Realizing her error, flirting with another girl's guy, the young woman could conceive of only two options; she could try to stand her ground and stare Ally down, or, she could turn and pretend to make busy with one of the cage arrangements in the back of the stall; she disappeared into the back. Ally smirked, turning the corners of her mouth upwards, she savored her victory and proceeded to watch a disappointed Dan amble slowly by.
"This way," barked the Crocodile Queen, disappearing quickly into a busy street, Ally tried to take in her surroundings. Boundary Street, announced the sign attached to a low stone wall, they walked quickly, pushing their way through the crowded sidewalks until they reached Knight Street, a one-way street. Their pace quickened, and they seemed to have some urgency now, tall white cladded apartment buildings adorned with balcony attachments towered over them, the Crocodile Queen strode confidently towards one of the buildings. It suddenly grew darker, as the piercing sunlight struggled to find a way past one of the tall buildings. The Crocodile Queen approached a small door surrounded with six white colored plastic buttons; each button had a label with writing attached underneath. Some were written in English, some had strange Cantonese symbols displayed; the Crocodile Queen pressed the third button down, the only button with a blank label. They stood huddled together on the sidewalk, enjoying the cool shadow provided by the tall building, a painted metal olive colored door splashed with dirt had started to peel around the door jamb, the building wasn't in good shape. It looked dated, like a 1970's prefab, it stood today in a state of neglect. There was a strange buzzing noise, a speaker crackled into life, "Yes?"
The Crocodile Queen stepped forward, she perched herself on the top step, and moved her face towards the speaker, she whispered, "We've come to buy a yellow bird, there’s three of us."
"Where have you come from?" inquired a frail woman's voice.
The Crocodile Queen glanced at the two fresh faced kids standing behind her, she knew she would have to take a risk that she didn't feel comfortable taking. It was time to trust Atheria, time to see if the information Atheria had shared with the Crocodile Queen earlier was correct. The Crocodile Queen’s instincts told her to run, but she was compelled to save Kaan, he would risk everything for her. She felt herself cringe as she uttered the words, but she had no choice, she would place her life in the hands of a total stranger with no face, "From the Monastery of Light." Thoughts of a swirling, amorphous, shapeless cloud, flooded her head, 'I hope you're right Atheria,' she could hear the panic surging through the words of her own thoughts. A few moments passed, it was about two minutes, but it seemed like an age as they waited patiently on the top step of the entrance to the building.
Ally stepped forward, “Why are we here? I thought we were trying to find a guy?”
The Crocodile Queen seemed irritated at her question, “I was told us to come here first.”
Suddenly the door opened inwards about two inches, accompanied by a strange buzzing noise as the door-lock released. The door then opened fully, a diminutive oriental woman with gray streaked hair greeted them. Her face was wrinkled and weathered, it showed the signs of her advanced age, she looked to be about seventy years old, approximately five feet one inch tall, and of slim build. She wore ill-fitting oversized brown canvass pants, and a black sweater with a black shirt peeking out around her neck. She wore no makeup and only a simple cheap plastic watch for jewelry. She wore brightly colored, red and yellow silk slippers that seemed out of place with her drab, plain, ordinary clothes. She looked at Dan, suspiciously sizing him up, then her attentions turned to Ally, before finally staring at the Crocodile Queen. She held her hand out in Ally’s direction, her palm facing skywards, "Place the palm of your hand flat upon my palm dear," she said, in a soft but firm voice.
Ally shot a mistrusting glance towards the Crocodile Queen, who responded by nodding her approval, urging Ally to comply. Dan was skeptical, feeling his body stiffen as he thought request was odd.
Ally cautiously stepped forward; she complied by placing her reluctant hand, palm down, where it touched the outstretched palm of the old woman. Ally felt an immediate surge of energy shoot through her palm and stared into the old woman's eyes, they had rolled back into her head. She teetered and rolled her head briefly, before breaking the connection and staggering back a step to regain her composure.
"Come inside quickly, follow me now," ordered the woman urgently, as she glanced nervously from side to side examining the street outside. They followed her into a small, sparsely decorated, sterile looking lobby entrance with an elevator. The old woman didn't wait for them to enter, she'd already moved to the elevator pushing the button and summoning its arrival before they'd all managed to step inside. The doors opened and they all shuffled carefully inside the small cramped mirrored elevator. It was sized to fit six people, but the space was still uncomfortably tight with only four inside. She inserted a silver colored key into the control panel, she turned it ninety degrees, and pushed the number six on the illuminated panel. The elevator commenced its journey with a shake and a thud, it surprised everyone except the old woman, who calmly returned the key to her pants pocket. As the elevator travelled the old woman turned to face the Crocodile Queen, "She’s very young, but she's extremely strong," she said, knowingly nodding in Ally's direction. Ally hated when people talked about her, when she was right there, close enough to hear every word. As a small child this happened to her a lot, adults would talk about her future, as if she couldn't hear or understand them.
"A young, strong, white witch, from a good bloodline, I didn't think I'd be spending my day with witches. Two white witches, well - that's an interesting day indeed," she mumbled. Ally glanced across at the Crocodile Queen. Dan glanced nervously at Ally. The elevator continued upon its agonizingly slow ascent. Finally, the doors opened, and the small oriental woman led the way by scurrying out of the elevator and down a long dimly lit narrow hallway. She paused halfway down the hallway and fumbled for her key. She opened one of the apartment doors and glanced each way, to ensure they were alone and not being followed, "Quickly, get inside, quickly," she urged.
Dan was the last to enter, and she moved her face uncomfortably close to his, "You have no gifts young man, but there’s something about you that I can't quite fathom. Your energy isn't right, you're not a warlock or a wizard, you don't have the sight, and you can't shape shift, yet you hang around with a grand master white witch, and a young inexperienced white witch with a royal bloodline, why would these witches tolerate a boy like you? No - I’m missing something, I’m definitely missing something?”
Dan crinkled his nose he moved his muscular frame back, squeezing it against the door to put some distance between himself and this oddly curious little woman. She grabbed at his wrist; Dan’s first instinct was to firmly pull his hand away. Dan was a strong young man, augmented with advanced combat skills that he'd acquired on his previous adventures with Raj. He instinctively turned his wrist, exposing the open part of her grip. To his surprise, her hold on him was vice like, she demonstrated overwhelming strength for a frail old woman. His strong arm and twisting motion had no impact as she held him easily, "Now I see it, that explains it," she mumbled, letting his bruised wrist go, and releasing her grip, "Sit, make yourself comfortable, I’ll brew us some tea."
Dan was still in shock, Ally seemed confused, they both looked at the Crocodile Queen for guidance. She nodded her agreement and moved gracefully to a small couch facing the apartment’s windows. Ally and Dan selected individual armchairs carefully positioned around a glass coffee table that was perched upon a patterned oriental rug. The apartment was small and cozy, with a full wall of bright-unobstructed windows, allowing the light to flood into the room delivering its warmth. The walls were painted a subtle cream color, and the furniture was made from carved wood adorned with birds, dragons, and Chinese symbols.
They sat and looked at each other in silence not knowing what to expect. The awkward silence was occasionally broken by the
sounds required to make tea coming from the small kitchen. After what seemed like an eternity, the smaller framed woman entered the room carrying a wooden tray containing a blue and white steaming porcelain tea pot, and four stacked matching tea cups. She sat on the couch next to the Crocodile Queen and with an agonizing attention to detail; she positioned the small cups and began to pour the tea.
Ally recognized the smell permeating the air of the small apartment; it was green jasmine tea, her favorite. Dan was still obsessing over his introduction; she'd essentially called him useless, because he wasn't a witch. He was intrigued by the way she'd left his apparent usefulness hanging by a thread, quite deliberately, "Now I see it," he mumbled under his breath, ‘see what’ he pondered.
"Let's drink to infinite possibilities," she said, raising her steaming cup of jasmine tea.
The others followed suit, "Infinite possibilities," they answered together.
Gently placing her cup upon the coffee table, the old woman wasted no time with an uncharacteristically blunt question, "Why are you here?" she asked simply.
The Crocodile Queen gulped her mouthful of hot tea, she gently placed the cup back upon the wooden tray, "Atheria told us to visit you, we seek a man in Hong Kong who tracks Myrddin's necklace, she thought you would know of such a man?"
"Why do you seek Myrddin’s necklace?" she appeared calm and detached, but her voice seemed harsh and direct.
"A dear friend of ours has been bitten by a stone spider, the black witch is responsible for this, and we need the necklace to break the spell and set him free from this curse, our search has led us here to Hong Kong, in the hope that this elusive person may give us clues."
The old woman reached for her cup of tea, she sipped, and reflected upon her course of action. Still holding the steaming cup, she raised her eyes, and stared at Dan, "Elora is a particularly nasty witch, I've run across her a few times, she gave me this," she raised her arm, and pushed the sleeve of her black lightweight woolen sweater up her arm to reveal a nasty patch of scarred flesh, it was oddly shaped and reduced her arm to a bone thin appearance. Massive trauma had been afflicted and suffered through, "It’s a really nice souvenir, I was lucky to escape with my life, believe me, it was a humbling experience. I hope you know what you're doing?" she inquired, staring blankly out of the apartment windows with a vacant look in her eyes. Her loose sleeve fell back into place, covering her horrendous scars and her painful memories.
Dan was getting irritable, impatient, and bored of this whole tea ceremony thing, "So we're here to find this necklace, I was wondering if you could help us locate this guy?" he paused, feeling awkward, "or not," he sat back in his chair, ashamed that his frustration had got the better of him.
"Ahh, the impatience of youth," she said, smiling that knowing smile at the Crocodile Queen, "I sometimes miss that, you know. Yes, young man," she said, turning her head towards Dan, her words tinged with a pinch of poignant sarcasm, "you might not have figured this out yet, but I'm also a white witch, just like your friends here. I can decide to help you, or not help you. I'm well over six hundred years old, and time to me is like the air we breathe, it just simply exists. You my friend, you will learn to slow down and relax, the irony of life is that you men will always learn this important lesson, after it’s too late, when you're in the final stretch of your life." She stopped talking and glanced wistfully at the column of light streaming through the apartment windows, "I died once, but that was a long time ago, I was brought back to life by a spiritual entity from another realm, Atheria. I was once considered the most powerful white witch on Earth, a title that I personally advise, that you should not aspire to. It makes you a priority, a target for the dark witch, she wants to be known as the most powerful witch, Elora will kill any white witch who shows promise. Elora tried to kill me many times, and finally I died, heed my warning, if this friend means something to you, she’ll know you’re trying to save him, its sounds like a trap with a larger prize at stake," she glanced at the Crocodile Queen knowingly.
The Crocodile Queen nodded, acknowledging the truth held within her observation and indicating her acceptance of the danger that lay ahead.
"Then I suppose you need to find this man, a man who can lead you to the necklace," she rose and awkwardly stumbled towards a large ornately carved chest tucked away at the side of an armchair. She kneeled as if her knees pained her and lifted the large wooden lid. She rummaged around in the chest for the briefest of moments before retrieving a flat, long shaped object, wrapped in a folded brown cloth. She closed the lid, let out a sigh, and struggled to regain her feet. She wobbled over to the couch, before sitting, "You seek a man, a despicable man, he’s well known around these parts. His name is Tony Wong, but he's known around the Escalator district, as Mr. Flash. He likes pretty girls, fast cars, expensive meals, and is always surrounded by a group of large armed men. He always wears black, and brightly colored, loud shoes. Some put him in his sixties, but he's a slim, fit man, who looks a lot younger. He's a dangerous, callous man, who kills his rivals with no mercy. He's well connected with influence over the local police force, the Chinese government, and the local politicians and triad gangs. Apart from young pretty women, he loves antiquities; he's an avid collector and a relentless bidder at auctions. If he wants something, he usually gets it, legitimately or in some cases," she paused, "well, I remember one guy who outbid him at an estate sale in Hong Kong, it was a rare jeweled Chinese flask, that belonged to a Chinese emperor," she smiled an ironic smile, "he ended up face down floating in Aberdeen harbor. This is not a nice man, and you two young women, well, let's just say you're both his type. Mr. Flash likes to be flashy, he loves to flaunt his power and his wealth."
"Does this Mr. Flash have the necklace we seek?" the Crocodile Queen sounded hopeful.
"This is where it gets interesting, no, I don't believe he does," Dan couldn't hide his frustration and impatience. He fidgeted uncontrollably, rolling his eyes. The old witch caught his gesture within her peripheral vision. She decided that Dan would be a liability, not suited to the delicate art of Asian negotiations. The task that lay ahead for the two pretty, white witches, would be undermined by Dan’s impatience, "You’re a handsome, headstrong, and passionate guy, qualities I most certainly like in a man," she said smiling. "Qualities that will get you all killed with Mr. Flash." She waited for the message, delivered so sweetly, to sink in, she bent forward retrieving her cup and started to sip her tea. Dan pulled a face knowing his impatience had surfaced and got the better of him. Ally flashed him a scolding look, she wanted to shake some sense into him. She wondered if he had the smarts to figure out she'd just given him a backhanded compliment.
"I always try to keep away from Mr. Flash, he's too high profile and too dangerous for my liking. He has a private residence at the Four Seasons hotel; he acts like he owns the place. You’ll need to seek an audience with him, I’ve got a few contacts that can get you a meeting," she turned to face Dan, "You, my handsome fearless dragon, will have to stay behind, you understand?"
Dan didn't at first, until it finally became clear, "I can’t go to the meeting with Mr. Flash?"
"Correct. Mr. Flash likes pretty, young women, some say he likes them very young. You two ladies are very young and very pretty, you’re definitely his type," she said, her eyes finally resting upon the Crocodile Queen’s toned body. "If he thinks he has a chance with either of you, or better still, both of you, then he’ll be fascinated. When you bring him a gift, he’ll be hooked." The two witches listened intently, they didn’t like where this was going or the suggestions the old woman was making.
"Mr. Flash is a vain man, he’s spent a considerable amount of money pursuing the completion of his collection. Some say, his collection is the most important thing in his life, he's spent millions collecting the Seven Daggers of Xiang. In ancient China, seven warlords feuded over land and trade routes, this family feud continued for hundreds of years. There came a time when one warlord decided to negotiate a tr
uce, uniting the seven warring families into one powerful co-operative. To commemorate this magnificent event the warlords commissioned seven jeweled daggers to be made. Each dagger had a uniquely shaped handle that, when placed upon a table, fits into the other daggers like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Today the daggers are worth a lot of money; the jewels and the craftsmanship could not be replicated. I know, I was present at the warlord’s meetings, and I saw the daggers connected, a symbol of peace lying in the center of the negotiating table. I was serving water, rice wine, and food, while listening to the conversation."
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