by Kylie Chan
Other books by Kylie Chan
SMALL SHEN
Standalone graphic novel illustrated by
QUEENIE CHAN
BLACK SCALES WHITE FUR
XUAN WU SAGA
DARK HEAVENS
White Tiger
Red Phoenix
Blue Dragon
JOURNEY TO WUDANG
Earth to Hell
Hell to Heaven
Heaven to Wudang
CELESTIAL BATTLE
Dark Serpent
Demon Child
Black Jade
The Gravity Engine
Kylie Chan
Copyright © 2014 Kylie Chan
Cover image by Madeleine Chan, photo from iStockphoto
Michael waited quietly on the bench in the gardens of the medical facility. The garden was paved with red stones, and raised planter boxes held fragrant flowering shrubs. He looked at his watch; nearly time. He picked up the paperback next to him and pretended to read it, surreptitiously checking the path every thirty seconds. It was a few minutes before he realised he was holding the book upside down and he quickly righted it.
He checked his watch again; she was late. Michael stayed very still and tried to avoid fidgeting as he pretended to read the book.
He heard them talking before he saw them and sagged with relief. Clarissa’s carer was pushing the wheelchair and Clarissa was a small, curled-up shape lost in the chair holding her. She stopped talking as they came into view and didn’t meet his gaze. He turned back to the book, wishing that he could watch her with his Inner Eye, but she was an ordinary human and his Inner Eye could easily kill her.
He peeked at her over the top of the book and disappointment flooded through him again. Since she’d had the kidney transplant he’d hoped she’d regain some of her old strength, but she appeared as fragile and transparent as she always had: a shrunken, delicate, spun-glass figurine, twisted and deformed from the torture she’d suffered. Her hands were still rigid claws and her eyes were sunken and hollow, with the wide, unfocussed stare of those who’d been truly broken by the horrors they’d experienced.
For a moment he saw her face against the light, and he was thrown back to a vision of the woman he’d known and loved: strong, clever, vibrant and full of life. She’d suffered no idiocy from him and been a formidable partner and challenging lover. She’d been his whole world, full of courage and intensity, and had reacted with pragmatic curiosity when she’d found out about his father, the Tiger God of the West, and the complex nature of his Celestial family ties. Instead of being frightened she was curious and intrigued, asking him to show her his abilities and revelling in the feeling of going flying with him. She’d loved being engaged to a ‘superhero’ and had adored his tiger form. He promised to always protect her from the demon menace, and she trusted him completely.
The demons had taken her and performed vile experiments on her to create a clone that had completely fooled him for weeks – until it exploded. The Dark Lord of the Northern Heavens told him that the original was probably dead, breaking Michael’s heart. Then the Dark Lord had infiltrated a demon nest and been shocked to find the real Clarissa a prisoner in the labs, patiently waiting for Michael find and rescue her. She came back a ravaged husk, nearly blind and unable to walk. Everything that had happened to her had been because she’d known Michael and he hadn’t protected her at all.
The carer wheeled Clarissa out of sight through the garden and he leaned back on the bench and wiped his eyes, the novel forgotten.
Clarissa’s psychologist appeared out of nowhere and sat next to him. ‘What do you see when you look at her?’
‘I see the good times we had together before all this happened. And a million regrets that I believed the Dark Lord when he said she was dead. I would have tried to find her – it never occurred to me that someone as powerful as him could ever be wrong.’
‘You’re still blaming the Dark Lord?’
‘No, of course not.’ Michael leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. ‘I blame the Demon King. And myself, for not protecting her enough. He had her and my mother both —’ His voice cracked. ‘Both of them. My mother is dead and Clarissa is broken. The Demon King has a massive debt to me and I will ensure that it is paid.’
‘And what about Clarissa?’
Michael studied his hands. ‘I’m willing to wait for her as long as it takes.’ He looked up at where she’d been. ‘It tears my heart out to see her like this, but at least I can see her, and that’s enough for me right now.’
The psychologist was silent for a moment, then said, ‘She wants you to stop stalking her.’
‘Okay, I’ll stop,’ Michael said.
‘She knows when you’re sitting there invisible. She knew when you did it before.’
‘How?’
‘She can smell you.’
Michael was horrified. ‘What?’ He sniffed himself; no serious BO – what the hell?
‘You wear too much of that aromatic deodorant you young men tend to favour. It’s all over you.’ The psychologist leaned back and put her arms on the back of the bench. ‘Despite the advertising, it’s not attractive at all. Most women find it unpleasantly cheap and strong.’
‘Then it’s appropriate for me,’ Michael said with a wry grin.
‘No, it isn’t. You may be strong, but your value is limitless. Youngest Worthy ever granted Immortality. Number One Son of the Emperor of the West. Running the West, and barely thirty years old. It won’t be long before there’s statues of you in the temples on the Earthly Plane, young man.’
‘I wonder how they’ll depict my half-European features.’
‘Probably as unflatteringly as they depict your father’s tiger ones.’
‘Yeah.’ He looked up at where Clarissa had been. ‘I’ll stop coming. But can you pass on a message for me?’
‘She already knows that you’ll wait for as long as it takes.’
‘Any idea when she’ll improve to a state where she’ll actually be able to talk to me? I miss her so much …’
‘You miss her and you want something with her. What if what you want isn’t the best for her?’
‘Tell me and I’ll stay away for good. Say the words and I’ll be gone.’
‘What if she needs someone to support her without having any sort of relationship otherwise? Just to care for her?’
Michael lit up with a ray of hope. ‘She’d let me look after her?’
‘No sexual relationship, no kissing, no love, just to care for her. Could you do that?’
Michael couldn’t believe what he was hearing, just being with her would be a dream come true. He didn’t need the rest. ‘I could do that? She’d let me?’
The psychologist studied him for a long time, then said, ‘Stop coming here and throw yourself into your work for fifteen days. In two weeks and one day, come back here and do this again. I can’t guarantee anything, but it may be different.’
Michael straightened. ‘She might talk to me?’
‘Give her two weeks of not seeing you here when she goes past, and her attitude when you return may be different.’ The psychologist raised her hand when she saw his face. ‘I’m really not promising you anything. When she sees you, she may ask for you to go away again. But having you here waiting for her every day at the same time has not just been an annoying distraction for her, it’s been reassuring as well. Let’s see how she feels when that reassurance is gone.’
Michael looked away and nodded. ‘All right.’ He turned back to the psychologist. ‘Thank you. You’ve given me hope.’
‘I hope I haven’t done you a disservice; there’s a good chance when you’re back she’ll tell you to go away again.’
‘Should I stay away altogether? Wou
ld that be the best for her? All you have to do is say the words —’
‘No,’ the psychologist said firmly. ‘I like to think that one day she’ll heal enough to lead something approaching a normal life, and that includes a healthy relationship with you. The fact that you’re prepared to wait means that you are the best one for her. So go away for fifteen days, and I’ll be watching when you return.’
‘Doctor.’ He saluted her Western-style and disappeared to, as she said, throw himself into his work. There was plenty waiting for him.
‘Hello?’
‘Michael.’ Enzio’s voice was warm and generous. ‘So good to talk to you. Finally! I’ve been trying for ages.’
‘Oh,’ Michael said. ‘Sorry. I saw the messages, it’s just been …’
‘No, I understand, my boy.’ Enzio became even more jovial. ‘So are you enjoying your new position? They’re obviously keeping you very busy —’
One, I need you in my office right now, Michael’s father said telepathically.
On my way, my Lord.
Enzio was still talking. ‘— And if you ever want to come back to us in Hong Kong —’
Michael cut him off. ‘It’s in my father’s firm, Enzio. My dad’s been very good about helping me, Clarissa was in a severe car accident shortly after both of us left —’
NOW, One.
My Lord.
‘Oh that’s terrible. Is she all right?’
Enzio’s voice was full of sympathy but his falseness was clearly audible: Clarissa had been a second-quality staff member to him. He’d promoted Michael quickly even though Clarissa was obviously more skilled.
‘She’ll get there, but I have to go, my dad’s in my ear, he wants me right now. Thanks for calling, Enzio —’
ONE!
‘Bye.’ Michael dropped his head and teleported to his father’s office, then slipped his phone into the pocket of his White Horseman’s uniform. The White Tiger, Celestial Emperor of the Western Heavens, was in human form; a muscular Chinese warrior with golden skin and white hair, sitting at his desk with a pile of papers in front of him.
‘When I say now I mean now, One.’ He waved for Michael to sit across the desk from him.
‘Sorry,’ Michael said. ‘My old boss keeps harassing me about returning to work for him …’
‘This is a human, right? On the Earthly Plane?’
‘My Lord.’
The Tiger shuffled the papers. ‘And you’re wasting your time,’ he glared at Michael, ‘being polite to this bastard? Block him. You have more important things to do. If I find you talking to humans again, I’ll cut your fucking head off. Now.’ He pushed the papers across the desk to Michael. ‘Deal with this.’ He rose and headed towards the door.
‘Wait, this is the budget for the next twelve months — I helped Rohan prepare this! We need you to make a decision about whether —’
The Tiger cut him off again. ‘No, you don’t. You make the decisions. I don’t want to worry about it. I’ll be in the harem, and if you disturb me, I’ll cut more than your head off. Handle it.’ He walked out.
Rohan?
Yeah, Mike?
You were right. We have to make all the decisions. Meet in my office.
’Kay. Rohan’s voice filled with amusement. Good luck making these calls – get it wrong and Dad will tear your head off.
I could resign and stand aside so that you’re acting Number One Son until he finds a replacement …
Rohan’s mental voice became fierce. Don’t you fucking dare. See you in five.
Michael had the budget open in front of him when Rohan came in and sat.
‘You don’t need me,’ Rohan said. ‘You’re the most experienced one in the Western Palace for handling this sort of shit. Just do it.’
‘I wish I had the up-to-date figures on the commodity markets, turning it into platinum, or something like titanium, might be more worthwhile,’ Michael said. ‘When I was back with Enzio, it was all in front of me. Who would I talk to about arranging it?’
‘No,’ Rohan said, ‘delegate it. You have too much other stuff to worry about.’ He saw the way Michael was looking at him. ‘Not me! Pass it on to a financial management firm. Let them decide where the gold goes.’
‘A hundred metric tonnes,’ Michael said with exasperation. ‘A hundred tonnes of gold, and it’s worthless. We sell it on the Earthly, we drive the price of gold down and hurt ourselves and the world economy; something we’re sworn to protect. We keep it, it’s doing nothing. What the hell was Greg thinking?’
‘He was planning to employ stones to fashion it into high-end jewellery and sell it for celestial jade,’ Rohan said.
Michael leaned back. ‘Clever. Good plan, turning gold that costs us nothing into jade that’s worth something here on the Celestial. So what happened? Why isn’t the storehouse full of jade instead of gold?’
‘The stones died. The demons kidnapped them and experimented on them and too many of them died.’
‘And the Grandmother of All the Rocks took the survivors home with her in disgust. I see.’ Michael sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. ‘Can we spare half-a-dozen people to create a fake gold mine?’
‘You know the answer to that.’
‘Hmm.’ Michael contacted the head of the Seraglio Elite Guard. William?
Rohan heard it and grinned. He knew what was coming.
Fuck off I’m on my break.
Rohan’s grin widened.
Michael ignored William’s griping. I know, I saw Dad go down there. Are any of the wives experts at financial management?
You are referring to the wives of our father the White Tiger, yes?
I am.
And you’re seriously asking me this question?
Oh come on, there have to be one or two he met while he was in the city …
Our father does not favour women with brains.
Rohan interrupted. Wrong. Women with brains do not favour our father.
Number Two has a valid point, William said. Any woman with half a brain would steer well clear of him.
It was worth a try, we have financial issues and someone with access to the current trading figures would be very useful.
Hold on, William said, and was quiet for a moment. Hey, leave it with me for a while. I’m dating a dragon who does that sort of thing in the Eastern Palace, he may have access to the info you need. I’ll see if he can help.
Thanks, man, you’re the best.
Oh shit, I hear screaming. Someone missed her turn with Dad. Later.
Michael sighed. ‘Clarissa would know what to do.’
‘Michael, Clarissa’s not the solution to everything.’
‘She is to me.’ Michael closed the budget folder. ‘Leave the gold where it is until William gets back to us. Trickle sell it as we always do, but we need to find another source of income – real Celestial income, not this Earthly crap – soon, because we all know what’s coming.’
‘Is it really?’
‘It is.’
Rohan studied him intensely. ‘How much can you see?’
‘Since I was promoted to Number One, more than I want to. War, Rohan. War with demonkind – bloody, unrelenting, and brutal. There’s a good chance the Celestial will lose and we’ll all end up being tortured in the tenth level of Hell for a long time.’
‘How long a long time?’
‘Long enough to regret accepting Immortality, brother.’
The next day Michael was going through the metal commodity prices on the internet when Rohan came in and flopped into the seat across the desk from him, his grin wide.
‘Anything useful for me, or you just here to be decorative?’ Michael said without looking away from the screen.
‘We found a big nest. Really big nest. Hundreds of them. Want to come help?’
Michael dropped the mouse and pushed himself away from the desk, then stopped and wheeled himself back again. ‘No. I’m too busy. You can handle it. How many are you taking wit
h you?’
Rohan’s voice went sly. ‘There’ll be Mothers, Michael.’
‘Dad would kill me.’
‘Dad’s in the harem. Come on, man, you really need to blow off some steam and if we run into more than half-a-dozen Mothers, it could get hairy. We may seriously need you.’
‘Where is it?’
‘Under Bezeklik.’
‘Where’s that?’
‘Called Bozhikeli in Putonghua.’
‘Never heard of it.’
Rohan let his breath out in a long hiss.
‘I’m half-American and grew up in Hong Kong,’ Michael said. ‘If you want someone more local as Number One, feel free to take the job yourself.’
‘Yeah, sure. Good try.’
Michael turned back to the computer, googled Bezeklik and went through to the Wikipedia article. ‘The Thousand-Buddha Caves?’
‘Those ones. Hardly any Buddhas left, though, archaeologists stole most of them in the early twentieth century. Not much there but the caves – and a massive nest complex underneath. Our scouts estimate that the nest entrance is as old as the caves themselves.’
‘Fifth to fourteenth century. Damn, that nest is old.’
‘We’re looking at seriously huge Mothers in there. Hopefully some Dukes as well. Should be a fun field trip.’
‘We shouldn’t be wasting our time on Mothers and Dukes, we should be targeting military thralls that we can tame and add to our defensive army.’
‘Well, plenty of them too. Of course. But this breeding colony will be producing high-level war demons and if we shut it down, it could gut their military forces.’
‘That’s halfway across the continent and on the Earthly Plane. I don’t have a whole day to waste doing this, Rohan.’
‘Big Mothers, Michael.’
‘You can handle it.’
‘And Dukes. And lots of military thralls to tame and present to Dad to add to his own army – you’ll be his favourite son for ages. Come on, man, it’ll be great fun. You haven’t drawn a weapon in anger for weeks.’
Michael turned to argue with Rohan, and hesitated when he saw his brother’s desperation. ‘You really think you’ll need me?’