The Gemini Child

by Shea Meadows

  And, to be honest, he was exhausted. Setting up the trap for the baby had diminished his ability as a sorcerer to the lowest it had ever been. Maybe he needed to rebuild his energy. His daughter and her group of traitors would arrive in two days, and he must be ready. Soon he would establish his court.

  * * *

  Chapter 20

  Late the following afternoon, the group disembarked in Chongqing. Their cruise had ended, so they took the shuttle bus provided by the tour to the Jinbei Airport. After an hour-and-a-half flight, they landed at Yang International Airport in Xian. Ho arranged the rental of a Toyota touring van that could hold fifteen people, so their group fit in easily with room for their luggage and Nory’s car seat.

  George sat in the front passenger seat, and Ho took the role of driver and tour guide as the rest of the weary travelers claimed seats.

  “So, what’s the plan?” George asked.

  “First, we’ll stop for dinner. It’s almost eight. I know a good restaurant that serves a dumpling buffet about five miles from here. I think you’ll like where we’re staying,” Ho said with a smile. “I have a friend, Ma Tu Kang, whose family manages a guesthouse ten minutes away from the Han Yangling Mausoleum. It is scheduled to open officially in 2006, but they’re allowing people with connections to visit now. Kang is our connection. He’s worked with the community restoration group. It’s also about forty-five minutes away from the Qinshihuang Mausoleum site.”

  “Will it be warmer during the day?” George said with a shiver. “It’s about forty degrees Fahrenheit, according to the flight attendant.”

  “Not much. But it’s less expensive in winter and less crowded everywhere. Sometimes it gets below freezing, but there’s not much snow in Xian,” Ho answered. “Usually Kang’s guesthouse would be full with the foreign visitors preparing the mausoleum site, but I was able to get the place as your private domain until we’re done here.”

  George nodded. “It sounds good to me. Food at a guesthouse is always better.”

  “His wife is an excellent cook. Kang’s family has owned the Han Warrior Guesthouse long before there was a People’s Republic. He has records going way back.”

  They arrived at the restaurant and, after a short wait, were enjoying an assortment of Chinese dumplings of multiple varieties. Nory’s head started drooping during dinner, so Ricky changed her into her pajamas in the women’s room. The baby was asleep before the van left the parking lot.

  Ricky leaned toward David. “What do you want to bet that even though Nory was almost abducted, she’s off trying to locate the cave on her own?”

  “Won’t take that bet,” David answered with a chuckle. “That’s why I connected with Moon while you were changing Nory. She’ll be keeping our intrepid explorer company.”

  “Good. I was about to do that myself,” Ricky replied.

  Ho took the direct route to the area of the Yangling Mausoleum, driving on toll road S105, also called Airport Highway. In about half an hour, they drove passed the Mausoleum Complex that had been created for Emperor Jingdi and an attached mausoleum for his Empress Wang Ji. Ho turned into a residential area and found the Han Warriors Guesthouse on Jinxu Road, on the banks of the Weihe River.

  There was a red concrete archway with Chinese characters across the top and a translation in multiple languages. The English wording said: “The Most Beneficial, Restful Home built to honor Han Warriors. Guests welcome.” Beyond the arches was a parking lot surrounded by small statues and the remnants of dormant plants. Ho had told them that the house had a large screened porch with sliding glass panels which allowed maximum light into the common areas. The majority of the bedrooms in the house faced the river.

  A tall, baldheaded man in his fifties opened the door of the house as the van stopped in the parking space. Both Ho and Susan bounded from the vehicle and embraced Kang, their friend from fifteen years before. Ho spoke to Kang, smiled and nodded, then gestured to the rest of the occupants of the van to join them. George, David, Bonta, Chi and Chew gathered the luggage and baby supplies, and Ricky carefully lifted Nory out of the car seat.

  They followed the others into the guesthouse, Kang, Susan and Ho bringing up the rear while they chatted in Mandarin. A petite woman wearing silk floral-patterned blouse and trousers smiled broadly.

  Kang gave another hug to his friends then stood by his wife and smiled at the guests. “Welcome to you all. Susan and Ho tell me your group is doing research on a gentleman who once lived near here. We will do anything we can to assist you. I wish to introduce my wife, Ma Li Juan. She understands English, but it is not her best spoken language,” Kang said.

  “The house is open for your pleasure, except for our apartment on the second floor. This living room area is where you can have meetings, relax or watch television. Please feel free to use it. The guest rooms have a view of the river and private bathrooms. We have provided a crib for the baby in her parents’ room.”

  Ricky nodded. “Thank you so much, Ma Tu Kang. I am Ricky Clark. The tall man next to me is my husband, David. I am holding Eleanor Marie Clark, who is called Nory. Behind me is my father George Banner.” David and George shook hands with Kung in turn. “Traveling with us is our friend Bonta Maybum who helps care for Nory. Your friends Susan and Ho have come to help us find information about an American man who once lived nearby. We have two members of the Sun family traveling with us as well.”

  “This is my honorable grandfather Sun Fon Chi who once knew the person in question. Grandfather was a boy then, so is acting as a consultant as to where he may have worked. I am Sun Hi Chew and am assisting him. Thank you for welcoming us to your home,” Chew told him.

  Kang smiled. “It is late, and I am sure you are worn out from travel. We will show you to your rooms. If you wish to prepare food, you are welcome to use the kitchen. Ma Li Juan will guide you. I arise early for my meditation practice by the river. You are welcome to join me at six a.m. if you are so inclined.”

  Ricky glanced at the clock. She was ready for a shower and some sleep in a bed that didn’t bounce on river currents. She followed as Ma Li Juan led them into the kitchen and showed them a tray with coffee essentials and various teas, along with a covered plate of rolls. Susan translated that breakfast would be available at seven. If they wished to eat earlier, there were breakfast rolls, and fruit was in the refrigerator.

  They then were escorted to their private rooms. It looked like the house had been remodeled extensively through the years. The units were decorated in various shades of restful pastels with bold-patterned quilts on the beds and matching drapes covering the windows.

  David sighed with delight to see the queen-sized bed with the soft duck down pillows. Ma Li Juan had provided a changing stand near the crib for Nory. Since the baby was already in her sleeper, Ricky quickly changed her diaper; Nory slept soundly through the process.

  With the baby sleeping, Ricky and David took a long, intimate, shower in the double-wide stall, taking time to enjoy the privacy. It was rare to be able to act like a husband and wife without interruption.

  Afterwards, Ricky pulled the room’s curtains back and looked out over the Weihe River. The full moon reflected in the water. Ho had mentioned that the Weihe was one of China’s most polluted rivers, and the aquatic life had almost disappeared. He had suggested it wasn’t a good idea to spend much time outside near the water while staying in the guesthouse.

  Ricky sighed. “Centuries ago, this was a lush tributary of the Yangtze River with thousands of fish, ducks, and flowers, so Sima Qian tells me. Progress isn’t always a good thing. I wish we could have seen it then.”

  “Maybe we have, in other incarnations,” David said with a yawn. “Come on. We’ll have a full day tomorrow. We have to decide our plan of action. Maybe we can let our bodies sleep and take a trip to spirit world.”

  “Good idea. Nory told me she and Moon figured something out,” Ricky said as her head sunk into the duck feather pillow.

  Within a heartbea
t, they were asleep and their etheric bodies instantly arrived in an unfamiliar setting. They were in a garden with an ancient archway leading to a Taoist temple. In this frequency, energy was zooming every which way. The essence of time kept shifting. At first, the occupants of the temple courtyard wore clothing that fit in with the Han Dynasty they had seen in the Akashic Record. Then the setting shifted to modern day. Another shift moved them back to the time of the Qin Dynasty.

  Moon, Sima Qian, Wang Mang, Luan Du and Shri Kria Baba were coming down a very long, uneven stairway that had been hewn out of rock. Ricky and David stood at the bottom smiling up at them.

  “I’ve missed you two,” Moon said as she hugged them. “This has been more complicated than I expected. Norton Reston is a formidable opponent. Thank heavens for our Chinese guides and Shri, or it would have taken much longer.”

  “Is Nory taking up too much of your time?” David asked.

  The others joined them at the bottom of the stairs. “She is a valuable source of information,” Sima Qian contributed. “She has opened our eyes as to how dangerous her former father remains, even as a ghost. His incarnation as an Emperor and shaman in the time of the Xia keeps us in the dark about many of his possible strategies. We have figured out that his goal is to trap you all in the Bi Mo Chu reality. He neglects the fact that others around him are progressing in their skills. He still thinks of you all as deceitful and powerless. It is a sign of a megalomaniac when he discounts the growth of those he wishes to trap.”

  “I’m curious. Where are we? This seems like spirit world, but with the flashes of modern day tourists, I think it’s somewhere else,” Ricky questioned.

  “We are in the etheric level of the Temple of Sima Qian, which, in the physical, is about two hours from where you are sleeping,” Moon answered.

  “We have been doing research on bits and pieces that have leaked out from Norton Reston’s censored Akashic Record. Following his attempted abduction of David and Nory, we were able to monitor his discussion with the ghosts of four Qin Dynasty witches. He was unhappy with their performance. He couldn’t figure out how you uneducated morons could escape his trap. He boasted to the witches that he was the Emperor Zhuanxu from the Xia Dynasty and had worked with Ty Wing to create the first Bi Mo Chu,” Moon concluded.

  “This information startled me,” Sima Qian said. “Zhuanxu was historically known as a man who created laws against shamanistic practices. He was a hypocrite, apparently, keeping the secrets of magic away from all but the royal court. That gave us a place to explore within the Akashic Record. We looked carefully at the royalty of the Xia. The same blockages that we found in Norton Reston’s record were in Zhuanxu’s records as well. The advantage was that we could explore the lives of those around him in the court and came up with new tools to neutralize Norton’s ghost.

  “We found that Zhuanxu had much in common with his grandfather Huang Yi, who was known as the Yellow Emperor. Both were dictatorial but extremely inventive. Zhuanxu encouraged the creation of tools, and some of the first uniquely Chinese music was composed during his reign as Emperor. He also explored the uses of herbal medicine. Wang Mang looked at the plants and creatures that were discovered to be medicinal and those that were toxic.”

  Wang Mang, no longer looking like a savage warrior, stepped forward and smiled. “I thank you for giving me the courage to leave the Bi Mo Chu. My goal has become to help all held in that prison. I will continue with this project until our efforts are successful. Only then will I go on to future incarnations.

  “Being in spirit world has opened me to who I was in incarnations before my life as Wang Mang. In one life, my name was Qi Bo. I was an herbalist in the early Xia Dynasty. I tested hundreds of herbs for what they could contribute and came across many dangerous poisons. My Emperor, at the time was Huang Yi. He requested herbs that could be used in battle to stun or kill his enemies. He then applied them to darts that were blown from a tube into the target or rubbed them on the tips of arrows. Specially trained warriors learned this method of overcoming the leaders of invasions at the start of an encounter. It was done with stealth from a hidden place above the person targeted.

  “The poisons, which I suggested as Qi Bo, were the venom of scorpions and powdered centipede. I brought this information to Luan Du. Together we traveled back to the Xia Dynasty and procured samples,” Wang Mang concluded.

  Luan Du moved forward and bowed to them with a smile. “We calculated the unique frequencies of these poisons and created an energy configuration that would cause the same result when used in the etheric frequency. Depending on the dosage applied, it would kill or stun the target. We experimented with a way that could be used to deliver them. After several unsuccessful tries, we brought the problem to Moon who called in Shri Kria Baba.”

  Shri Kria Baba went on with the story. “Looking at the Akashic Record of a soldier in the court of Emperor Zhuanxu, I observed the ruler playing an expertly crafted jade flute. The Emperor seemed relaxed and happy when he used the instrument. There was no hint of his dictatorial nature. He closed his eyes, and I could see his essence floating into higher frequencies when he played.

  “So the thought came: you must bring a flute when facing the spirt of Norton Reston. He is becoming extremely attached to his past incarnation as Zhanxu. I was guided to make three flutes for you. They will be in the same place where you will find the scorpion venom and the centipede powder.”

  “We have to get them? Couldn’t you give them to us now?” Ricky turned to her sister. “Moon, you gave me etheric emeralds when I visited in spirit world. I know you can gift etheric objects that will become physical,” she asked.

  Moon shook her head. “We looked at that. In this case, Norton is tracking us. He will know that something physical manifested from the etheric into your room. Luan Du and Sima Qian worked out a solution using shamanic magic. We are planting the objects in the higher frequency of the Sima Qian Temple. We’ll show you exactly where. All you have to do is put off your search for Norton Reston’s cave one more day. Tomorrow you’ll drive to the physical location of the temple dedicated to Sima Qian and uncover what we’ve left you. Norton Reston will know only that you went sightseeing and wonder why you aren’t looking for him. Bring the whole group with you so the multiple energy signatures will disguise the etheric gifts.”

  Ricky sighed. “Okay, show us where.”

  Moon and the other guides led them up the rock-hewn stairs through several decorative archways and past statues of Chinese deities. Ricky and David looked around when they entered the Temple, but Sima Qian gestured that they should exit by a side door in the rear of the building that was the usual exit tourists used to visit the tomb. They walked across a garden and stopped by a single cypress tree that grew out of the center of Sima Qian’s tomb. Around the bottom of the ancient structure were a row of rocks that formed a wall at the base of the tomb. Surrounding that was a wire fence with one damaged link. One of the rocks at the bottom of the tomb was lose, and Sima Qian removed it.

  “See, there are three packets,” Sima Qian explained as he, Ricky and David crouched down by the tomb. “The first packet contains a small wooden box with the two poisons. The centipede powder is in a small ceramic pot with a cover; the scorpion venom is in a glass bottle. The second packet holds three flutes. You will notice the construction of the instruments. One can play music, but the other two are for administering the poison frequencies. The third packet contains two small darts made of chiseled gemstone. When you look at them in the physical frequency, they will look old and worthless. The person assembling the poison darts must be in the etheric frequency to do so,” Sima Qian explained.

  “Can we experiment with them now?” David asked, seeing only the wrappings of the described items.

  Sima Qian shook his head. “Best that you look at them when you have decided who in your group will be assigned the positions of flute player and dart blowers. Whoever is chosen will be able to practice, but only in the et
heric.”

  “There is one more thing to mention,” Moon said, looking a little anxious. “For this plan to succeed, it isn’t just Norton Reston you have to stun into submission.

  David’s face took on a stern expression. “Let me guess. We have to take out Ta Yi as well.”

  “Very perceptive, David,” Luan Du answered for the guides. “The Han sorcerer sees himself as Emperor of the Bi Mo Chu Dynasty. Even if you neutralize Norton Reston, Ta Yi will resist the release of the prisoners in the cube. You can use the Bing Ta Cri to open the portal with minimal ritual, but if he uses magic that he has perfected over the centuries to counter it, no one will be allowed out. So far, only Wang Mang and I have found freedom from the Bi Mo Chu. Both of us were released through Ta Yi’s intentions. He will not want to lose all that he governs.”

  “So what do you want us to do? It seems like the only solution would be to allow Reston to pull us into the Bi Mo Chu,” Ricky answered.

  Moon looked a little embarrassed. “I know I told you that wouldn’t be necessary, and we are open to another solution. We have looked at the situation from every direction and have surmised that you being in the alternative reality of Bi Mo Chu gives you the best chance to free everyone captured and remove the power that Reston has over that reality.”

  David’s face looked stormy, his etheric features taking on the aspect of a lion. “You want us to bring our infant daughter into an energetic trap with no sure way of getting out? None of you have been able to break down the defenses of the cube, but we are supposed to depend on a half-baked plan or become slaves to Ta Yi and Reston.”

  Moon smiled at her brother-in-law. “Remember one thing about Nory: she is not really a baby. She is a very old soul who initiated this quest. Her plan is to overcome a dangerous spirit who thinks he is the only one capable of ruling the planet. She would be disappointed to hear you speaking of her as if she was a simpleton without the ability to change energetic patterns.”