by P J Tierney
It was dark inside. He listened, leaning forward, then someone punched him in the face. The guard rushed out and grabbed Jamie by the throat. Jamie struggled, bringing the side of his hand down again and again onto the guard’s forearm. He kneed him in the groin, but the guard barely seemed to notice. He carried Jamie by the throat to the middle of the training area and dumped him on the ground. The guard’s neck was as thick as his head and his shoulders were broader than a doorway. It was Eugene.
Jamie took his stance and moved into position. From the corner of his eye, he saw the rivercraft captain a few metres away, skulking up behind Cheng and the children. Jamie called out a warning that Cheng couldn’t hear over the commotion. He looked back at Eugene, who stretched his neck from side to side and cracked his knuckles. Then he crouched into a fighting stance. Jamie looked past him — still no Jade.
Eugene lunged and Jamie dodged to the left. The captain was closer to Cheng now. Jamie tried to call out a warning, but only a gasp escaped as Eugene landed a massive blow into his stomach. Jamie flew back and thudded to the ground. He flipped up and landed on his feet.
At last he saw Jade — she dived through the hole in the pagoda wall and tucked herself up into a ball, cradling the Recollector’s box with Zheng’s bugs inside. She rolled off the edge of the verandah as a molten red blade swung down at her.
Jamie felt a crushing punch to his ribs and quickly blocked the next few punches from Eugene. Jade was rolling left, then right, as the Recollector swept off the verandah towards her, the Conjured red blades extensions of his arms.
To Jamie’s left, the captain readjusted his grip on the staff and lined it up with the soft, bruised bone on Cheng’s skull. Jade was rolling in the dirt and Cheng was about to die.
Eugene spun around and flicked a foot towards Jamie’s face. Jamie leaned back and felt the rush of air as it missed his chin. Eugene squared up again. Jamie cursed. ‘Enough of this,’ he said, and he thrust his arm out in front of him and Conjured a ball of rushing energy that slammed Eugene in the chest with the sharp crack of breaking ribs. He stumbled back and fell to the ground, gasping and turning red.
Jamie lunged towards Cheng and screamed a warning as he pushed him out of the way. Cheng went flying and Jamie took the hit instead. He felt a blinding pain as his skull shattered. He landed on his back and saw one of the Recollector’s molten blades slash Jade’s arm. He smelled burning flesh.
Jamie lifted his arm from the dirt and with his last bit of energy Conjured a ball of light and hurled it at the Recollector’s face.
The last thing he saw before he slipped into the dark void of unconsciousness was the Recollector desperately clawing at the Conjured orb as it burned through his crepe-like skin.
Chapter 19
It was dark and very quiet in that peaceful place between life and death, Jamie’s life force having slipped away through the wound in his head. The jagged edges of his skull clawed at his spirit as it drifted out. Then there was a loud buzzing sound, like the white noise between frequencies on a radio. He looked at his hand and saw that his spirit self was made up of billions of tiny pieces, all separate but hovering together in a Jamie-like form.
He saw his lifeless body below: the side of his skull was crushed. He looked at the wound curiously; he thought there should be more blood. He felt strangely removed from everything and willed his spirit self closer to his body, waving his arms as if he was descending in a dive.
His feet touched against the wound and he pushed hard, trying to force his spirit back inside his body, but pain cut like razor blades into his soul. He pulled his feet away.
He tried again, knowing this was the only way back, but the agony was unbearable. He floated above his body again.
So this is how you die, he thought, it’s just too painful to get back in. He hovered and waited. Shouldn’t there be a white light or something?
He watched events play out below. Everything was happening in slow motion, as if he was seeing it frame by frame. Cheng turned and saw Jamie’s inert body. The colour in his face changed. Every muscle in his body rippled then tensed as he lunged forward. His mouth moved in a scream and little dots of spit flew out. Cheng reached for the staff and yanked it free from Jamie’s head.
Okay, there’s the blood, Jamie thought as it began to pour from his skull.
The rivercraft captain still had hold of the other end of the staff. Cheng flipped it, lifting it and the captain up over his head and slamming him into the ground. The captain’s body flattened out as the impact caused his ribcage to compress, and his face grew taut and his limbs seemed to widen. For a moment, he looked molten, then everything bounced back into place.
The captain held fast to the staff. Cheng gave it a violent flick and both the captain’s wrists snapped. He writhed on the ground in pain.
Nice move, Jamie thought.
Cheng screamed again and this time Jade reacted. She saw Jamie’s body and charged towards him, ramming the Recollector’s box into her satchel as she ran. She screamed something Jamie couldn’t hear. She looked so scared and distressed that Jamie wanted to tell her it was all right, it didn’t hurt. Jade seemed to take forever to reach his body. Each slow-motion stride left her suspended in the air, before her foot fell slowly to the ground again.
The Recollector was still stumbling around, screeching and clawing at his eyes.
Jamie looked back at his body. Jet poked his head out from the satchel lying alongside it. He looked around cautiously, then climbed out and took Jamie’s hand. He pulled on it as if trying to help him up. Jamie’s hand flopped to the ground. Jet picked it up again and hauled till his little feet slipped, but Jamie couldn’t respond. Jet placed Jamie’s hand back on the ground and crawled into the narrow space between Jamie’s arm and his body. He laid his head on Jamie’s shoulder and snuggled into him.
At last Jade reached Jamie’s body. On the final stride she dropped to her knees and skidded in, sending plumes of dust up behind her. She reached for her satchel and dug around inside. When she brought her hand out, she was holding the bronze dragon pot.
Ahh, Jamie thought, the powder she had prepared, it’s all making sense now.
All of a sudden, Jamie felt a swirling current buffeting his spirit self. The particles moved around, stretching and distorting. Black swirling shadows like tiny tornadoes circled him, snapping at him like rabid dogs, and his spirit self separated.
He was being attacked, the black bugs taking great bites out of him. Without form, he was powerless.
The high-pitched laugh he’d come to loathe in the earthly realm rang out in this one too.
Jade unscrewed the dragon pot. Jamie willed her to hurry before he was lost forever. She removed the lid, looked around for something she didn’t find, then tipped a fine white powder into the palm of her hand. She spat in it and mixed the powder into a paste.
In the spirit realm, Jamie’s spirit was scattered. He feared he’d soon be too dispersed to ever be whole again. And then a gust of warm air and a white tendril of smoke wrapped around him. He heard the soft lilting voice — his guide was here to help. But the swirling black tornadoes spun faster, sending bits of his spirit out beyond his guide’s reach. Jamie tried to chase them, but he was held fast by the spinning currents.
Below, Jade spread the paste over his head wound. It felt as if a lasso had caught him by the feet and in one sweeping motion, he was dragged back into his body. No! Jamie screamed out in the spirit realm as part of him remained beyond the lasso’s reach. He landed with an agonising jolt. He felt the weight of his body in his limbs and heard the rush of blood through his veins. He could feel the warmth of his little monkey against his shoulder. He opened his eyes.
Jade was looking down at him. She smiled. Cheng leaned over too, looking terrified.
‘Welcome back,’ Jade said as Jamie closed his eyes and tried to cross back over to retrieve what he had left behind.
‘Hey,’ she said. ‘Are you okay?’
Jamie nodded and the pain in his head shot through his whole body. He lay still for a second. Not far away, he could hear the Recollector’s high-pitched cries as the orb continued to burn his face.
Jade looked over at the Recollector and her face became fierce. ‘Make sure you get the kids out of here, Jamie,’ she said, then stood up and removed the sharpened chopstick from her satchel.
‘What are you going to do?’ Jamie asked as he forced himself to sit up, ignoring the pain and the great sense of loss too.
Jade glared at the Recollector. ‘We’ve only got one shot at this. Whatever happens, you don’t come back for me, okay? The universe has a way of correcting itself.’
Jamie’s stomach churned as he realised what she was saying. ‘You don’t mean …?’ He couldn’t finish.
Jade did it for him. ‘I was supposed to die tonight.’
‘No!’ Jamie said. ‘You don’t die — our lives intertwine, remember? You told me that yourself.’
She nodded towards the dragon pot and her eyes glistened. ‘They just did.’
She pointed to the sandy beach where a headlight beam showed just offshore. It quickly grew bigger as a very fast boat came closer to the island. Jamie’s first thought was that it must be Wing, but the boat was too fast and was coming from the wrong direction.
‘You’d better hurry,’ Jade said. ‘Looks like reinforcements — and not the good type.’
‘Wait,’ Jamie said, stumbling as he got to his feet. ‘We’ll attack the Recollector together.’
Jade said, ‘This is my purpose, Jamie, not yours.’ Then she forced a small smile. ‘Could you try not to screw it up for me?’ She removed the satchel from across her shoulder and gave it to Jamie. ‘And don’t let Zheng escape either.’
Jade turned and walked towards the Recollector, the sharpened chopstick held behind her back. Jamie forced himself to follow but was overcome by a wave of nausea. He doubled over and heaved.
Jamie screamed for Cheng to hurry the children to the northern point. He limped after Jade, then felt his feet being pulled out from beneath him. He smelled the stench of sweat and urine.
‘You said you’d rescue me,’ a voice slurred. The words dripped with malice.
Jamie kicked at Feng, but he was strong with Zheng’s spirit and Jamie was weak with part of his own spirit left behind. He flailed on the ground, trying to break Feng’s hold. He tried to Conjure an orb, but only a faint tendril of smoke drifted lazily from his palm.
He reached for his dive knife, but his hand fell on an empty sheath — he had given it to Mr Leung. He cursed and looked around for a weapon, and saw the Eurasian girl. She was watching him, her hands hidden within her sleeves. Her eyes tracked from the shed, all the way to the wooden training dummy at the far end of the ground. Jamie saw his own face on the dummy and a hole between his eyes where the fighting blade had been. The girl glanced down at her hands hidden within her sleeves.
Jamie held his hand out to her, but she didn’t respond. Jade was only steps away from the Recollector now, and the fast boat would reach the beach at any moment.
Jamie said, ‘Please help me.’
The girl shrugged, removed the blade from her sleeve and tossed it to him. She turned away before Jamie brought the steel blade down into Feng’s arm. Feng roared and released his hold.
Jamie moved quickly while Feng roared and yanked the blade free. He slipped Feng’s shirt up and over his head. As Feng fell down in agony, Jamie pulled the shirt with his arms caught in it up behind him. Once Feng’s arms were behind his back, Jamie twisted then knotted the shirt in place.
With Feng bound, he looked around for Jade.
She was only a step away from the Recollector now. Suddenly the old man removed his hands from his face. The skin was raw and in some places his skull was exposed. His eyes were blackened sightless crusts. Nevertheless, he grabbed Jade and lifted her off her feet. Red smoke rose from her skin where he held her and she writhed in pain.
‘I see you now, child,’ he said.
Jade swung her arm around and plunged the chopstick into the Recollector’s neck. He froze, his grip tightening on his great-granddaughter. She pushed the chopstick in a little further. The Recollector shrieked, ‘I see you now!’ Then he stopped, dropped Jade and stared out from his damaged face. ‘I see you,’ he said again, slowly this time.
Jade edged away from him. She stood up and took a fighting stance. The Recollector yanked the chopstick out from the side of his neck and a puff of red dust came with it.
Jade looked horrified. She edged lower, then sprung up in a spinning round kick. She struck him in the stomach and a cloud of red dust sprayed from the hole in his neck.
He staggered back and stumbled. He fell to his knees, helpless.
Jade positioned herself for another kick.
The Recollector wobbled, the weight of his cape and robe seemingly too great for him to bear.
Jade relaxed her stance. She walked up close to him, took a breath and blew him over. His brittle body shattered into a cloud of red dust on impact.
Jade stood over him. ‘That was for my mum,’ she said. And she spat on the dust. Then she turned away.
Her spit darkened the red dust where it landed and slowly at first, then quickly, the dry particles of dust were pulled into the crimson patch. The darkened particles took form, with arms and legs and a distorted face.
Jamie ran to Jade, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away.
‘What are you doing?’ she screamed.
Jamie dared a glance behind him and saw the monstrous form chasing them. He Conjured with all his might, but nothing happened. The red cloud was bearing down on them. He braced himself and stopped dead, but Jade kept going. He held her arm tightly, yanked on it and swung her around, her momentum lifting her off the ground. Jamie swung her as if he was doing the hammer throw. She squealed at first, then her feet flew through the red cloud and broke through its form. She held her body stiff. This made it easier for Jamie. He spun her again, creating a wind that sent the individual particles of the Recollector out into the night air.
Jamie slowed down and her weight became too much for his sore knee. He skidded her hard onto the dirt.
She stayed still for a moment, then wobbled as she tried to get up. She said, ‘I think I might be sick.’
Jamie saw the speedboat was not far from the shore now. He hauled Jade by the back of the shirt and ran. As they passed the shed, he grabbed Feng by the back of the shirt too. Jade squirmed her way free and helped Jamie drag Feng to the northern headland.
Cheng and Mr Leung were standing on the edge of the cliff, looking anxious. It was a sheer drop to the water; if they jumped, the impact would surely kill the smaller children.
Jamie could hear the drone of the Lin Yao’s engines but couldn’t see her yet. He looked around: the unconscious guards were beginning to stir.
He gathered together all the children. ‘Follow me,’ he called out to the others. He took a deep breath and herded the children off the cliff. They screamed as they plummeted towards the pitch-black ocean. Jamie held his palm flat to Conjure a cushion to catch them. Nothing happened. He shook his hand and tried again. He clenched every muscle and Conjured with all his might. The water was coming up fast.
Gradually, a fine mist of white formed below them. It cushioned their fall and held them just above the surface. It took all of Jamie’s energy just to keep it there, and by the time the Lin Yao came into view, the children’s feet were dangling in the water.
Jamie had never been so pleased to see a boat in all his life. He, Jade and Mr Leung trod water while Wing brought her in close. Jamie was shivering from cold and exhaustion. He helped Mr Leung push the children up onto the stern, and Cheng and Jade lifted them over the gunwale. Last of all, they hauled Feng aboard.
Wing powered the engines to full just as the fast boat rounded the headland.
Mr Leung did a head count of the children, while Jamie dragged Feng to the cabin. He searc
hed through all the cupboards and eventually found what he was looking for: a hip flask of rum. It wasn’t much, but it should keep Feng too confused to let Zheng out. He hated himself as he held the bottle, forcing Feng to guzzle it down.
Jamie locked Feng in the cabin and went up to the bridge. Wing nodded at him, then went back to concentrating on outrunning the fast boat.
‘You okay?’ Jamie asked, noticing the rotting smell from Wing’s wound.
‘Yep,’ Wing said distractedly. He was trying to peer past his own reflection in the dark windscreen.
Jamie leaned against the back wall of the bridge and felt his knees shake then buckle beneath him. He slid down till he was sitting on the floor.
Wing must have seen the damage to Jamie’s head. ‘Man, are you okay?’
Jamie said, ‘Yes,’ but faintly. He heaved himself up, took a deep breath and said, ‘You’ll never outrun them —’
Wing cut him off. ‘It’s okay, Jamie, I’ve got this.’
‘They’ll probably come up from behind —’
‘Jamie,’ Wing said firmly, ‘I can do this.’ He patted the control panel. ‘We’ve come to an understanding, the Little Lin and me.’
Jamie gave a weak smile and slid down the wall again. He rested his head on his knees and felt his whole body trembling. Jet climbed onto his lap and settled in. The Lin Yao hit the swell hard and the impact made Jamie’s head ache even more. He grimaced and sucked air in through his teeth. He rested his head on its good side and watched Wing, who alternated between peering straight ahead through the windscreen and rushing to the door to look at the port side.
The swell was choppy and the Lin Yao bounced, but Wing rode it with ease. He moved his lips, counting the waves silently and timing the fast boat’s approach. He watched, he waited, and as the bow lifted up with the largest swell in the set, he turned the tug hard to port. He slammed her engines into neutral, almost halting her in her tracks, leaving her suspended on the side of the wave. The crew on the fast boat screamed as they realised too late they were heading directly beneath her bow. The Lin Yao’s bow crashed down on them.