate and Number One entered. He went into the living room and sat on one of the couches.
‘Your son has been duped.’
‘What?’ John said, standing over him.
‘One Two Two is immensely powerful. I don’t know what it’s done to itself, but it can do astonishing things. It took my form, promised your son it would not harm the child, and said that if Ming Gui took her to a place it knows, she would be safe and protected and they could spend some more time together.’
I took a huge deep breath. ‘Martin’s taking Simone to One Two Two?’
I heard a clatter behind me. Leo stood in the doorway, the weapons in a pile at his feet. His face was grey.
‘I thought Ming Gui would be useful,’ Number One said, studying his hands. ‘He has been much more trouble than he is worth.’ He glanced up at John. ‘Are you sure that this one is yours, Turtle? Everybody knows that your kind produce nests of mixed parentage, that you just walk away from.’
John stiffened and his eyes blazed. Then he sagged. ‘I can’t contact either of them.’ He fell to sit on the other couch and put his head in his hands. ‘No.’
The demon rose. ‘I’d better go and clean out my nest,’ he said. ‘You should have taken me up on my offer.’
‘Wait!’ I said before he disappeared. ‘Where’s Simone? Where are they?’
The demon shrugged. ‘Don’t ask me. Could be anywhere.’ He smiled. ‘I suggest you give my dad a call, Emma. The only way the child will stay safe now is if you go and screw the hell out of him.’ He nodded to John. ‘Turtle. It’s been nice knowing you. You should have given me your head.’ He disappeared.
John grabbed Dark Heavens from the couch next to him, threw himself up and went into the training room without saying a word. Leo turned like a puppet and headed down the hallway, also towards the training room. I followed them. John waited for Leo with Dark Heavens in his hand.
‘Kneel,’ John said.
Leo fell to his knees without a word.
‘Leave us,’ John said.
‘No,’ I said. ‘Anything you do to Leo, you’ll have to do in front of me.’
‘Very well then,’ John said, and hefted the sword. He moved to stand over Leo. Leo smiled slightly and lowered his head.
‘Wait,’ I said. ‘If we trade your head for Simone, I’ll need Leo to assist me guarding. And I may have to use the phone. If I use the phone, then Leo will be all she has left.’ I gestured impatiently. ‘We don’t have time for this. Let’s just go and get her out!’
John hesitated.
‘Do it,’ Leo said without looking up.
‘You would forfeit your life?’ John said.
‘I have failed. Again. I should pay.’
‘And you will,’ John said. His voice was very mild. ‘First, you will pay by living. Then you will pay by helping us to get her back. And then, if we do get her back and you survive it, you will pay by guarding her until the day you die. A natural death. That’s an order.’
Leo collapsed over his knees and moaned, a wordless sound of agony.
‘You have failed me, Leo,’ John said mildly. ‘And your punishment will be: that you live.’
‘No,’ Leo whispered into the floor.
‘Get up, collect your weapons and prepare,’ John said. ‘Both of you.’
‘I still don’t have your promise, Emma,’ John said as Leo drove us to Kowloon City. John sat in the front seat, I was in the back.
‘Where’s Michael?’ I said. ‘Do you have any other Celestials to help out?’
‘I sent Michael home. He and Gold will guard the apartment so you have a safe place to return to. The Tiger, the Phoenix, the Dragon and the Third Prince will meet us at Kowloon City Park. I want your word, Emma.’
I tapped the stone.
‘I was awake. I know what’s happening,’ the stone said.
‘Do you know where the entrance to the tunnels is?’ I said.
‘In the yamen building,’ the stone said. ‘I couldn’t find exactly where. Gold will have to help me look. We will both need to move around the room to find it.’
‘Your word, Emma,’ John said. ‘Promise me.’
I was silent.
‘Please, Emma, don’t make me beg you. I will if I have to. Ngoh kow —’
‘Don’t you dare beg me — you’re a Celestial Emperor!’ I snapped. I ran my hands through my hair with exasperation. ‘I don’t want to give you my word on this, John, you know I don’t.’
‘I want you safe when I return, love.’
‘What’s he asking, Emma?’ Leo said softly.
‘He wants me to pretend to fall for the Demon King if I have to use the phone. So that I won’t be thrown to the Mothers.’
Leo was silent, watching the road.
‘Promise me, Emma.’
‘Only if I have no other recourse. Only if that’s the only way to avoid the Mothers. Only as a last resort,’ I said.
‘Your word,’ John said.
‘Do it, Emma,’ Leo said without looking away from the road. ‘This is about as close as he can get to a last request. Both of us will be able to die with our minds at ease, knowing that you won’t be hurt.’
‘We will find Simone and get her out of there,’ I said grimly. ‘And then we will all go home and spend a few more weeks together.’
‘I will not come out the other side of this, and you know it,’ John said. ‘Either the demon will capture me and take my head, or I will take True Form and tear it into very small pieces. There is no other way out of this. So I ask you, Emma Donahoe, as a woman of your word. Promise me.’
‘No,’ I whispered.
‘Promise him, Emma,’ Leo said.
‘Do it, dear,’ the stone said. ‘It would reassure me as well. I don’t want to see you thrown to the Mothers. All three of us are asking you here.’
‘Promise me,’ John said. ‘You will only use the phone if I go down or if Simone is in real danger. And if you must use the phone, you will pretend to give in to the King’s advances. Promise me.’
‘Only if I must,’ I said. I took a deep breath. ‘I promise.’
‘I thank you, my Lady,’ John said, and turned back to the road. ‘Now let’s go and destroy this demon and get our little girl back.’
‘This is all my fault,’ Leo whispered.
‘You have failed us, Leo,’ John said. ‘If you wish to redeem yourself, then do your best to stay alive.’
‘My Lord.’
Leo stopped the car in a yellow-lined no-parking zone directly in front of the Kowloon City Park gates. We slammed the car doors shut, pulled our weapons out of the trunk, and moved as one through the gates of the Park. John took Dark Heavens; he was too weak to carry Seven Stars. I had my Serpent sword. Leo carried Michael’s white sword.
It was nearly six o’clock and there were still many people strolling around. The park was Chinese-style gardens with paved paths meandering between them, and pavilions alongside the paths. A large pond formed the centrepiece. We attracted quite a few concerned glances as we stormed along the path holding the blades.
The Tiger, the Phoenix, the Dragon and Na Zha appeared from behind a pavilion and joined us. They all appeared as perfectly normal Chinese; they’d even made themselves very plain. The Phoenix was a middle-aged Chinese lady; the Dragon and Tiger were men of similar age. Na Zha looked like a regular Chinese teenager.
‘There is an entrance under the yamen building,’ I said.
‘Let’s go,’ the Tiger said, and we headed through the gardens towards the building.
John stopped dead. ‘Wait.’ He concentrated. ‘Stone.’
‘My Lord?’ the stone said.
‘Will you be able to talk to us once we’re under here?’
‘I will be able to communicate with the Lady,’ the stone said. ‘Other than that, I will be silenced.’
‘Not even Gold?’ John said.
‘No,’ the stone said. ‘Only the one who bears me.’
‘Okay,’ John said, glancing around. ‘Mark this place. About one hundred metres below us, directly below me, Simone is being held. Can you guide us back to this location once we’re under?’
‘Yes,’ the stone said. ‘Done.’
‘Can you see through, John?’ I said.
‘No,’ he said. ‘I can just sense her presence. She is there.’
‘Can you talk to her?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘From what I can see, however, she is unharmed.’
‘Can you sense Martin?’ I said.
‘No.’ He hefted his blade and continued along the path, pushing past a family who were strolling very slowly through the park. ‘Let’s go.’ The family saw the blades, exclaimed loudly and took off, walking quickly.
‘Damn,’ I said. ‘They’ll probably call the police and report a gang war.’
‘Here’s the yamen building,’ Na Zha said. ‘The police won’t find anything.’
The yamen building was the old administration building for Kowloon Walled City. It was red brick, with a traditional green tiled roof and a pair of cannons flanking the doorway. Inside, it was bare concrete. We all stopped and looked around.
‘This is difficult,’ the Phoenix said, concentrating. ‘Because of the blockage to our vision, we cannot see the entrance at all.’
‘Stone?’ I said.
Gold appeared and saluted us. He took his stone form and floated around the room, checking. The stone drifted out of my ring, grew to a similar size to Gold, and moved along the opposite perimeter of the room from Gold. It shrank and returned to my ring, and Gold returned to human form, gesturing to indicate the floor.
‘The entrance is here. I don’t know how to open it. It appears to be some sort of trapdoor.’
John nodded. ‘Don’t worry, we will find a way in. You are dismissed. Well done.’
‘Get the bastard who did this to my siblings,’ Gold said, and fell to one knee before us, saluting. ‘Lord Xuan. It’s been a blast.’
‘I hope you’re free when I return, because there’s a job for you if you are,’ John said.
‘Double my salary and I may consider it,’ Gold said. ‘I have a family to support now.’
‘Done,’ John said, and Gold disappeared.
‘But we don’t pay him anything,’ I said, crouching to examine the floor.
‘That’s precisely the point,’ John said, crouching next to me.
The other Immortals moved to join us.
‘Stand back,’ Na Zha said. ‘I’ll just blast it open.’
He didn’t need to. The building’s external doors slammed shut by themselves and the trapdoor flew open. We all stepped back. About a dozen young men climbed up some stairs into the room. They looked like gang members with their dyed hair and tattoos. They carried small guns and grinned.
‘Damn!’ John said softly.
The Dragon concentrated and they all collapsed as if they were dead.
‘That was unnecessary, Ah Qing,’ the Phoenix said. ‘You will be reprimanded for that.’
‘They were only humans,’ the Dragon said, and gestured for us to follow him down the stairs.
I checked one of the young men. The Dragon was right: they were human. And he’d killed every single one of them with his Internal Eye.
The stairs went a long way down but the corridor didn’t darken. The walls were lined with white enamel panels, similar to the walls of some of the more up-market exits to the MTR stations, but there was no visible lighting.
‘Touch the wall for me, Emma,’ the stone said softly. I put my hand on the wall as I walked down.
‘Touch me to it.’
I turned my hand over and slid the stone against the wall.
‘The Grandmother will be nearly as pissed as I am,’ the stone said. ‘I have half a mind to take human form and join you.’
‘Stay there,’ John said. ‘He may not be aware of what you are.’
The stone was silent.
The Tiger took True Form and loped ahead of us. The Phoenix and Dragon stayed in human form; their True Forms would be too big to fit on the narrow stairway. John didn’t transform either.
‘Will you take True Form, my Lord?’ Leo said as he followed us down the stairs.
John was silent, still moving quickly. It was a long way down.
‘Oh my God,’ I said softly.
‘What, Emma?’ Leo said.
I stopped. ‘Wait, John,’ I said. ‘Tell me how bad it is.’
‘At the bottom,’ John said. ‘There are no demons there.’
‘At the bottom you will tell me exactly how bad it is, John Chen Wu,’ I said grimly, rushing to keep up.
When we reached the bottom, I looked back. We were a good five storeys down, and the stairs hadn’t turned so we’d travelled about two hundred metres in as well. The trapdoor was a tiny square of light a long way behind us.
‘Can you sense Simone?’ I said.
John concentrated. ‘Yes. She is behind us, about three hundred metres away.’
‘And about fifty metres down,’ the stone said. ‘You will need to descend further.’
‘Now that we are inside, can you still see the layout?’ the Phoenix said.
‘In a way,’ the stone said. ‘Some of it. I may be able to guide you.’
‘Good,’ John said.
There was an opening at the bottom of the stairs, and we went in. The smell was indescribable. This was obviously where the men had their rest room. There was a television, a table set up for mah jong, a filthy couch and a microwave. Cigarette butts coated the floor and the walls were greasy with smoke. Beer cans were strewn everywhere.
I moved as close to John as I could. ‘You will tell me how bad this is right now, or I swear I’ll use the phone anyway,’ I said.
John glanced at the Tiger.
‘Tell her,’ the Tiger said, his tail twitching.
John gave in. ‘It is very bad. I don’t know how much will remain once I take True Form. If there are demons present, the Turtle will destroy them. After that, I don’t know.’
‘What do you mean, “remain”?’ Leo said.
‘Sometimes I’m glad none of my wives are as smart as this one,’ the Tiger said.
I explained for Leo. ‘If he changes while he’s this drained, the True Form will probably be all animal. John Chen won’t exist. That’s why he’ll be gone for so long. Like he said, if there are demons around, the Turtle will destroy them, that’s its nature. But if there are no demons present, the Turtle could very well just take off.’
Leo glanced at John. John’s face didn’t shift but his eyes blazed.
‘You should have told us this, my Lord,’ Leo said softly.
‘I thought I would be coming in after a week with the Lady,’ John said. ‘If I had spent that week with her, I would have been able to retain control long enough to see the demon destroyed. Now …’ His face didn’t shift. ‘I am very drained. It is best if I do not release the Turtle until we face One Two Two. Let’s go.’
The door opened onto a wider corridor, but it didn’t go down. It did make a U-turn to go in the right direction though. We didn’t hesitate, we followed it. It was lined with the same white enamel panels and seemed to stretch forever.
‘Any corridors or turns or stairs up ahead?’ I said.
Nobody said anything.
‘Can anybody see anything at all?’
There was complete silence as we marched down the hallway.
‘Hold,’ the stone said. ‘I think I can sense some demons ahead on the left.’
Nobody stopped.
‘Stop,’ I said. ‘The stone says there are demons up ahead on the left.’
‘You will need to relay for me now, Emma. I’m silenced,’ the stone said.
The Immortals stopped and concentrated.
‘Hard to tell,’ the Phoenix said.
‘A large number of very big ones, about ten metres along this corridor on the left,’ Na Zha said. ‘I’ll take them. You go past.’
‘You sure?’ I said.
Na Zha transformed into his True Form. His pale blue robes flowed around him and his long hair was down to his waist. He held his whip in his left hand and his ring weapon in his right.
‘Just go past,’ he said. ‘Let me take them.’ He shook out his shoulders. ‘I’ve been looking forward to having fun with some real opposition for a while. This should be good.’
‘Meet up with us later,’ John said. ‘Enjoy.’
About fifty metres down the hallway, on the left side, was a door. The corridor turned a corner at the door and continued to the right. Na Zha stopped at the door and nodded to us as we went past. When we were about twenty metres away he opened the door and laughed loudly.
We didn’t look back. We raced down the hallway. It turned a sharp left at the end. We went around.
A slime waited for us. It was a fluorescent lurid shade of green and hung off the ceiling in a mucousy stringing curtain.
‘What the hell is that?’ Leo said behind me.
‘Slime,’ I said. ‘Very rare and highly toxic. Only energy can take it out. Impossible to tell how big it is until you’ve hit it. Energy workers have to be very careful with these; sometimes they’re big enough to kill you with the chi backlash, but you don’t know until you’ve tried.’
‘Then it’s obviously meant for you,’ Leo said.
‘Obviously,’ I said. ‘It’s probably big enough to kill me.’
‘That’s beside the point,’ the Phoenix said. She quickly transformed to True Form and blew a shaft of searing flame directly at the demon from her beak. It shrivelled, blackened and fell off the ceiling. The Phoenix turned back into her preferred human form, with flowing long red hair and a red robe.
‘Don’t step in it,’ she said as she lifted her robes to walk carefully over the smouldering mass on the floor.
We all followed her, the Tiger leaping easily over the blackened slime. The corridor ended about ten metres away at another door. As one the Immortals stiffened and spun. The Dragon grabbed me and pulled me behind him.
‘What?’ I said.
‘Back,’ John said.
‘What?’ Leo said.
‘Ah Na Zha was taken down,’ the Dragon said softly. ‘I am not sure what these things are that destroyed him, but they are on their way.’
We backed to the door. It was tiled with white enamel and didn’t have a handle. I gave it an experimental push. It didn’t move.
The Dragon and the Phoenix transformed and moved into position in front of us.
‘Go,’ the Dragon said, and the door flew open behind me. ‘Go and find Simone. Zhu Que and I will handle them. Tiger, Turtle, take them.’
I heard them coming down the hallway, but never saw them. The Dragon pushed me through the doorway with his tail, then pushed Leo and John after me. The Tiger came last. The door closed in our faces.
We were at the top of a flight of stairs that went down about fifty metres to a door at the bottom.
‘Simone is at the bottom of the stairs, about twenty metres further along,’ the stone said. ‘You are nearly there.’
‘Nearly there,’ I said. ‘Bottom of the stairs, about twenty metres further along.’
John didn’t say anything as we raced down the stairs. Then he and the Tiger stopped and concentrated.
‘There are more on the other side of this door, waiting for us,’ John said. Then he went rigid. ‘The Dragon and Phoenix are gone — the demons destroyed them — but they managed to take the last couple of turtles with them.’
‘Can you three handle them?’ the Tiger said.
John concentrated. ‘Yes. There are about fifteen level sixty snakes on the other side of this door.’
‘I’ll scout ahead and find the demon, you get Simone,’ the Tiger said. His body shimmered, then he snapped back. ‘Can’t travel in here; interesting.’ He shook his shaggy head. ‘Ouch.’ He grinned up at me. ‘I’ll just have to destroy these demons with you.’
‘Let me go through the door first,’ Leo said. ‘I’ll see how many I can take out before I go down. You can take the rest.’
‘Go through together,’ the stone said. ‘Emma, with energy. Turtle, Lion, Tiger, physical. Go in swinging. You will have more of a chance.’
‘Stop, Leo,’ I said. ‘The stone says go in swinging together. Me with energy, you three with physical.’
‘Yes,’ John said. ‘I’ll open the door, Leo stand back, Emma hit them first with energy.’
‘Can I shoot chi into the ground?’ I said. ‘Are we on the ground?’
‘Good idea,’ the stone said. ‘Yes.’
‘Into the ground,’ I said, and John nodded, understanding.
We readied ourselves. The Tiger used PK to open the door, then he and Leo stepped back.
All I saw was a writhing black mass on the other side of the door; they were silent, not hissing. They must have been at least thirty centimetres across.
Using my sword, I shot a bolt of chi into the floor and it went right through the middle of the snakes, blowing them up. It popped out of the floor about three metres away at the other end of the room, and I managed to make it swerve through a few more as it returned to me. I’d taken out about five of them. I sent the chi into the earth; if I retrieved that much it would kill me.
John and Leo raced through the door, swords swinging. The Tiger leapt. I followed them in and threw another bolt into the floor, destroying another three demons. Eight down. Seven to go.
The room was about three metres to a side, plain concrete. Just us and the snakes.
John had no difficulty with the demons he faced. He backed into a corner and only one at a time could battle him, they were so enormous. Dark Heavens destroyed them easily as it sliced through them; just its touch seemed to be enough to make them dissipate.
Leo had trouble with the demon he was attacking, so I took it out with a bolt of chi, then threw the result into the floor at another one.
The Tiger was a white blur. He leaped at them, tore their throats out, and worried them as they fell.
The demons moved back from me, obviously concerned by the energy. John, Leo and the Tiger continued to battle.
I sent another bolt of chi through the snakes, then more into the ground.
John ripped Dark Heavens through the demon he was facing and it fell.
All gone.
We all stood, panting, trying to regain our breath. Leo stumbled to me and leaned against the wall next to me. John came and stood with us, the Tiger backed to us.
‘Anybody injured?’ John said.
‘Poisonous,’ the Tiger said, panting. ‘Fangs. Leo?’
‘Yeah,’ Leo said.
The Tiger transformed into human form and went to Leo. Leo slid down the wall to sit on the floor, his face ashen. The Tiger took his hands, lowered his head and concentrated. Leo’s face screwed up with agony and he gasped.
‘Hold,’ John said, putting his hand on Leo’s forehead. ‘The pain will pass.’
Leo was completely still, his face stiff with control.
‘Breathe,’ John whispered.
Leo took a deep gasping breath and arched his back, then went limp. The Tiger concentrated again, and his hands filled with the golden glow of chi. The energy grew like a nimbus around his hands, then moved onto Leo, creating an aura around him. He appeared to be surrounded by golden fire for a split second, then it was absorbed into him.
Leo exhaled a huge deep breath, snapped open his eyes and smiled. ‘Thanks.’
‘It wasn’t as bad as I thought,’ the Tiger said. ‘The fang just grazed you. You were very lucky.’
Leo raised his left forearm and examined the long red mark where the fang had sliced across. ‘Gone.’ He pulled himself to his feet. ‘Any more between us and Simone?’
John and the Tiger faced the door at the end of the room and concentrated.
‘No idea,’ John said. ‘Stone?’
‘What you just faced was nothing compared to what is on the other side of that door,’ the stone said grimly. ‘Twice as many. Much bigger. Turtles.’ Its voice softened. ‘They are guarding Simone. She is on the other side of that room, in a holding room.’
Everybody looked blankly at me, so I relayed the message.
‘Emma, Leo,’ John said, ‘you two will go straight through, grab Simone and take her out. Take her straight home, both of you. The Tiger and I will finish our business here. Just make sure Simone is safe.’
I didn’t say anything, I just studied the door.
‘Emma?’ John said.
I nodded. ‘Okay. I suppose this is goodbye.’
‘No, it isn’t,’ John said. ‘Because I will return for you. I promise. Now.’ He hefted his sword. ‘Let’s get Simone out of this.’ He didn’t look away from the door. ‘Leo, I am giving you a direct order. You do not have permission to give your life. Simone will need both of you. I order you to stay alive.’
‘My Lord,’ Leo said, expressionless. ‘It’s the least I deserve.’
‘Tiger, on the count of three, open the door,’ John said. ‘One, two —’
The door flew open by itself and Martin threw himself through, holding Simone, unconscious, in his arms. His eyes blazed. ‘Go!’ he shouted when he saw us. ‘Get out of here!’
John ran to them and turned to bring up the rear. ‘You heard him, run!’
We all turned and raced for the door. Leo hit it first and went down. The Tiger crashed into it as well. The rest of us managed to stop before we reached it.
I put my hand out. There was an invisible barrier where the door should have been. The door appeared to be open, but we couldn’t go through.
‘Move,’ John said. He raised Dark Heavens, filled it with brilliant white shen energy and tried to break the barrier with it. The sword glanced off.
John pulled the energy back out. We all faced back into the room. The door on the other side was open, but the demons weren’t coming in yet.
The Tiger shook his shaggy head and pulled himself to his feet. ‘Never seen that before.’
‘Leo?’ I said.
Leo grunted, then pulled himself up to sit, shaking his head as well. The Tiger moved next to him. ‘How many paws am I holding up?’
‘Two,’ Leo said.
‘Close enough,’ the Tiger said.
Leo clumsily pulled himself to his feet and staggered to the white katana to retrieve it.
I went to Martin. Simone lay limp in his arms.
‘Is she okay?’ I said.
‘Yes,’ Martin said. ‘I broke out of my cell and found her. But —’ He glanced at the other room, then gently put Simone onto the floor next to the door. ‘Give me your sword, and stand back with Simone. Let us deal with them.’
I glanced at John. ‘Do as he says,’ John said.
I passed the Silver Serpent to Martin and he studied it. ‘It’s been a long time.’ He hefted it and faced the centre of the room with the other men.
‘You two stay back,’ John said. ‘Emma, lean on the doorway. If the barrier is taken down, grab Simone and run. Leo, stay with them, stand your ground. Go with them if the barrier falls.’
They all stiffened and faced the open door.
‘Here they come,’ Martin said softly.