Burning Tigress

by Jade Lee

  They stood in the Chamber of a Thousand Swinging Lanterns. According to Ken Jin, it wasn't Heaven proper, but the antechamber to those glorious gates. And yet, how could anything be more wonderful? Black velvet dotted with swinging lights. A song of love felt more than heard. A joy that enveloped and permeated all that she was.

  All that they were, for Ken Jin was here with her.

  "Charlotte? Can you hear me?" he called.

  "I am here!" she replied with a giggle. She doubted they were actually speaking. The words came as thoughts carried on emotions: felt, experienced, but not spoken aloud. They were so intertwined that she knew what he knew, and he felt what she felt.

  Love. In all its myriad forms. For one another. For family. For animals and plants and birds. For the world. And for William, who glided closer.

  Just as before, the radiant form of her brother appeared, with a great smile and wide-open arms. Charlotte felt her heart sing in joy as they embraced. Beside her, Ken Jin bowed deeply and with awe.

  "Master William."

  "Ken Jin and Charlotte. How pleased I am that you are here."

  Charlotte felt his pleasure warm her soul. She had so much she wanted to say, so much to ask, but the words clogged in her mind and refused to step forth. It was ridiculous to feel intimidated by her little brother, but this being of light and love was beyond the boy she'd chased through the house to make him take his baths. This was William—an angel.

  "Not an angel," he corrected, clearly hearing her thoughts. "I am William—the part you do not see in my body."

  "His soul?" And her old fear returned. "You're not dead, are you? You're not—"

  He laughed, not in mockery but with simple pleasure.

  "Do you believe that I am so small as to be contained in a single biological form? That any of us are?"

  She hesitated, unsure what she thought.

  "I am so much more than what you see on Earth. All of us are." He paused and turned saddened eyes to Ken Jin. "Or all of us can be."

  She followed her brother's gaze, automatically extending her hand to her love. But Ken Jin was too far away to grasp, too indistinct to clearly see more than just his outline. Except... She narrowed her eyes. He was here beside her. She could touch him. She could feel him, but his light was so dark, his power so cold.

  "Ken Jin!" she cried. "What has happened?"

  Her lover dropped his eyes, his shame a palpable weight dragging him away from her. "I am not worthy," he said.

  Again William laughed, and again there was no malice in the sound, only the gentle humor of a parent to a child. "All are worthy, Ken Jin. It is you who have chosen this form. Do you wish to change it now?"

  She felt Ken Jin's confusion, felt his pain in her own heart. But mostly she felt fear. Ken Jin was growing heavier by the second.

  "William!" she cried. "Help us!"

  So her brother bent down and kissed her cheek. She felt his caress and the joy it brought her. And then she heard one last message. "Thank you for lifting your shadow, big sister. Now I can grow stronger on my own."

  She jerked her attention upward. They were plunging out of Heaven at a dizzying rate. And yet, there was no mistaking his words. But what did they mean? What shadow?

  Then she saw. He was so bright that she hadn't noticed before. His radiance, his power... But with distance, she also saw a shadow, an outline that darkened his features and obscured his lines. Then, as she watched, it began to fade. She saw it clearly, how he was growing brighter as the darkness began to lift away. Her shadow? But...

  She plunged back into her body—heavy, dark, exhausted.

  And alone. No one shared the thin pallet. No other presence filled the room. Where was Ken Jin?

  Five-Minutes Acupressure Wellness Exercise.

  Step 1, Briskly rub your lower back along both sides of the spine. Rub these Sea of Vitality points (B23 and B47) briskly up and down for one minute, creating warmth from the friction.

  Step 2, Hold the base of the skull and the Third Eye point.

  Step 3, Hold the Sea of energy (CV 6) three finger widths below your belly button in your lower abdomen.

  Acupressure's Potent Points

  Michael Reed Gach

  Chapter 18

  Cold. He had never felt so cold in all his life.

  Ken Jin looked down at his hands, able to see but not feel them. He had spent much of his life in some level of numbness, but the lack of sensation now was particularly glaring. After feeling everything a few hours ago in Heaven, after being whole for a short time, he was completely disconnected now. Why was it so cold even in sunlight?

  "Ken Jin?"

  He lifted his head, though the motion was stiff and slow. Charlotte stood in the doorway to his room. She was completely naked, amazingly beautiful, and even his unworthy eyes could see the tendrils of Heaven that still made her skin glow.

  "You have returned," he said, his voice rusty from the night's silence.

  "Was I...? How long...?" She licked her lips as she struggled with her surroundings. He understood her confusion. He, too, had been disoriented for an hour or more.

  "It is just past sunrise. You stayed in Heaven longer than I." He'd woken beside her, and felt her body still entwined with his. He knew she remained in Heaven while he had been cast out. So he lay beside her, thinking of his life and basking in her heat. But he had never been able to think clearly when enveloped in her yin. Eventually, he forced himself to separate from her. He left her side and came to his room to kneel before the east-facing window and pray.

  "No..." she said. She shook her head, her expression fierce. "We fell at the same time. I tried to hold on, but..."

  "But I was too heavy," he answered for her. "I was unworthy of—"

  "Don't say it!" she snapped. Then she stomped into the room, her breasts bobbing with her fierce movements. "You most certainly are worthy! Nobody is more worthy. You've given everything to the family that has treated you like dirt! You've—"

  "I've cut myself into tiny pieces for them. I've given them all that I can, and now that it is morning, I am to cut my body as my spirit has been sectioned."

  She gaped at him. Clearly she had not expected such clarity of thought from him. He almost smiled. "I have had many hours to meditate, and Heaven gives a man much to contemplate."

  She shut her mouth with a snap. Then she crossed the last distance between them to kneel beside him. She moved so quickly, whereas he still felt the sluggishness of Earth dragging at his limbs. Before he could say anything, her arms wrapped about him, her chest caressed his back, and her sweet lips pressed to his cheeks. So hot was her presence, her kiss seared him like a brand; but he welcomed it nonetheless. A man in pieces needed the power of a woman's qi. Of this woman's qi.

  "And what have you decided?" she asked.

  He closed his eyes to better absorb her strength. Odd, that he had spent so many years searching for ways to take a woman's yin. He had spent nights stimulating one woman after another only to end up feeling weaker. And yet, all that time Charlotte had been nearby. The answer had been with him the whole time.

  Perhaps that was why he'd always drawn yin from white women: because he was searching for Charlotte. And now, when he felt most confused, most alone, she gave him such power with no effort. Such was the generosity of her spirit that he had only to think of her and his qi strengthened. His dragon too, he realized, looking down. Hard and proud, it jutted eagerly upward against his pants, seeking her again.

  "Ken Jin?" she pressed, her tone anxious. "What have you decided?"

  "That I am whole with you." He reached up and drew her down onto the floor before him. He had come to this room seeking warmth in the sunlight. His was the only room with a window, but now he realized how wrong he had been. The warmth he needed came from her. It came from being a whole man. It came from having a unity of purpose and mind—which is exactly what she gave him.

  "I want to remain with you," he stated firmly. She smiled at him and his
blood heated. It was so wondrous a sensation that he nearly missed her next words.

  "But what about returning to the Tao? Are you giving up on that?"

  "I did abandon the middle path so many years ago when I tricked my brother, but not because of my foolishness. I wandered off the middle path when I left home."

  "I thought they sent you away."

  He nodded again. "I left part of my heart with my family while the rest of me traveled to Shanghai."

  "That's why you've always wanted to return home."

  He nodded. "And so I gave more of myself to my fiancée and her family. And then—"

  "More to your brother and his wife and their son."

  Ken Jin sighed. "Shi Po often said that a man of divided heart cannot find the Tao." He lifted his gaze to Charlotte. "Since I was eight years old, I have split my efforts, cut off pieces of my heart and my life. Only one thing has ever unified my heart and spirit and body."

  Her eyes softened, and she reached for his hand. He gripped her tightly in return, and the numbness in his fingers began to fade.

  "You have been my one purpose. When I am with you, I wish with one heart, I act with one body, and—"

  "You love completely." She smiled. "I feel the same way, Ken Jin. You quiet the frustration in my heart; you give me a sense of direction and purpose." She grinned. "You give me Heaven."

  He shook his head. "We gained it together. Because we worked for it."

  "We worked together as one."

  She understood. And now, with her, he did as well. "We will get married," he said firmly.

  "You will not dedicate yourself to the Emperor?"

  "We will find a way to survive." There would be many difficulties. They had nothing. But for the first time ever, he felt powerful. He was a whole man, and the energy that flooded his body gave him what he needed to face the future.

  He straightened to his feet, pulling her up with him. "Come. We will begin our new life today." He grinned. "I already have an idea—"

  "Yes!" bellowed a voice from the hallway. "Yes, today a new life begins."

  They turned as one to face Gao Jin. Then Ken Jin dashed to the side to grab a tunic for Charlotte. It felt like blasphemy to cover her nakedness while the beauty of Heaven clung to her skin, but he would not have his brother defile her with his gaze. She pulled the garment on quickly, but not before his brother entered. Ken Jin felt his fists clench in fury at the sneer that crossed on his brother's fleshy face.

  "We are not dressed," he said stiffly. "Please wait outside while we—"

  "Don't be ridiculous, brother," Gao Jin said with a cackle. "Do you not recall that we share all things equally? As you enjoyed my wedding night, I shall enjoy that which you are now abandoning."

  Ken Jin felt hot fury boil in his blood. And because Charlotte was with him, the power not only churned in his chest, but extended to his hands and feet as well. "Can you not see what has happened here, brother?" he asked. He kept his voice low, the threat implicit.

  His brother laughed through his nose, and the sound was bestial. "All can see, Ken Jin. It is—"

  "We went to Heaven's antechamber last night. We danced in the Hall of a Thousand Swinging Lanterns."

  Gao Jin's eyes narrowed, and he released a girlish giggle. "Of course you did. And I don't blame you. A man's last night should be enjoyed." He reached out to stroke Charlotte, but she jerked away. She needn't have worried; Ken Jin had already pushed between them, using his body to block his brother's movements.

  "I will not go to the Forbidden City, Gao Jin." He reached for the easiest explanation, one his brother could understand. "We are close to becoming Immortals. I will not throw that away."

  His brother's giggles faded, and his mouth drew into a pout. "You disappoint me. I had thought you stronger than this." He sighed. "But you have never been consistent in anything but trickery."

  Ken Jin reared back, pain at his brother's continued hatred searing through him. The pain was sharp enough to bring tears to his eyes, and yet it... it replaced the numbness that had surrounded him for years. It was a good pain.

  "I am the trickster?" he asked, his voice gaining strength as he reclaimed the part of his spirit that he'd given to his brother. "I did not sneak into a cart to steal my brother's treat."

  "It was not a treat! I went to the surgeons!"

  Ken Jin shrugged. "And you would be whole now if you had not tried to trick me."

  Gao Jin reared forward, his fists poised to strike. Ken Jin did not even flinch. He knew he was faster than his brother. So he continued to speak, his voice growing stronger with each word. "I did not pretend my brother sired my wife's bastard. I did not take your money and your love to clothe and feed a boy who has been raised to hate you."

  "And I cannot father a son on my own because of you!" Gao Jin screamed.

  Ken Jin nodded, acknowledging the truth. "That crime is mine to bear. Yours are the crimes you have committed since." He took a deep breath, and when he released it, he knew he had reclaimed all that was lost to this bitter brother. "I have no more obligations to you, my brother." He straightened. "You are disowned."

  Gao Jin reared back, fear mixing with hatred in every quivering inch of his body. But Ken Jin knew he could not weaken in purpose. He would have to do it all. Turning his back on his brother, he grabbed his rolled pack. He and Charlotte would leave without again looking upon Gao Jin's face. Then it would be done, and he would be free. Happiness began to bubble inside his heart.

  "No!" Charlotte screamed.

  Pain exploded in his head, and he knew no more.

  * * *

  Charlotte launched herself at Gao Jin. Finally, she could vent her feelings on this despicable man. She'd seen him raise his fist, knew exactly what he intended, but had been too far away to prevent it. The blow had landed with a sickening thud at the base of Ken Jin's skull.

  She attacked. Throwing herself forward, Charlotte dragged the eunuch off Ken Jin, who was already crumpling to the floor. Then she hit, she kicked, she even bit and tore with her nails. And Gao Jin went down under her assault. He was strong, but like Ken Jin, he'd been unprepared.

  She avoided most of his blows and kept him too off balance to put much strength into those that did connect. Unfortunately, he did not live alone.

  Within moments of her attack, Gao Jin began bellowing. She barely noticed until meaty hands grabbed her hair and arms. She was bodily dragged away despite her best efforts. Soon, pain exploded across her left temple and darkness edged her vision. She felt herself slip to her knees, the strength gone from her limbs.

  Meanwhile, Gao Jin was giving instructions. "My brother has weak nerves. He wished to be unconscious during the cutting."

  "Liar!" she screeched, but no one paid the least attention to her. Not Gao Jin, not the three eunuchs who had dragged her off to one side, and certainly not the scrawny Chinese man with the large knife who entered the room. She blinked to clear her blurry vision. Oh Lord, they were going to do the surgery right here. And Ken Jin was still unconscious on the floor.

  She tried to struggle to her feet. Her vision stabilized, but her body was still weak. Worse, one of the eunuchs held her down with a single massive hand on the back of her neck. One squeeze, and he might very well snap her neck.

  "Just as well," the scrawny man was saying. "Just as well in one so old."

  "Stop!" she bellowed. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" She said it in all the languages she knew. English, Shanghai dialect, Mandarin—none had the least effect except to draw Gao Jin's attention. He stepped over to her, his disdain obvious in the curl of his lip and the cruelty in his voice.

  "I intended to kill you, ghost whore, but Heaven smiled upon me. A man came to me this morning, one of your own kind, who wished to buy you."

  Charlotte tried to leap to her feet, only to be kept in place by the man holding her neck. "How can you do this to him? After all he's done for you. He's your brother!" She was allowed to lift her head enough to see a sick smile push
his fleshy cheeks wide.

  "But you heard him. He's not my brother anymore."

  "Bastard!"

  Gao Jin paused and stared down at her in mock sadness. "Barbarians," he spat. "They understand nothing." Then he turned to watch the surgeon.

  Charlotte tried to see, but it was difficult. Ken Jin had been lifted onto the bed, and two of the eunuchs were undressing him. To one side, the surgeon had begun sharpening his knife, and the steady shir, shir of blade against strop set Charlotte's teeth on edge.

  "Ken Jin!" she cried. "Wake up! Ken Jin!"

  "Shut up!" snarled Gao Jin. Then he snapped a finger and both of the eunuchs holding Ken Jin straightened. They had finished their work. Ken Jin lay naked and exposed. And yet...

  Charlotte narrowed her eyes. Could it be? His dragon was not a small thing. It was... moving? Could he be awake? Pretending? But it was four against one. He couldn't fight them all. She had to distract them somehow.

  She surged forward, she screamed, and she fought like a demon. It accomplished absolutely nothing except a searing pain in her neck as the eunuch pushed her down to the floor.

  "You!" Gao Jin pointed to the eunuch by the door. "Go get the barbarian Captain!"

  The man hesitated, obviously afraid. Apparently they had no problem fighting a white woman, but facing a white captain alone was a little too intimidating. The superstitions that surrounded white sailors was legendary.

  Gao Jin cursed. "Both of you go." He threw a scathing look at Ken Jin. "There won't be any problem here."

  The two eunuchs scurried away. The surgeon stopped sharpening his blade. Only one eunuch remained, his hand hard and heavy on the back of Charlotte's neck. It was now or never. She tensed and her captor's hand tightened enough to draw a whimper of pain from her lips. She couldn't move. She couldn't do anything. It was up to Ken Jin. If he was awake, he had to act. Now. She silently willed him to move.

  Nothing.

  And the surgeon leaned forward and positioned his knife.

  "Where is she?" a man's voice bellowed in accented Mandarin. "Get out of my way!"