by Kylie Chan
‘To my own personal tea plantation and manor,’ Gold said.
Mary pulled herself as upright as she could, her useless legs dragging under the covers. ‘I am happy here, Gold. The Tiger is more man than Florizel — than George ever was.’
‘The King would like to see you, one more time, my Lady,’ Gold whispered. ‘He discovered that you are not dead after all; he learnt that you are here. He wants to apologise to you, and beg your forgiveness.’
She was silent, her eyes wide.
‘He is dying, Mary. If you were to do this for him, he would die with a clear conscience.’
She turned away. ‘I am old and ugly now, Gold. I do not wish my Florizel to see me like this.’
‘He has seen your portrait and says you are as beautiful as ever, and I agree with him,’ Gold said. ‘Come with me, and I will take you to see him. I will return you here as soon as you wish.’ Gold took human form, sat beside her on the bed, and reached to her. ‘Take my hand, and I will take you to see your Florizel.’
She turned to him, smiled gently, and took his hand. Gold carefully lifted Mary in his arms, and then dropped his head and concentrated.
William grinned menacingly at Gold. ‘Congratulations, Gold. You have truly outdone yourself this time. Permission to return and watch the sentencing, my Lord.’
‘Oh, shit,’ Gold whispered.
‘Granted,’ the Tiger growled.
‘I just wanted to forgive Florizel,’ Mary said from the floor, desperate. ‘I would have returned straight away.’
‘I know that, my darling,’ the Tiger said. ‘I know you have a good heart. But this little piece of shit stone was going to take you to a demon, not to your old love. That one has completely forgotten about you, and if he saw you today he would not love you nearly as much as I do.’
‘You are my heart, Tiger,’ Mary whispered without looking up.
‘And you are mine, Mary,’ the Tiger said. ‘Now return with Seventeen to the seraglio. I am not displeased with you, and to prove it you will grace my bed tomorrow night.’
Mary dropped her head.
‘You alone.’
Mary burst into tears, and William gently lifted her from the floor and carried her out.
The Tiger linked his hands behind his back in front of Gold. ‘Now. What to do with you.’
Gold couldn’t control his trembling.
‘Kneel,’ the Tiger said.
Gold flopped to his knees without being aware of the movement.
‘The demons in Hell are going to have a great deal of fun with you, little stone,’ the Tiger said, hefting the blade.
‘Mercy, my Lord,’ Gold whispered.
‘You may even run into the demon that you were taking Mary to,’ the Tiger said. ‘I’m sure he has a few words he would like to say to you.’
‘Mercy,’ Gold choked. ‘Lady Kwan Yin, hear my cries.’
‘Oh, the Goddess is a long way away right now,’ the Tiger said. ‘I believe she’s in retreat. Feel free to call on her. From. Hell.’ He hefted the sword again.
Gold couldn’t control his quivering.
The Tiger strode forward, sword raised high…
…and sliced Gold’s head from his neck with a single swift stroke.
Gold finally emerged after three months of torture in the Hell of Trees Full of Swords and the Hell of Red-hot Grates.
Normally Shen such as he were escorted directly to the Tenth Level of Hell and then released back to the Earthly plane. But this time the judges had seen fit to punish him for his misdemeanours.
Gold quickly headed for the hills of western Guilin province, where the mountains were thick and vertical, clustered around the Li River. He found a cave in a mountainside overlooking the Li and hid.
He was too slow.
He heard the rush of wind and tried to run, but the demon blocked his exit from the cave and sauntered closer. The demon had taken True Form; ten feet tall, black and scaly, with bulging eyes, tusks, and tufts of red hair on its head.
‘No idea what you’re talking about,’ Gold said. ‘Are you sure you have the right stone?’
‘Oh, definitely the right stone,’ the demon said. ‘The Golden Boy, child of the Jade Building Block of the World, yes?’ The demon gestured and a ceramic table with two stools, suitable for outdoor use, materialised on the damp floor of the cave. ‘Sit, Gold, I believe we have things to talk about.’
‘I didn’t see you in Hell,’ Gold said, sitting on one of the stools as far from the enormous demon as possible. ‘I wondered what happened to you.’
‘Business is very good,’ the demon said. ‘We buy their opium with our silver. We sell our tea for even more of their silver. We sell the opium for a great deal of gold. Business is very, very good.’
‘Oh, I’m glad for you,’ Gold said, relieved. ‘So you need someone to keep the accounts, do the sums for you. Well, you’ve found the right stone. I’ll be happy to work for you in return for a soft bed and a bowl of rice every day.’
‘Oh, I already have someone to do that for me,’ the demon said, leaning back and placing one scaly clawed hand on the table. ‘What I don’t have, though, is the Great Seal of the Jade Emperor.’
Gold squeaked.
The Great Seal of the Jade Emperor was hewn from the finest green Celestial Jade. It was also exceedingly heavy, but nothing that Gold couldn’t handle.
Gold carried the Seal behind him as he floated in stone form out of the Hall of Celestial Treasures. It was midnight; the palace was quiet. It looked like he was going to make it.
The hall was sealed; Shen could only travel in and out through the main door. Gold floated along the final silent corridor to the door.
The lower half of the walls were wood panels; elaborate paintings of birds and flowers adorned the walls above. The wooden floor had been polished to a high silken sheen by centuries of passing feet.
Gold silently floated closer to the door, full of desperate hope. If he could get the Seal through the door, then he could travel directly out, disappear, and take the Seal to the demon in Hong Kong. Just a few more centimetres…
Gold stopped at the door and listened. Not a sound. He pulled the Seal slightly closer to him and concentrated. The door wasn’t locked. It swung silently open.
It was Xuan Wu, in full majestic Celestial Form, at least twelve feet tall. He was garbed as Celestial General in his black lacquer armour, worn over his black silk robes.
‘Come with me.’ He turned, and walked away without looking back, the floorboards creaking under his massive weight.
Gold checked behind him; the Seal was gone, leaving a dent in the floor where it had landed. He turned back and followed Xuan Wu.
Xuan Wu led him through countless corridors in the Celestial Palace. The lamps brightened as they approached, then darkened behind them, a pool of light following them through the silent halls.
‘My Lord…’
‘We are going to my audience room, where you will tell me the whole story,’ Xuan Wu said softly without looking at Gold, his deep voice rumbling. ‘Until then, remain silent.’
Gold did as he was told, and followed Xuan Wu through the corridors. If he was lucky, he would just be executed. If he was unlucky, he would be executed and the demon would be waiting for him again when he emerged from more suffering at the hands of the residents of Hell.
Xuan Wu stopped at a pair of dark wooden doors and they slid silently aside. He led Gold into his audience room.
The room was very plain; a cold stone floor, bare wood walls, a slightly raised dais at the end with a large rosewood desk set upon it. A large brass plaque with calligraphy of ‘Xuan Tian Shang Di’ in the Jade Emperor’s own hand hung on the wall above the desk — ‘Supreme Emperor of the Dark Northern Heavens’ — Xuan Wu’s full Celestial Title. The infamous Seven Stars sword hung beneath the calligraphy on the wall — nearly two metres long, as dark and menacing as its owner.
Xuan Wu moved around the desk and sat. Gold sett
led on the cold stone floor in front of the desk, took human form, and fell to his knees, touching his head to the floor.
‘Wen sui, wen sui, wen wen sui,’ Gold said. Ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years.
‘Rise,’ Xuan Wu said. ‘Retain human form, I want to see your eyes. Tell me why you have done this.’
Gold carefully didn’t look into the Dark Lord’s eyes. ‘After I was released from the Tiger’s service, I needed to make a living. I did a foolish thing; I made a pact with a demon. We arranged to hold one of the White Tiger’s wives for ransom.’
‘I am aware of your attempted kidnapping of Wife Number Thirty-Nine,’ Xuan Wu said. ‘At the time I found it difficult to believe that even you could be so stupid.’
‘I thought it would work,’ Gold said. ‘It didn’t. I was caught. The Tiger sent me to Hell.’
Xuan Wu shifted in his seat and placed a hand on his desk. ‘And you obviously still have not learned your lesson, even after what happened to you in Hell.’
‘I made a bet with the demon, Celestial Highness,’ Gold said. ‘I foolishly boasted that I could steal the Seal. We made a bet that if I could not give a wife to the demon, then I had to give him the Seal.’
‘Ah.’ Xuan Wu leaned back. ‘If you cannot provide the Seal to the demon, then you belong to the demon.’
‘Celestial Highness,’ Gold said, dropping his head with misery.
‘If you had not made the bet with the demon, stone, what would you have done with yourself when you were released from Hell?’
Gold decided to tell the truth. ‘I don’t know, my Lord, truly. I only know that if I had a choice, it would be something legitimate. I would search for somebody who would be in need of my particular skills. Someone who needs my mathematical abilities.’
‘Look into my eyes,’ Xuan Wu said.
Gold froze, looking into the eyes that held the Yin force of the universe. Xuan Wu was Yin personified: dark, cold, water, winter, death. All of those things were in his eyes.
Gold shivered, and the ice-cold power that held him snapped off.
Xuan Wu rose with the grace of a true Master of the Arts of War. He walked around the desk, and stepped down off the dais.
Gold still felt cold, and shivered on the floor as the Dark Lord approached him. It was all he could do not to run.
Xuan Wu stopped in front of Gold. Gold carefully gazed at the elaborate silver embroidery of snakes and turtles on the Dark Lord’s black robes without looking up.
‘Rise,’ Xuan Wu said.
Gold pulled himself to his feet and resisted the urge to hug himself against the cold.
‘Come with me,’ Xuan Wu said, and disappeared.
Gold followed. He had no choice.
HONG KONG
1997
NEXT THURSDAY came quickly, and Daniel’s arrival was breathlessly anticipated.
‘But of course, I must go collect him!’ Michelle said. ‘Monica can mind Simone for an hour or so.’
‘Ma’am, it’s only just over a week since you gave birth, you can’t go out yet!’ Jade said.
‘Of course I can go out. What, you will keep me a prisoner? I am fine, I have healed nicely, the doctor said so just yesterday. If I could go to see the doctor, why can’t I go to the airport?’
‘It’s just not done,’ Jade said.
‘The lady who has just given birth must not leave the house for six weeks. That’s the way it’s done,’ Gold said.
‘And you must not bathe,’ Jade said. ‘You could catch your death of cold, you are weak!’
Michelle rose from the piano stool and pushed both of them aside. ‘This is ridiculous. You wish to continue to keep me prisoner now that I have had the child? This is stupid. I am coming to the airport to greet my brother, and that is final.’ She glared at Jade. ‘Not bathe. Really. How ridiculous.’ She waved one hand at them. ‘Do your Shen thing and disappear. Tomorrow, we will go to the airport, and collect Daniel.’
The next day, Leo hovered over Michelle, concerned. ‘Are you sure you’re all right? You’re not still sore? It’s a long drive,’ he said.
‘I am fine.’ She nodded to Monica, who was tucking Simone into a wicker cradle decorated with pink teddies and tiny elephants. ‘If she becomes hungry, I have left milk in the fridge.’
‘I know what to do, ma’am,’ Monica said. She smiled down at Simone. ‘I have cared for about twenty of my nieces and nephews, and I love caring for babies. Particularly babies as beautiful as this one.’
Michelle patted Monica’s arm. ‘I know, and I trust you, dear Monica.’ She turned to Leo. ‘Are the silly Shen coming?’
‘Gold will be in the car with us, Jade will meet us there,’ Leo said.
‘Where is Lo Wu?’
‘He is in a meeting with his Generals in the dining room,’ Leo said. ‘He’s staying here with Simone.’
Michelle waved one hand. ‘The Generals are annoying, they take up far too much of his time.’ She brightened. ‘Well, let us find Gold and be on our way.’
They waited in the arrivals hall amidst the huge crush of people.
‘I will be glad when the new airport opens,’ Michelle said. ‘This one is so old and cramped! And dirty!’
‘I won’t be glad to see Kai Tak go,’ Gold said. ‘It’s grown and changed so much over its many years. I remember when this was a long way from anywhere.’
‘Well it’s in the centre of the city now,’ Michelle said, ‘and the landings are terrifying. I will not miss that checkerboard.’
‘The pilots like bragging about the landings they’ve done here,’ Jade said. ‘They love sharing stories about it.’
Michelle glanced at her. ‘And how many have shared their stories with you?’
Jade blushed and didn’t reply.
‘Dating pilots?’ Gold asked, without turning away from the arrivals doors.
‘Dragonair is not called that for no reason,’ Jade huffed. ‘Many of us are pilots. It is in our nature to fly.’
‘There he is!’ Michelle cried, and jumped up and down, waving one arm. ‘Daniel! Daniel! Here!’
Michelle’s brother was tall and slim, with short black hair and matching dark eyes and olive skin, a contrast to his sister’s fair complexion. His face lit up into a huge smile when he saw them, and he waved casually back. He pushed his luggage trolley through the throng of shouting locals and as soon as he was close, he threw his arms around Michelle.
She jiggled in his arms with delight. ‘It has been too long!’
Daniel released Michelle and held his hand out to Leo, who shook it. ‘Leo! Good to see you still taking care of my silly little sister.’ He grinned at Jade and Gold. ‘Who is this?’
Michelle waved one hand dismissively at the Shen. ‘Don’t mind them, my husband makes them come with me everywhere to make sure I behave.’
Gold held his hand out to Daniel. Daniel surprised him by pulling the handshake into a hug and whispering in his ear, ‘You are adorable.’ Daniel pulled back, still grinning at the breathless Gold. ‘I’m sure you have a very difficult job.’ He turned to Jade, took her hand, bowed over it and kissed it, making her blush furiously. ‘Michelle, you did not warn me that you had such stunning friends.’ He straightened, then pulled Jade into a hug as well, and whispered into her ear, making her eyes go wide.
‘He’s still at it,’ Leo said under his breath so that only Gold could hear.
Gold didn’t reply.
‘So who are these delightful Chinese people anyway?’ Daniel said from the back seat in the car, next to Michelle.
‘I am…’ Gold nearly said ‘the Dark Lord’s’ but stopped himself in time. ‘I am Mr Chen’s lawyer, and the lady, Jade, is his accountant. We are more like personal assistants, though.’
‘And the little one, Simone? How is she?’ Daniel asked Michelle.
Michelle clutched Daniel’s hand. ‘Ah, Daniel, she is so very beautiful! I just wish Maman and Papa were here.’
> Daniel sobered. ‘Michelle, did they tell you that Papa’s ear is very bad?’
Michelle was confused. ‘It is a benign tumour, yes?’
Daniel looked grim. ‘It may be cancer, Mimi.’
Michelle blanched. ‘No!’ She turned to the front of the car to speak to Gold and Leo. ‘I must go to Quebec and see them!’
‘No,’ Daniel said. ‘Maman says it’s better that you do not go until they are sure what it is. Besides, you have just had the little one. Taking a tiny baby for such a long flight is not a good idea.’
Michelle dropped her head. ‘I suppose you are right. But the minute both Papa and I have recovered, I will have them here to visit. Now…’ She squeezed Daniel’s hand. ‘What is this I hear of you going to Europe?’
‘Paris,’ Daniel said. ‘I have been poached by a newspaper. They loved my piece on the city, and they have asked me to be a staff photographer.’
‘You will need to learn their version of French,’ Michelle said with amusement.
‘I think I shall be all right.’ Daniel looked out the window of the car. ‘This road is very steep! How far up are we going?’
‘All the way to the top, Lo Wu has an apartment up very high,’ Michelle said. ‘Hong Kong is small and steep. All high-rises — no gardens, no parks, no…no space.’
‘Wonderful view,’ Daniel said as the harbour came into view below them.
‘We will have dinner when we get home; but Lo Wu is vegetarian, and only eats Chinese food,’ Michelle said.