by Kylie Chan
‘Why don’t I get a hug?’ Francis said, irate.
Frankie eased himself carefully towards Francis and held his arms out for the embrace. Francis knelt and gave Frankie a cursory hug, then quickly pushed him away to glare at him.
‘That was only half a hug. You love your mother more than you love me,’ Francis said in a menacing tone.
‘No, Father, I truly love you,’ Frankie said desperately. He hugged Francis again, and Francis didn’t return it. ‘I do love you, Father.’
‘Emma, with me,’ Number One said, and opened the door.
I started to speak and the King stopped me. ‘Nothing you can say or do will make any difference whatsoever to the child, except that you’ll be put somewhere else. Be quiet and go while we spend time with our son.’
I nearly growled with frustration as I went with Number One and he escorted me out of the villa.
Inside my villa, Number One went to the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee.
‘Want one?’ he said.
‘Please. Milk and sugar.’
‘This is a proper coffee machine, Emma, haven’t you looked? How about a latte?’
‘Thank you.’
He busied himself in the kitchen while I sat on the couch, straining to hear what was happening in Frankie’s villa, hoping that I wouldn’t hear the poor child scream.
Number One handed me a mug. He took a five-centimetre-wide brown stone out of his pocket and put it on the table between us, then sat across from me.
‘Don’t say anything. I only have a minute or so. I want a pact that if Dad loses, you’ll give me Hell to rule as Demon King. I’ll swear a blood oath to stay on our side for perpetuity and never try for the Heavens or the Earthly again. Back to what it was.’ I opened my mouth and he raised his hand to stop me. ‘No, don’t speak. I want a backup plan in the unlikely case that Dad loses, and this is it. As a show of good faith: they’ve moved the Serpent; it’s now about two kilometres southeast of where it will appear on the stone’s map. That’s all I have time for. Say yes if you’re willing to give me your word, and we’ll leave it there.’
He picked the stone up and put it in his pocket. ‘I know you wanted to order things for the child with the computer. I’ll provide you with one of Dad’s credit cards later so you can order online. I’ll need to give you the Earthly address for delivery, though, and I forgot to bring it. Is that okay?’
I sat for a long time, weighing his offer. The information about the Serpent was probably a trap for me if I escaped. If he was doing this on behalf of the King, the agreement only came into force if the King was gone and we’d won anyway, so no loss on our part.
‘Yes,’ I said.
He visibly relaxed. ‘Good to hear.’ He waved at my mug. ‘Finish your coffee, then I’ll take you back when they’re done and give you the credit card details.’
I nodded and sipped the coffee. It was excellent.
30
‘Emma,’ a woman said into my ear. I jerked awake and jumped out of the bed in a long defensive stance.
It was Simone. I ran to her and crushed her to me, holding her tight. I whispered fiercely into her shoulder, ‘You’re here! You’re here.’
‘I’m here.’
I pulled back to see her. ‘Dear Lord, you’re not trapped here too, are you?’
‘No, I came to get you out.’
‘Frankie’s in the house next to me. We can take him with us.’
‘Is he?’ She lit up. ‘Really? That’s wonderful. Do you know where Daddy is? Have you looked?’
‘Wait … which Daddy?’
‘The Serpent. The Turtle’s still stuck at home in the cage.’
‘Phew. Okay. I have a rough idea where the Serpent is …’ There was the sound of running feet and I pushed Simone away. ‘They’re watching me, they saw you. Let’s grab Frankie and run.’
She took my hand, dropped her head and concentrated, then collapsed.
‘Simone. Simone!’ I held both hands on her face, unwilling to slap her into awareness. ‘Simone, they’re coming, wake up!’
She took a huge deep breath and her eyes snapped open. ‘That was like hitting a wall.’
‘Seals. Everywhere. No teleporting out, we have to walk.’ I raised my head to listen: they were outside the house. I summoned the Murasame and it didn’t come. ‘Dammit!’ I helped her to her feet. ‘We have to fight our way out. Can you call me a weapon? Will Dark Heavens come to you?’
‘Just call your sword, it should come.’
‘I gave it to Frankie.’ The demons threw open the door, and hesitated when they saw how big Simone was. ‘Weapons. Now!’
She held Dark Heavens out to me without looking away from the demons in the doorway, then summoned her own blades and filled them with her energy centres. Her voice went ice-cold. ‘I am here to take my family out of here, and any of you that are in my way will be destroyed.’ Her voice filled with even more menace, and yin wrapped around the blade of her left sword. ‘Get. Out. Of. My. Way.’
The demons ran into the room and attacked.
I parried the first blow coming at my head, swiped it down, and tried to make it through the demon’s guard but it was too fast. It closed and went for my head again, and I had to take a step back as I parried. As it followed me, it moved closer to Simone. Without looking away from the three demons she was facing, she threw energy into it and made it explode.
I generated a ball of energy on Dark Heavens and threw it at the next demon, and gaped as five of them disintegrated in the blast. The energy returned from the sword and hit me in a wave of power. It flooded through me, filling me with dark vicious cruelty, and I sent the energy straight back out to destroy five more. I shouted with delight at the havoc, and shot three balls into the remaining demons, destroying them all. I lowered the sword, panting with a combination of exhilaration and disappointment that the demons were all gone.
Simone turned to me and her face filled with concern. ‘Emma, can you hear me?’
I raised the sword in a guard position and grinned at her, pleased that I had something else to fight.
‘Emma, it’s me, Simone. We need to find Frankie and pull him out,’ she said.
Simone. Frankie. All my breath left me and I sagged, lowering the blade. I stared at it. ‘What the hell?’
‘Your eyes went black,’ she said. ‘That was one of the scariest things I have ever seen.’
I held Dark Heavens out horizontally and asked the blade to bring its scabbard to me. It obliged, and I put it away and dismissed it.
‘I didn’t know Dark Heavens could do that,’ I said.
‘Neither did I. I always thought it was just an ordinary demon-killer, with a bit of extra oomph from energy. Leo never said anything about it being particularly special.’
‘Let’s find Frankie before the next bunch of demons arrives. It looks like George and Francis aren’t nearby to direct them.’
We went out of the villa together and ran across the grass to Frankie’s villa.
I stopped at the door. ‘Be aware that Frankie’s been heavily brainwashed by the demons, and he thinks George is his mother. Take it slowly.’
‘We may not have time to take it slowly.’
The door of Frankie’s villa wasn’t locked and we went inside. I led Simone to the analogue of my bedroom, and Frankie was there, small and vulnerable, curled up in the middle of the queen-size bed.
I shook his shoulder. ‘Frankie. Frankie?’
He gasped and scurried away from me. Simone turned on the bedside light and he jumped out of bed and ran to cower in the corner when he saw her.
‘Frankie, this is your sister Simone, from a different Mummy and the same Daddy. She’s here to take us somewhere wonderful.’
He looked from Simone to me, eyes wide with fear.
I crouched to reassure him without touching him. ‘Trust me, Frankie, I’m your real Mummy. I’ve been seeing you in dreams for a while now. I’m the snake in your dreams.’
His face was blank with shock.
Simone knelt next to me. ‘We have a wonderful home in Heaven for you, Frankie. I really am your sister, and Emma is your real mother. Come with us, and we’ll take you out.’
‘I don’t want to go out,’ he said. ‘I want to stay here with Mummy.’
‘But Emma’s your Mummy,’ Simone said, still gently forceful.
He screwed up his face. ‘You’re lying. You’re not my Mummy. My Mummy comes every day and hugs me.’
‘I’m your real mother. That woman stole you,’ I said.
‘That’s what the snake said.’
‘That’s because I was the snake.’
He put his hands over his face and screamed. He took a deep breath and screamed again. ‘Mummy, come!’ he screamed. ‘Mummy, there’s people here! I’m not a bad boy. Come and take them away.’ His voice rose in pitch. ‘She’s a snake!’
Simone put her hand on his arm and he screamed higher and louder.
‘Frankie! She won’t change to snake, she’s not scary!’ she shouted through the screams. ‘You’re safe! You don’t need to do this!’ Her head shot up. ‘There’s a bunch of really big demons coming. Duke level.’ She looked from Frankie to me, desperate. ‘They’re too big and he won’t stop screaming.’
I rose and she did as well. Frankie had collapsed into sobs, bent double on the floor and calling for his mother.
‘Come with us,’ Simone said to him.
‘Go away and leave me alone,’ Frankie said. ‘Go. Away! You’ll get me into trouble!’
‘I could just grab him …’ Simone bent to pick him up and he fought her off, kicking desperately and screaming again.
‘You have to come with us,’ I said. ‘I love you. I’m your mother, and I will look after you.’
‘Go away!’ he screamed, his voice hoarse. ‘You’re a bad snake and Daddy will hurt me if he finds you here!’
‘Come back for him after we find the Serpent,’ Simone said. ‘Let him think about it.’ She raised her chin again. ‘Emma, we need to go now.’
‘I’ll stay here with him. You go,’ I said. ‘I’ll talk to him and we can take him out when you come back.’
‘Okay, that works. Tell me where the Serpent is.’
I grabbed her hand and put it on my forehead. I concentrated on the map the stone had given me.
‘I can’t do that, Emma, I’ve never learned. Just tell me. Quickly!’
‘I can’t, it’s too complicated.’ The Dukes appeared in the doorway: ten of them, all bull-heads. ‘Dammit!’
‘There’d better be a back door.’
‘The window isn’t barred.’
I shot one last despairing look at my terrified child, threw a chair through the window and jumped out. We ran across the lawn as the Dukes charged through the house, accompanied by Frankie’s screams. I’d been planning my escape all evening, and there was one exit from the King’s garden. It led straight through a tunnel into the Nest of the most senior Mothers.
I led Simone to the tunnel with the Dukes crashing through the villa behind us. They went silent as they followed us across the grass towards the tunnel, but couldn’t close on us. Both Simone and I were ridiculously fast when we ran flat out. We put a good distance between us and them, and I stopped at the end of the fifty-metre tunnel.
‘Take your snake form, the weird one,’ I said. ‘Carry me in your hands. If any of the Mothers ask, you’re one of the King’s breeding experiments and I’m your dinner.’
I changed to snake and Simone took her serpent form: a big black snake with tiny arms and human hands covered in scales. She attempted to pick me up but her hands were too weak.
‘Mouth,’ I said, and lay flat on the ground.
She lowered her head, carefully picked me up in her mouth, and slithered through the gates and into the deepest Nest of the biggest Mothers.
I couldn’t see much hanging upside down from her mouth. The cavern echoed with the dry rustling of the Mothers sleeping in their nest hollows. A few were talking softly nearby, but most appeared to be in the demon equivalent of sleep.
The Dukes stormed into the Nest, and Simone slithered into a group of sleeping Mothers, then turned. The Dukes didn’t recognise her snake form and ran through the Nest and out the other side.
Can you give me an idea of direction? she said.
I jabbed my nose in what I hoped — upside down — was the right way.
I was expecting you to point right through the middle of them. That’s actually not too far away … Oh no.
‘Hello, my lovely, are you here to play? Oh look, you brought us a toy,’ one of the Mothers said.
Simone tried to speak around me in her mouth, then gave up and went silent.
‘Really?’ the Mother said. ‘That would explain why you’re so fucking ugly.’
Simone must have replied silently because the Mother raised herself on her coils and hissed. I flinched. All we needed was Simone picking a fight and waking them all up.
The Mother stayed still for a moment; Simone was talking to her.
‘Did you break out or did he let you out?’
There was a pause as Simone answered.
‘I know,’ the Mother said with misery. ‘We never see him either. He’s always off with that Francis prick. I haven’t served him in months.’
Simone replied and some of the Mothers laughed.
‘We could tell the King about you and win extra toys,’ the first Mother said, her voice sly.
They were all silent for a moment.
‘I want one too!’ the second Mother said.
‘I don’t believe you,’ the first Mother said. ‘No way you have two.’
They were silent as Simone spoke to them.
‘Really? That makes sense,’ the second Mother said. ‘It must have been pretty boring in the lab — nothing to do and no toys. How long were you in there? How old are you anyway?’
There was a long silence, and both Mothers moved back to allow us through.
‘I know where the lab is,’ the first Mother said. ‘If you don’t pay up and give me the account codes by the end of today, I’ll find you and eat you and your dinner.’
‘What’s going on? And what the fuck is this ugly thing?’ another Mother said.
Simone tightened her grip on me and I hissed.
Sorry. Some more woke up. We’re attracting attention.
‘Oooh, food. I love snake,’ another said.
‘Nope, she’s under my protection,’ one of the first Mothers said. ‘Hands off.’
‘But I’m hungry,’ another growled. ‘Fight you for her? Winner eats both?’
‘I can take you, Four. I’m bigger than you,’ the first Mother said with menace.
Bigger than Four? Simone nearly dropped me, and I had to control my urge to wriggle out of her grip. Neither of us had realised exactly how huge these Mothers were. A group of them would be a challenge even for John.
‘For your position as well, then. I can take you, and this thing looks tasty.’
‘Nah, we’re letting her go. She’s one of the King’s pet projects from the labs. She’s looking for the Little Grandfather.’
‘Oh,’ all the other Mothers said in unison.
‘I still want your position,’ the other Mother said.
‘You’d never take me down in a million years.’
Simone began to back away slowly as attention focused on the standoff between the two Mothers. From my limited vision it appeared that a circle was forming around them.
‘We’ll see about that!’ the first Mother said, and attacked with a hiss that was echoed by the rapt spectators.
Simone slithered away as quickly as she could, her grip on me so tight I could feel her small individual teeth digging into my scales.
There were two demon guards flanking the door on the other side. Simone tried to move past them as casually as she could.
‘Where are you going?’ one of them growled.
Simone answered silently.
‘The King never told us that.’
Simone raised herself on her coils and hissed. The higher vantage point gave me a better view of them. They were big humanoids, but the two of us could take them down if necessary. Whether we could do it without bringing the entire Nest of Mothers down on us was another matter.
‘He was in the Pits last time I looked,’ one of the guards said. ‘You have to go down there, it’s wonderful. Every single Celestial we’ve taken is in there. Nonstop fun. They even have the White Tiger on level nine! If you see him, take some photos for me. He killed half my nest mates a couple of hundred years ago.’
Simone nodded and the movement made me dizzy.
‘If you find Da Shih Yeh, say hello for me,’ the other guard said. ‘I owe him my life.’
Simone nodded again, hefted me in her mouth and slithered to the end of the tunnel. The doors opened for us and we were in another tunnel. Simone followed as it wound for three hundred metres, then stopped.
Fork in the road, three-way.
I pointed with my nose.
Gotcha.
After fifteen stress-filled minutes, the tunnel opened out and the echoes changed. We were in a cavern that smelled even more rank than the Mothers’ Nest: a combination of sweat, fear and damp.
Wow, this cavern is huge, Simone said. It’s like a demon office — they even have desks! It looks like Immigration back in Hong Kong, except stuck in some sort of time warp. They’re all sitting behind their desks, completely frozen. Must be parked for the night.
Immigration? This really was Hell.
I think this is the staging area for the Pits, Simone said. Let me find a quiet spot in one of these tunnels and put you down so we can talk.
It was another long ten minutes of wandering through corridors and avoiding patrols until we reached a quiet alcove and she put me down.
She dropped her head to speak to me. ‘Can you see the Serpent?’
I concentrated, looking for it. ‘No.’
She raised her head and looked around. ‘I can’t see it either. There’s a gateway to the surface on the other side of this cavern, Emma. I could take you out right now … No, don’t bother saying anything. I need you to find the Serpent. We’ll lose the war without it. Just make sure you’re not nearby when I release it. You said you had a map?’