She leaned forward and began to unfold the brown cloth that covered an object perched upon her knees, "Mr. Flash’s collection is impressive, but this would make it more impressive, the fifth dagger, his only missing piece. Many have tried to create a forgery of this dagger, but only Mr. Flash knows the shape of the missing dagger’s handle, because he has the remaining six daggers. This is authentic; don't ask me how I got it, that's a long story. This dagger will fit perfectly into his collection, like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle. He’ll recognize the quality and know instantly its original. What you two will need to do is use your feminine charms and use this dagger as leverage, a bargaining chip to get information around the necklace’s location. He believes the necklace exists, and he's been digging for information that will lead him to its location for years, it’s an obsession of his. I know he bought some old letters at an auction in England, they’re said to contain a riddle that points to its location. This dagger, in exchange for the riddle letter, that should be your starting point. It's a ridiculously unfair swap, but you must find a way of getting the letter, and getting out of there, with your lives. He’ll undoubtedly take the dagger, but will not think twice about removing you both, after you’ve outlived your usefulness. I can give you this leverage, and you’ll need to follow a careful plan, am I making myself very clear?"
"Yes, we're not going to end up in the harbor," the Crocodile Queen said confidently, trying to ease the panicked look burning deep within Ally's concerned eyes.
"Good, take this, you’ll need it," she offered the heavy dagger to the Crocodile Queen. "He has information, but he doesn't know where the necklace is located, otherwise he would have retrieved it already. It's important that you don't tell him anything that you know, remember, any small irrelevant detail could provide him with the missing link revealing its location. Your job is to find out as much as you can, get the letter with the cryptic riddle as an exchange, and get out of there safely. It’s rumored that Mr. Flash bought a letter written by a Canadian, Walter Seams to his friend Rhys Williams, and its dated 1907. It contains a cryptic verse, which is unusually at odds with the banality of the letter's remaining content. This verse supposedly contains clues to the final resting place of Myrddin's necklace. The letter was sold for an undisclosed amount, many who’ve studied this topic firmly believe the verse is the final cryptic clue."
Dan's blood was boiling, he pictured some old fart drooling over Ally, "I'm not comfortable letting you two ladies go into this alone, I have fighting skills, I know I don't look like much, but I have fighting skills and I can protect you."
"We need a meeting, a distraction, some leverage, and a bargaining chip, unfortunately it doesn’t involve muscle or fighting, so that rules you out," said Ally, her comment was out of character, firm, direct, and with a hint of a no-nonsense, causing Dan to pull a puzzled face.
"Leverage is good," the old woman countered, "but if Mr. Flash is fearful, a horrible paralyzing fear, it can be even better," she whispered with a smile.
“Are you saying Dan should come along?”
“No,” she shook her head, laughing, dampening Dan’s brief ray of hope.
Ally was confused, "Then how are we going to get a wealthy, corrupt, well-guarded and connected man to fear us?"
Ally was pleased that Dan wanted to offer her protection, but she knew he would not be coming along for the negotiation, and she studied the serious concerned look on his face.
The old woman also studied Dan's face, "I've been a bit hard on you haven’t I young man, you’ve got a good heart. This young witch will need to lean on it in the coming years, but this one here," she pointed at the Crocodile Queen, "she can protect herself adequately and don’t worry, she’ll protect your precious love, far better than your fighting skills would have."
She turned her attention to the Crocodile Queen, "Meeting Mr. Flash in a public place will be the smart move for you both, and I’ll arrange this for you. He needs to know that he can't mess with you," she reached behind her neck, and unclipped a golden chain. She gently pulled at it, extracting the chain from beneath her sweater. Suspended from the chain was a pendent, a design that resembled a pheasant swirling around a Crescent Moon. The old woman handed the pendent to the Crocodile Queen, who clumsily clipped the gold clasp around the back of her own neck. The pendant lay against her gold coin necklace.
“When you leave today, I want you to go to the Pacific Place mall, buy the tightest, prettiest feminine silk summer dresses that you can, they should have short hem lines, show plenty of leg, you understand? Buy some heels from the Louboutin store, and check-in at the J.W. Marriott hotel connected to the mall. I will arrange to pay for everything, just give them this card, when you buy things, remember to make everything expensive and feminine, you need to peak this guy's interest and flatter him. Men become extremely foolish around beautiful women, especially beautiful women who match their exact type. Get your hair done at the hotel tomorrow morning at the salon, and remember you’re both beautiful women, but you must act as if you’re unattainable, this is the ultimate tonic for an ageing ego-maniac who’s accustomed to getting his way.”
“You," she said, pointing at the Crocodile Queen as she tried to visualize what she’d look like in a summer dress stumbling around in heels, "be sure to wear that necklace, take the other one off and make darn sure it’s clearly visible, that’s really important. I’ll arrange for a table in the lobby lounge of the Marriott hotel, your table will be situated in front of the tall Chinese tea jars, it’s a nice display with Canton Tea Company written on it, you can't miss them, it’s a tall dark wooden cabinet with blue and white ceramic jars containing loose leaf tea. Arrange to be at this table for 2pm sharp, I’ll make sure Mr. Flash is there at 1.50pm promptly, just leave that part up to me."
She looked at Dan's disappointed face, "Sorry young man, this is a fishing expedition and to catch fish you need bait, you're not his type. That pendant is a powerful symbol of an ancient order, a long-forgotten order of Chinese and Mongolian white witches. They've brought warlords to their knees, averted wars, and controlled the fate of many powerful men, with their power and their cunning. Mr. Flash has researched the Order of the Crescent Moon, only to be told to back away and refrain from his research. He's tried to collect literature, spell books, artifacts, or anything he can get his hands on. A few years ago, after constantly thumbing his nose at our polite protestations he received a visitor." The old woman stopped talking abruptly to take a sip of her tea, she recalled that time in her life. She gently placed the tea cup back upon the table and resumed her story, now content that her parched throat had been quenched.
"A small child was sent to visit Mr. Flash, she spoke eloquently, firmly, with a directness that conveyed confidence and wisdom far beyond her age. Through her words and calm demeanor, she more than matched his intellect; she delivered a warning of imminent danger if he continued his fascination with the order. She gave him a week to declare his solemn intention to cease his research into our ancient order. At first, surrounded by his armed guards, and heavy henchmen, Mr. Flash felt safe, he wasn’t going to be intimidated by a precocious child, and he appeared almost cocky. As the deadline neared, he started to feel weak, initially suffering from flu symptoms where he was sweating, coughing, and running a high fever. Then his body started to welt, it started to cover in sore boils that erupted over his entire body, legs, chest, back, neck, and face. He summoned for the child by leaving a donation at the local orphanage, as she had instructed him to."
The old lady shook her head recalling the events of that day, "When the child arrived to meet him, she did not appear shocked at his deteriorating physical state. Once he'd sworn to leave the order alone, she patiently explained to him that his longevity would be forever linked to the promise he'd just made. If he exposed the Order of the Crescent Moon or pursued any of its members or tried to acquire any artifacts relating to the Order of the Crescent Moon, well," she shook her head again, “the spell
would resume, and Mr. Flash would die a horribly painful death. The child gave Mr. Flash a flask containing milk, honey, and lavender, which he greedily consumed; anxious to recover from what he knew to be a witch's spell. After a few days, he regained his strength; the boils and welts subsided, vanishing completely over the next few weeks. It scared Mr. Flash profoundly, and as a result, he's never been near the order since. Mr. Flash had previously purchased a golden statue, bearing the order’s insignia, it was originally found in a Chinese village, and sold through the illegal antiquities market where Mr. Flash was the anonymous buyer. The child had such a profound affect upon his sudden vulnerability that he immediately sold anything in his collection connecting him to the order."
Dan glanced at the sun streaming through the apartment window, his attention snapped back into focus when she started to talk again, "You are both beautiful ladies, not as young as the child that paid him a visit, but when he sees you wearing that necklace with that insignia, well, let's just say, I think you'll get his undivided attention."
Ally smiled, she liked the added insurance now afforded by the fear factor the pendant brought, the old woman continued with her explicit instructions, "What you need to do, is use the dagger as the bargaining tool to receive additional information. Once he's finished, ask him if he has left any information unspoken, and remind him that holding back information would likely result in the reoccurrence of painful, possibly fatal, boils and welts, then I want you to reach up and play with your necklace. He will sing like the loudest bird in the Mong Kok market," she waved her hand in the general direction of the bird market. "Is this clear?"
The two women nodded vigorously, Dan sat silent and motionless. He was disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to participate in this part of the adventure.
"Good, then I’ve done enough, you should hide the pendant when you’re out on the street, and when you go shopping, and make sure no-one sees that dagger. Keep it with you always. Never leave it alone. It's time for you to leave now.”
The Crocodile Queen rose to leave, Dan and a reluctant Ally, followed her lead, "Thank you," said Ally, knowing she’d just met an exceptional witch, and someone very special. Ally thought about how much she could have learned from this wise woman, but she had this strong intuitive feeling, deep within her stomach, she just knew she would never meet this powerful woman ever again, she couldn't quite explain it, but she just knew. As they filed silently towards the apartment door, the old wise woman remained seated issuing one last reminder, "Remember, tomorrow, in the lobby of the J.W. Marriott hotel, Chinese Tea jars, Canton Tea Company at 2pm, don't be late and remember to look gorgeous!"
Once they had left, the Crocodile Queen ducked back into the apartment, leaving Ally and Dan at the door, she placed her hand upon the old woman's shoulder, "Thank you, you don't know what this means to me."
The old woman smiled, "Take good care of that young lady, she's very special. I'm still confused about my reading of her and I'm never confused. That girl has dragon blood inside of her, but she's clearly not Asian. She must be from the old world, a pure bloodline lineage, that’s powerful magic. She doesn't know her own powers, but the demons will want her eradicated, so take care of her please," she squeezed the Crocodile Queen's hand tightly as if to reinforce her point.
"I will, thanks again," the Crocodile Queen pulled her hand away and moved towards the door.
* * * * *
Ally emerged from the bathroom of the executive suite in the Marriott hotel on Hong Kong Island. Dan stared wondrously at the view from the window, he marveled at the harbor, and the busy scene unfolding before him, surrounded by highrise apartments buildings and hotels, he could see cars moving along the concrete roads below so small they looked like the toy cars he played with as a child. They were so high up, the street below appeared in miniature as the strong sunlight streamed into the room reflecting off the water and making the boats look like they were floating on air. Dan turned to look at Ally, she wore a light tan colored silk dress that clung to her body, the silk was lightly decorated with red flowers and green leaves, embroidered delicately into the sheer tight-fitting fabric. Her hair was left long and flowing, it framed her face so expertly made up with makeup and eyeliner. Her legs were exposed from the mid-thigh and her feet were freshly pedicured. She wore a nude-tan colored pair of high heels, that exposed a shock of red, painted on underneath of the shoes across the arch, "Wow," said Dan, with his mouth struggling to close.
"You like?" teased Ally, knowing full well how great she looked, all Dan could do was nod quietly. The Crocodile Queen walked into the executive suite to join Ally, Dan was stunned. He'd never seen her look like this before; he wished Jean could see her. Her long black hair shone in the bright sunlight, it was normally pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, and it had been teased and styled to perfection, now framing her pretty face. Her features always seemed hard and intense, the eyeliner, lipstick and blush accentuated her femininity and made her look very pretty. Her brown eyes sparkled where they couldn’t be ignored with her new look. She wore a light blue silk dress with shoulder straps, and a low-cut neckline, the dress flowed to the mid-thigh exposing her lean, toned legs. She wore black heels with the same red under soles. Her dress was less ornate than Ally’s, but it clung to her body and accentuated her shape, making her look very feminine. The low-cut neckline exposed her necklace as she had been instructed, Dan agreed with her choice of dress. Together they both looked stunning, any man would turn their head for a second look, the Crocodile Queen fluffed her hair with her fingers, unaccustomed to the volume and the feel of it.
She walked over to Dan standing at the window, she touched his arm, "Listen, I know this is hard for you, I know you want to come with us to be a part of this and protect Ally. I’ve been a bit unfair with you Dan," she turned away to look at Ally, "I'd want to be part of this too, and it's not fair that you must wait here, but we can’t afford any mistakes, this must go perfect. I know you've inherited fighting skills, and I'm eternally grateful for the fact that you've risked your life, several times killing a Karcon, fighting with the army that saved my realm, I can't thank you enough. Dan, this is going to be tough while you wait here, but I won’t let any harm come to Ally, I promise you that with my life." Dan looked into her eyes and noticed how different she appeared. "Be here for us when we return, we’ll take comfort in knowing that you’ll be waiting for us." He was disappointed in his role, missing this negotiation, but he felt better that he wasn't summarily dismissed, a bad feeling he got from the old woman he'd met in Mong Kok.
"It's time to go," whispered Ally, urging the Crocodile Queen to retrieve the dagger. Ally appreciated the Crocodile Queen’s effort to boost Dan's fragile self-esteem. She tried to think about it if the roles were reversed, she pictured Dan, all spruced up with a new haircut, fitted silk suit, and an expensive watch going to lunch with a powerful old hag, known to have a penchant for young men. She'd be jealous as all hell, and her unattractive bitchy side would be rearing its ugly green head. Dan was excluded from this part of the adventure, and he was handling it well.
The Crocodile Queen took the dagger, still wrapped in the brown cloth, and carefully placed it gently in the fold of a South China Morning Post newspaper, which she retrieved from a glass table in the room. She carried the newspaper folded in a way to conceal her bargaining chip; the two beautiful women smiled at each other, waved goodbye, and left the sun-drenched hotel suite.
Ally patiently waited for the elevator to arrive, she studied the strange image reflected before her on the mirrored walls of the elevator lobby, "God, we look hot," Ally joked, as she laughed turning to face the Crocodile Queen.
"Why do your men like this type of look? Painted face, fluffed up hair, and these awful boots," the Crocodile Queen shook her head in dismay.
Ally laughed, "These are high heels, I wouldn't refer to them as boots."
"They're stupid, uncomfortable, and impractical," the Crocodile Queen snarled.
>
"Yes, and dead sexy, so just try to work it, and stay on your feet," Ally smiled enjoying her new-found femininity.
The elevator announced its arrival with the fanfare of a shrill dinging noise, when the doors opened, they stepped inside, and Ally pushed the lobby button. They rode alone and in silence down to the lobby level. Once the doors opened to the lobby they exited the elevator and turned right, walking into the general lobby area of the hotel. They could see the reception desk, and a flurry of uniformed bell hops, each attending to luggage, hailing taxis, and directing limousines. To their left, was a seating area filled with business men who turned to stare, noticing two beautiful women walking elegantly through the lobby, the breeze from the open lobby doors fluttering their silk hemlines. They turned to their right, walked carefully down a flight of polished marble stairs, and proceeded towards the lobby lounge, surrounded by large gleaming silver circular columns capped in a gold ring, that towered above them.
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