Dark_Serpent

33




Zhenwu

People rushed out of the way as John and Er Lang, both in Celestial Form, strode together to the War Room in the Celestial Palace. The double doors opened and they went in; the Council were standing next to their chairs in a traditional show of respect. John and Er Lang halted inside the door, accepted salutes from everyone in the room, then John walked around the table to take his place at the head, with Er Lang on his right. The entire wall behind them was a specially commissioned ink painting of warriors on horseback and on foot, in both human and True Form, during the Shang/Zhou.

As John sat, the other members of the Council sat too, carefully following order of precedence.

‘Time frame?’ the Phoenix said. They’d all been briefed.

‘Less than six months,’ John said.

‘Celestial says prepare now,’ Er Lang said. ‘We will be attacked by early softening skirmishes almost immediately. Main force late spring, just under six months from now.’

‘The Mountain is so understaffed,’ Ma said with frustration. ‘Is it too late to recruit?’

‘Yes,’ John said.

‘The Western Heavens are closed. We need to find out how the demons did that and duplicate it,’ the Dragon said.

‘And pull everybody in before we do. Full evacuation of everybody on the Earthly,’ the Tiger said.

‘Hell?’ Michael said.

‘All civilians are to be evacuated from the Celestial side of Hell and we will bolster its defences,’ Er Lang said.

‘Where will they start?’ the Dragon’s Number One said. ‘Do we know their first target?’

Nobody replied.

‘Do we have any intelligence at all?’

‘As soon as the Elites are in we’ll know a hell of a lot more,’ said the Phoenix’s Number One, a small fragile-looking female Red Warrior.

She was a new Number One for the Phoenix; John tried to remember her name and couldn’t. The Red Warriors kept mostly to themselves, in the Southern Palace under the volcano, and the heat of the location made socialisation for most of the residents impossible.

‘We should try to lure them out so they open a gateway,’ the Phoenix said.

‘Good idea,’ John said. ‘Team to brainstorm that?’

The Phoenix’s Number One, Michael and the Dragon’s Number One, Golden Dragon, raised their hands slightly.

‘Done.’

‘Join us, Prince Ming,’ the Phoenix’s Number One said.

‘I’ll be busy organising accommodation for the Twelve Villages, Flute,’ Martin said. ‘I’ll give you Yue Gui. She’s smarter than me anyway.’

‘Three of you are sufficient. Yue Gui has another role here,’ John said.

He contacted her at the Northern Palace. Yue Gui, I am about to nominate you to coordinate preparation for the full evacuation and housing of refugees from the Earthly and Hell. If we are going to bring everybody up here where it is safe over the next six months, we need to prepare now.

My Lord.

‘Yue Gui will coordinate the evacuation; we’ll use her as a central administrator,’ John said.

There were general nods of agreement around the table; Yue Gui’s efficiency and competence were legendary.

Move to the Celestial Palace, the job is yours, John said.

My Lord.

Zara. Zara?

No reply.

Yue Gui, I was about to give you my stone secretary but it has gone with the Grandmother. Take the Jade Girl to assist. She has admirable skills in dealing with people and they are wasted just doing public relations for the Mountain.

Thank you, Father, most appreciated. Her voice changed slightly in his head. I hope we find Emma soon.

We will.

‘What else?’ John said.

‘If you coordinate the defensive lines, I’ll set the forges to work,’ Er Lang said.

‘I suggest we return to our realms, arrange our defences, then meet back here this time tomorrow to map out the full Heavenly strategy,’ the Phoenix said. ‘The Number Ones can work together and see what they come up with from here.’

‘Agreed. Any other business?’

‘Defending the Earthly?’ Ma said.

‘They won’t attack the Earthly,’ the Tiger said. ‘They don’t want the humans to know any more than we do. They’ll come straight here.’

‘The riots in 2011 in London were them,’ John said. ‘They will start something similar in this Centre.’

‘There has been unrest all over Europe,’ the Phoenix said. ‘This is them?’

John nodded.

‘Tiananmen all over again,’ the Tiger said. ‘And innocents will be pulled in just as they were before.’ His voice dropped with restrained rage. ‘Demons massacring humans for fun, and the government looking on with delight.’

‘Directly after this meeting I am gathering the Thirty-Six to discuss the defence of the Earthly,’ John said. ‘The four of you concentrate on the Celestial.’

‘We need the stones back,’ the Dragon said. ‘Does anybody have a special bond with the Grandmother?’

‘I’ll talk to Gold,’ John said. ‘Anything else?’

‘A safe journey to you and Emma, my Lord,’ the Phoenix said more gently.

‘I will find her. I have promised,’ John said.

‘Just don’t spend too much time there once you do. In and out like a White Tiger; let the Elite gather the information,’ the Tiger said.

‘I will be here when I’m needed,’ John said. ‘Enough?’ From their expressions, they were eager to start work. ‘Dismissed.’

After the meeting with the Thirty-Five Generals, John headed back to the Mountain and spoke to the Lius about the preparations there. He went to his office in the early evening and flipped through his emails. Exhaustion was making him see double; he would have to stop soon.

Simone came in and sat across from him while he tried to read the reports on the demons.

‘Any word on Emma?’

‘She’s free. She’s safe. All I need is one gateway open and I’ll be up there to pull her out.’

‘The demons have really taken over the entire West?’

‘They have.’

‘The Celestials say there’s going to be a war.’

‘We are preparing,’ he said. ‘Stay in the Mountain where you’re safe.’

‘I want to fight too.’

He glanced away from the computer to her determined face. ‘You’re too young.’

‘I’ll be eighteen in a few months; I’m nearly an adult. Have them make me a weapon. I want to help.’

He opened his mouth and closed it again.

‘That’s right,’ she said, smiling slightly. ‘This is the reason I’ve trained all my life, so I can help you defend the Celestial. This is our Mountain and our home and our realm and I’ll be damned if I let any demons come over these walls again.’

He leaned on the desk to face her and pulled out a scroll.

‘Don’t try to stop me, I’m helping,’ she said fiercely.

‘What sort of weapon?’

Her eyes widened. ‘What, that’s it?’

‘I think something with a bit of reach on it — maybe a halberd or polearm? You’re not a great expert with a sword, but two smaller knives to match your speed? A pair of wakizashi-sized daggers; you’ve always reverse-handed well and you move so damn fast they’ll never see them coming. Or a staff. I can have something very special made and you can load it with energy, or even yin.’

‘You’ll give me my yin back?’ she said, eyes even wider.

‘What you said about the damn wall. And frankly …’ he leaned back and pulled his hair out of its tie, ‘the idea of having you fight next to me to protect our Mountain is the coolest thing anybody’s said to me all day. One condition, though.’

She quirked one eyebrow at him and he wondered when she’d learnt to do that.

‘Study Internal Alchemy and pursue Immortality or all bets are off.’

‘Deal.’

She rose and held her hand out. He stood as well, grasped hers and released the binding he’d placed on her control over yin. The yin had always been there, but she hadn’t been able to touch it. Now she could, and she shivered. Her eyes went black for a moment as the yin flooded through her, then returned to normal and she gasped. She released his hand and flopped into her chair, which was instantly covered with satisfying ice.

‘An hour a day on controlling that,’ he said. ‘Don’t work with it alone until I say so. Your Arts are weak as well. We’ll have to spend some serious time together to bring you to full potential.’

‘Okay,’ she said, obviously still slightly dazed.

‘How about a staff of Seven Stars? I can have chakra vessels put into it and it will hold your energy the same way the sword does.’ He sat back down at his desk. ‘It will take some time to make, though, and I have a very fine pair of daggers that would be perfect for your build and reach until it’s finished.’

‘Um …’ She stopped, thoughtful. ‘Can I have a smaller version of Seven Stars? Give me intense training on sword work and bring me up to speed.’

‘You want the same thing as me?’

‘That sword is completely bad-ass.’

‘No,’ he said, and she frowned. ‘I won’t give you the same as me. You are your own person, and let’s face it: your style is different. A pair of short broad blades with the stars in both of them? You’ve seen me pull Seven Stars apart; this would be the same thing, just all the time.’

‘Curved blades, sickle-shaped,’ she said. ‘Something with a curved tip that I can use to slip into throats and bellies to rip stuff out, and slip behind heads to take them off. If they’re curved, they’ll be less likely to get stuck in demon shells; I can lever them out.’ She frowned. ‘I don’t remember what they’re called, but they were used a long time ago. I think they’d suit me.’

He scribbled on the scroll. ‘The blade is called a khopesh, and you’re right, they’re very ancient. First one I saw was in India about three thousand years ago. Perfect for you: they’ll give you the impact of an axe and the finesse of a sword, and the tips for ripping. They’re also an excellent weapon to wield on horseback.’

She smiled. ‘Freddo will be thrilled to bits. Lisel might agree to teach us again.’

‘They don’t need to be completely sickle-shaped,’ John said, drawing on the scroll. ‘A flatter curve is more powerful than a circular one. I’ll have them sharpened on both sides so you can backhand if you want. Sounds ideal.’

‘Can they be black? And I need armour; I’m not skilled enough to summon my own yet.’

‘Your livery’s dark blue, I’ve seen it. Armour and weapons both in that colour.’

‘Oh,’ she said, eyes wide. ‘Damn, Dad, that really does sound very cool. Dark blue armour, and blades with chakra vessels?’ She smiled slightly, and suddenly the little girl was gone and she was all woman. ‘Best eighteenth birthday present a girl could ever ask for.’

He finished the order on the scroll and rolled it up. ‘Give this to Moaner in the forge. Tell him to give them priority, but not to rush. It will take them some time to create the right alloy to make the blades blue, and fixing the chakra vessels is a precision task. You’ll need to be there when he creates them, so arrange a time with him.’

‘I’m not taking resources away from the war effort, am I?’

A small part of him died when she said that. A war effort meant death and deprivation and suffering.

He shook his head. ‘No. You’ll be as important as me when the demons come.’

‘Are you sure they’re coming?’

‘It’s just a matter of time. They’ve been building up to this for years.’

‘I suppose we all knew it was coming. It’s just …’ She sighed. ‘You try not to think about it; and now people are heading up here to be safe, you can’t not think about it.’ She bent closer and touched his temple. ‘Come home and rest, Dad, you’re wrecked. Your hair is even going grey.’

‘As soon as I’ve checked these reports. Have the staff keep some food warm for me.’

‘I’m waiting up for you, so don’t be too late,’ she said.

She patted his hand and went out, leaving him feeling very old.

He returned to the emails, flipping quickly through the reports and scanning the information. The details on the new demons, the insect/snake hybrids, were seriously disturbing. He read the first two paragraphs of an email from the Tiger’s Number Two about Freddo’s mother and moved to the next one, then went back and undeleted it. He’d seen the word ‘unusual’.

The horse is unusual in that it has not come from any of the regular racing stables that supply the Jockey Club. It appears to have been bred on a stud attached to the Anglesey Manor; records show it was born there. This is the only horse ever to go through the Jockey Club from that stud, and further research shows that it’s the only horse ever to have come out of that stud ever. The stud bred one horse and Freddo’s mother is that horse.

He picked up his phone and called the Tiger’s Number Two, Rohan.

‘My Lord,’ Rohan said.

‘Freddo’s mother is the only horse ever to come from the Anglesey Manor?’ John said. ‘Really?’

‘If any others were bred there, they weren’t entered into any stud books,’ Rohan said.

‘The stables there have been deserted for a very long time. I estimate at least seventy years since they’ve seen a horse.’

‘I wonder where the horse came from then?’

A small ferocious ray of hope lit up inside John. ‘I’m heading over to have a look. Thank you for your assistance.’

‘No need, my Lord. The Number Ones are about to head over there to try to lure a demon out through one of the gateways. They’re just doing the handover to us Number Twos before they go. I’ll tell them to take a detour on the way and check out the manor.’

John hesitated, then realised he was right. ‘Very well. Tell Michael to call me the minute he finds something.’

‘My Lord.’

John pushed his chair back, grabbed the phone and went out to the Imperial Residence. He missed Zara’s comforting presence outside his office. Dinner with Simone and hopefully Leo would help to take the pain away, and he really was exhausted.


Emma

Something moved next to my head: a silver scaled leg with a cloven hoof, glowing in the darkness. I flopped onto my back to see it better, and wished I had the energy to appreciate it more. It morphed between an Eastern qilin and a Western unicorn: one minute it had two antlers and a scaly goat’s body, and the next it was a horse with a single horn and cloven hooves.

‘Hello,’ I said. ‘You’re beautiful.’

It fell onto its front knees and curled its hind legs behind it to lie down next to me. Warmth and light radiated off it and I immediately felt more alive.

‘You’re not,’ it said, and its voices sounded like three speaking in unison: a man, a woman and a child. It dropped its head slightly and blew warm sweet air on me. ‘You’re very ordinary-looking, and I like that. You’re true to yourself.’

‘Thank you. I try. Why are you here? I’m not nearly important enough to merit a visit from you.’

‘You aren’t, but if the future is to be resolved, you need to be in it.’

‘I’m that important?’

‘You, no. The things around you, yes. Kind of.’ It shook its head. ‘You’re not important, but you’re vital and real and full of life. And there’s a thing that will need to be done. And it needs you.’

‘I’ve done enough,’ I said, snuggling into it. ‘Your scales are lovely.’

It nuzzled me with its horse nose. ‘Most people are awestruck into silence when they meet me.’

‘Hey, I’ve slept with the Xuan Wu and seen its Turtle form. I’ve yet to see anything top that,’ I said. ‘Whoa. Is your presence making me high or something? I feel really … good. Euphoric.’

‘Either my presence, or the blood loss and exposure. Probably a combination.’ It snorted gently with amusement. ‘I wonder if I’m habit-forming.’

‘You should be a controlled substance,’ I said. ‘Is it okay if I sleep until he finds me? You’re lovely and warm, and I feel like I haven’t been warm in forever. You won’t leave me, will you?’

‘Go right ahead.’

‘And of course, if I’m hallucinating, I’ll just die and that’ll be that.’

‘Yep.’

‘You’re a big help,’ I said, and fell asleep curled up next to its satiny scales.