by B. L. Sauder
“Yes, but before that time, the jade was Black Dragon’s. It was a gift to him from Nu Wa, the Creation Goddess. He loved her very much.”
“Oh, that Black Dragon. Yeah, we grew up with that story, too. Our dad translated the legend from an ancient scroll we had. Did your parents ever read that old poem to you? I guess your version would’ve been in Mandarin, huh?”
“Yes,” said Hong Mei staring down at her feet. “My father made me memorize it, and he told me many stories of Black Dragon. Baba talked so much about Black Dragon that we thought he was a little crazy.” When she said this, Hong Mei felt something pulling at her heartstrings.
“Look,” Ryan said, stifling another yawn, “I’ve got a wicked headache. I get migraines when I get too tired.”
“Your jade –” Hong Mei started to say.
Ryan interrupted her. “I don’t want to talk about my jade, okay? It was my father’s.” His eyes closed for a moment. “Why don’t we talk about you, Lily? Your name, for instance,” he said, fighting to keep his eyes open. “Is it common for Chinese girls to have English names?”
“Well,” she said, “many people have Chinese and English names. My Chinese name is Hong Mei; Chen Hong Mei.”
“Your last name is Chen, not Wong?” Ryan asked.
Hong Mei watched Ryan’s eyes close. “That is correct,” she said. “I’m not a Wong, but our two families are still related – they have been for hundreds of years.”
“I see,” Ryan said, opening his eyes again and looking at her face. “So, Hong Mei, do many Chinese girls have freckles?”
“What?” Hong Mei asked. Oh, no! Did he recognize her?
“You’re the second Chinese girl with freckles I’ve seen today. I didn’t think it was that common.” Ryan closed his eyes again and smiled. “Lucy Liu better not find out. That’s her trademark. And she’s gorgeous.”
Hong Mei said nothing, hoping if she kept quiet Ryan would fall asleep. She felt herself blushing. Did he think Chinese girls with freckles were pretty?
Watching Ryan give in to sleep, Hong Mei thought about Madam Ching. She had been right about the boys not being able to fight off “jet lag.”
Hong Mei saw Ryan’s chest begin to slowly rise and fall. This part was going as planned.
After a few minutes Hong Mei said, “Ryan, are you still awake?”
No answer.
She relaxed and let her head lean against the wall. She would wait a little while longer. Just to make sure.
•~•
Hong Mei’s eyes snapped open. She must not let herself sleep. She had work to do.
She studied the two brothers lying on their beds. Alex looked even younger when he was asleep. Ryan looked older – at least seventeen. Hong Mei stood up and glanced down at the flashing red symbols on her watch.
45:17:28
Forty-five hours, seventeen minutes and twenty-eight seconds before the start of the New Year. That’s how much time they had to get to Beijing and lure Black Dragon there. She didn’t want to be around when he came sniffing for his jade. And she wouldn’t be. Her part in this whole thing would be over and she’d be with both Baba and Mama. That’s what the numbers on her watch really meant to her – how long it was going to be before her family was reunited.
Madam Ching wouldn’t expect the three of them to give Black Dragon their jade, would she? No. She just needed it to lure him to her. But it was strange that she planned to prove that Chinese dragons really did exist right when Black Dragon was due to – what had she said? – expire? She was going to have a dead dragon to show the world, not a live one. What good would that be?
And if Madam Ching didn’t care whether he was dead or alive, why did the three of them have to do her dirty work? Just because an old scroll said so? Well, Madam Ching was in for a surprise. Her Black Dragon was more man than dragon.
At least, he looked that way. Hong Mei felt the rawness of her arm. A normal man couldn’t have done that. She thought about his horrible eyes. Whatever he was, she didn’t want to see him again. As soon as she, Ryan and Alex led Black Dragon to Madam Ching, Hong Mei would take them back home with her and Baba.
From inside her jacket pocket she pulled out a square wooden box. It was about the same size as one of the disc cases she used in computer class, only several times thicker. A parade of people had been carefully carved on its four sides. Some of the figures were shown skipping, juggling balls, performing cartwheels or balancing objects on top of thin poles. Others were playing musical instruments while Chinese lions and dragons danced in a line. Centred on the lid were two words: Black Dragon. Hong Mei opened the lid and breathed in the scent of sandalwood.
When Madam Ching had given her the box, the woman had said, “We found this container at an archaeological site. Although it’s just a wooden box, it might be useful in proving the heirs’ jade once belonged to Black Dragon.”
Hong Mei had thought that a bit of a stretch. As if it would really prove anything. So she’d asked if she could take the scroll, too. The two things together might be better proof. Madam Ching had said no, she wanted to keep it in case there was any trouble.
The last thing the woman had told Hong Mei was that when that they did put their jade in the box as one piece, they might feel strange – lightheaded or even a bit nauseous. If this happened, they were to remove the jade immediately, divide it and wear the pieces separately again.
Hong Mei had wanted to know more about that, but the woman had waved her off, saying that if Hong Mei simply followed instructions, everything would be fine.
Hong Mei sighed as she stared at the dark cherry-coloured wooden container. It was all she had. Was it enough to convince Ryan and Alex to come with her?
Madam Ching’s words came back. “It is your destiny, dear. It always has been.”
Hong Mei supposed she could always use a spell again if she had trouble.
Reaching into her back pocket, Hong Mei removed a leather billfold. Instead of money, she took out a creased and worn piece of paper. Hong Mei opened it up and silently read the simplified characters Baba had written out for her. But she knew the poem by heart.
Hong Mei folded up the paper again, but instead of putting it back into her wallet, she tucked it into the box and closed the lid. Ryan had mentioned a scroll and a poem about Black Dragon. This would remind her to ask the boys about it when they woke up.
Hong Mei set the box on top of the television and reached into her trouser pocket. Strange. Her jade felt warm.
She took it out and looked at it. The stone seemed to be pulsating, like someone had put a miniature light inside. Hong Mei looked over at Ryan. She could see a greenish glow from beneath his shirt. She moved quietly over to him and opened his collar gently with shaking hands. His pendant was also shining.
Hong Mei touched it lightly with her fingertip. It was warm like hers, not cool as jade normally was. Once she felt the stone, she had an overwhelming desire to take it. She’d had this feeling before – the night she’d first held Baba’s jade.
She no longer cared if Ryan woke up. The only thing she could think about was taking the jade. She had to have it. Slowly and very, very carefully, Hong Mei removed Ryan’s pendant from its cord. He didn’t stir from his sleep.
Hong Mei held both pieces of the lovely stone in her hands. They were unbelievably beautiful, and so very warm.
What about Alex’s?
She moved to him and saw the red cord lying against the skin of his neck. Her fingers were no longer trembling as she calmly lifted the thin rope. There was only a small portion of the green jade, but it, too, was shimmering. Hong Mei lifted the cord, undid the gold clasp and slipped Alex’s pendant off. Even when she re-did the clasp and tucked the cord under his shirt again, he barely stirred.
She gazed at the three pieces of jade. They were an iridescent green, beating stronger and stronger in her fingers. She could only imagine how lovely it must have been when it was whole. If she put them together, the carving wo
uld look like the dragon and phoenix on her watch. The stones stirred in her hands. She had to see what it once looked like.
On the flattened palm of her left hand, Hong Mei fit each section to make an entire disc. It nearly covered the whole of her palm. The dragon and phoenix stared into each other’s eyes as they must have so many centuries ago.
She had never seen anything so beautiful, yet so simple. It wasn’t sparkly and dazzling. There were no stunning gems or intricately carved gold. The delicate etching of the dragon and phoenix was in perfect harmony with the subtle loveliness of the jade itself.
Hong Mei understood why Black Dragon wanted to have it again. How and when had it been broken? She wished she could see back in time and find out what had happened.
Hong Mei was so enthralled with her musings and the beauty of the jade that she did not feel the temperature around her drop. In a few seconds, the air was well below freezing. By the time she realized it, it was so cold she could see her breath. Her hands went numb and suddenly turned blue. She saw frost creeping over her body and clothes. Her trousers and jacket turned white and stiff.
The jade in her frozen palm was the colour of a lime Popsicle. She felt herself becoming lighter. Her feet and toes lifted off the floor as she floated up.
Down below her, Ryan and Alex were sleeping, oblivious to what was happening above them. An icy mist surrounded her, but they looked untouched. Though cold, the veil around her was gentle and soft, like a fluffy cloud.
Hong Mei struggled to make her body heavy and drop down. She worked harder, conjuring up her gong fu breathing skills, but it didn’t help. Hong Mei felt the ceiling at the back of her head and along her spine and calves. Her teeth chattered as her body was enveloped in ice.
Hong Mei imagined that when she was completely frozen, she would fall down and finally wake the boys. She guessed it would be too late for them to help.
She was thinking about this when she heard a faraway sound. What was it? Her senses were dull. Wind? It was starting to sound like a loud sucking. Trying to concentrate on what she was hearing, Hong Mei felt her body pulled and stretched. She tried to think one last pleasant thought: Ryan and Alex sleeping peacefully.
The next moment, she was wrenched from the room, hard and fast. Hong Mei veered and careened through freezing darkness, where images and voices and rainbows of colour swooshed past. She gasped for air in the beautiful but horrifying void.
There was none, and she quickly lost consciousness.
Chapter 12
Escape from Black Dragon
Even before Alex opened his eyes, he knew he wasn’t in his own bed. This one was hard and narrow, and the covers felt too thin. Aunt Grace had gotten him a deluxe captain’s bed with warm flannel sheets and the thickest duvet they could find. Alex loved that bed. He wished he was in it now.
Squinting over at Ryan, he saw that his brother was sleeping. His glasses were resting on his stomach where he must have put them before he’d fallen asleep.
Wow! They’d really zonked out.
Alex’s first impulse was to go back to sleep. If Ryan wasn’t awake yet, it mustn’t be time to get up. He closed his eyes again.
A minute later he heard Ryan yawn and stretch. Alex opened his eyes and watched his brother search for his glasses, then frown when he found them. He put them on, sat up and looked around.
“Where’s Lily?” Ryan asked, glancing over at Alex.
“With her parents? I don’t know.”
He watched Ryan put his shoes on and make his way to the bathroom.
“It’s already past ten o’clock,” Ryan said, checking his wristwatch. “C’mon, let’s get going.”
“I just woke up!” Alex whined.
“So did I, but I want to call Nana and Yeye.”
“Go ahead.”
“There’s no phone. I need you to go down to the front desk and find out which room Lily is in.”
“You go!” Alex snapped. “I’m not your slave.”
Ryan pulled the cover off him. “The sooner we find Lily, the sooner we get breakfast. If we’re lucky, Nana will have some of our favourite dumplings.”
“That’d be your favourite,” Alex grumbled, dragging the blanket on top of him again.
“Fine. I’ll go,” Ryan said. “Just make sure you’re ready when I get back.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Alex said as he stuck a pillow over his head and tried to go back to sleep.
Not long afterwards, Alex heard a banging at the door. He stumbled across the tiny room and opened the door. As soon as he did, Ryan pushed past him. He looked frantic.
“What?” Alex asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Have you seen a note or anything from Lily?”
“No, I was in bed. Why? What’s going on?”
“Would you please get moving and help me…” Ryan started to say. He stopped when he saw something on the television set. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the intricately carved wooden box.
“I don’t know. It’s a box. What’s your deal?”
“The guy at the front desk didn’t know what I was talking about. He’d never heard of Lily or her parents.”
“Maybe you didn’t get the name right.”
“I got it right,” Ryan said. He moved over to the tv and picked up the box. “Was this in the room when we got here?”
“I don’t know,” Alex said, turning the light on in the bathroom and closing the door. Ryan was asking way too many questions this early in the morning.
He turned on the tap and waited for the water to get warm. He pushed back his thick hair. No doubt about it, he definitely needed to get it cut. Just as he did every morning, he reached up to adjust the silk string holding his pendant. The silk cord was light, almost weightless. He pulled the collar of his t-shirt away from his neck and looked into the mirror. Only the cord was there. Where was his jade?
Alex opened the bathroom door and went back into the room. Ryan had opened the box and was looking at a piece of paper.
“Have you seen my jade?” Alex asked, pushing the covers back on the bed he’d slept in. Still nothing. He dropped to the floor and searched under and around the bed. He stood up again. “Ryan? I can’t find my jade.”
“What do you mean?”
“My jade. It’s gone.”
“You can’t be serious,” Ryan said, still holding the box in one hand and the piece of paper in the other.
Alex glanced at the front part of Ryan’s shirt. “Do you have yours?” he asked quietly.
Ryan dropped the box and paper onto the bed and reached up to his throat with both hands. He grabbed at the cord. When Alex saw that nothing was on Ryan’s either, he sat down hard on the bed. Alex watched his brother feeling inside his clothes; then, Ryan did the same thing Alex had just done. He pulled the bedclothes off and fell to the floor to look for his jade.
“Do you think Lily took them?” Alex asked, but not really wanting an answer.
“Maybe, but why would she do that?”
“To show her parents?”
“I told you. They said they didn’t have Lily or her parents registered here.”
Alex was sure he remembered – what? Actually, he couldn’t remember anything about Lily.
He looked at Ryan kneeling beside his bed. His face was the colour of the sheet. Alex picked up the box. It was about the size of a CD case, but thicker.
“Do you think she left us this in exchange for our jade?”
Ryan didn’t say anything as he picked up the piece of paper and focused on it. His hands were trembling.
Alex’s eyes were burning. He waited, trying to hold back the tears. He knew not to talk to his brother right now.
The seconds dragged on until Ryan finally said, his voice quivering, “I recognize some of these characters. I think it might be the poem Papa used to recite to us.”
Alex sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
Ryan folded the paper and put it back in the container.
“Stop crying,” he said without emotion. “You’re the one who got us into this mess.”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
They froze.
“Maybe it’s Lily,” Alex whispered.
“Shh!” Ryan said, slapping his hand over Alex’s mouth.
“It’s the man from the front desk,” Ryan said under his breath.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
This time the sound was louder and more urgent.
The two brothers remained still.
“Have it your way. I’m coming back with a key and the hotel manager,” said the voice.
Alex watched Ryan tiptoe over and put his ear to the door. “What do we do?”
“Grab your stuff and the box,” Ryan said. “Hurry! We’ve got to get out of here.”
The boys dashed out, and raced to the door leading to the fire escape. They threw it open and ran down the stairs. When they got to the bottom of the stairwell, they pushed the metal handle down and the door swung wide. Ryan and Alex were pitched into a crowded, extremely narrow alley.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
An old man on a bicycle swerved to miss them. On the back of the bike was a bamboo pole holding ten or twelve ducks hanging by their feet. Resting on the handlebars was a metal basket on which a large wicker basket of eggs was balanced. The boys pressed back against the door, trying to stay out of the way.
Pushed up against the building, Alex asked, “Why didn’t we just stay and ask the hotel manager for help?”
“What?” Ryan glared at Alex. Then a puzzled look replaced the frown on his face. “I – I don’t know,” Ryan stammered.
Alex slumped down and sat on his haunches.
“Let’s try to find a policeman,” Ryan said. He nodded at the box in Alex’s hands. “We can show him that as evidence.”
Alex nodded.
“Maybe Aunt Grace and Uncle Peter have reported us missing,” Ryan said. His face softened and he added more gently, “They’re probably looking for us right now.”
Sometimes Ryan was a jerk, but right now Alex was happy to have him as a big brother.
They began walking down the alley. There were covered stalls on either side of the narrow lane. People were selling watches, handbags, ladies’ underwear and children’s clothes. Others offered tablecloths, socks, fruit, books, compact discs and every size of suitcase imaginable.