by B. L. Sauder
When they got to a black sedan, Ching Long opened the back door and said, “Please, get in!”
Once Ryan and Alex were inside, he slammed their door shut. They did not see him eye the crowd and whisper under his breath, “Yes. These days, you can never tell.”
After sliding in behind the steering wheel, Ching Long closed his own door, started the engine and pulled away. The automatic lock button clicked shut.
Chapter 15
The Lethal Lady
After leaving the woods, Hong Mei thought she’d better get back to Hong Kong as quickly as she could. She found a road and a bus eventually came along. When she asked the driver how to get to the nearest airport, the man regarded her with suspicion and threw her a dark glance. Who knew what he really thought, but Hong Mei guessed that he considered her a teenaged runaway.
The bus ride revealed that Hong Mei was in Xian, of all places. Why had the jade sent her here? After a few kilometres, the bus came to an airport shuttle bus stop. Giving her one more dirty look, the bus driver told her the airport bus came every fifteen minutes. Hong Mei ignored the passengers’ curious eyes and pretended she knew what she was doing as she got off the bus. Normally, she would have been embarrassed with so many people staring at her, but not now. She actually felt quite proud of herself. After all, she wasn’t doing anything wrong. In fact, she was about to do something really, really right.
When she finally got on the airport bus, Hong Mei didn’t pay any attention to the driver’s or anyone else’s stares. She was thinking only of what she needed to do when she got to the terminal. Although Master Chen had warned her about Madam Ching, Hong Mei wanted to call her and tell the woman the situation had changed. She would say that she and the heirs had missed the plane and wouldn’t be in Beijing that afternoon as planned. Instead, they would arrive the following day.
Hong Mei believed this would give her time to get back to Hong Kong, find Ryan and Alex and secretly get them on a flight to Beijing without Madam Ching finding out. As promised long ago, the descendants of the Emperor and Master Chen would go to the river in the capital city and return all three pieces of jade by midnight. Black Dragon would take the lovely but dangerous jade, ensuring that humans were no longer tempted by its power. He would be able to die in peace. The plan seemed like a good one.
However, when she got to the terminal and phoned Madam Ching, the woman immediately started shrieking. “You Chens are all alike,” she cried. “Did you think you could trick me? I suppose you wanted the jade for yourself, didn’t you? I should have known a Chen would try and rob me of what is rightfully mine.”
“I don’t want the jade for my –”
“Silence!” Madam Ching shouted. “If you do not come immediately, I will have my people find you. Do you understand? They will find you and bring you to me.”
Hong Mei swallowed.
“Are you there?” Madam Ching said.
“Yes.”
“Bring me the jade, Hong Mei. I’m waiting for you,” she said. “And so are the Emperor’s heirs.”
“What? Ryan and Alex? They’re in Beijing?” Hong Mei asked. “But how did they –”
“Never mind how,” she snapped. “They’re here and they were found at the train station.”
She cleared her throat and her tone sweetened. “It is just that we are so close, my dear. You must come quickly. We need your piece of jade to make everything work. We need it to draw Black Dragon back to his ancestral home, where he belongs.”
“Black Dragon’s home is with you?”
“Not with me, you stu –” She stopped and immediately returned to her cotton-candy voice. “Not with me, child. I meant Beijing. His home has always been the mighty river of the capital city.”
Hong Mei knew the woman might be trying to trick her, but what she said made sense. Black Dragon would want to return to his own home to die. And Master Chen had said they were to give Black Dragon his jade at the river.
“Miss Chen?” Hong Mei heard through the telephone. “Are you still there?”
“Yes.”
“Have I mentioned that I will be entertaining two other special guests here, besides the Emperor’s heirs?”
Hong Mei definitely didn’t like the tone of Madam Ching’s voice. Even though it was carried over a long distance, it filled Hong Mei with dread.
“What’s wrong?” Madam Ching asked. “Cat got your tongue?”
Hong Mei remembered Master Chen’s words: Treachery and evil make her heart beat. “Mama and Baba?” she bleated into the receiver.
“I’m sorry,” Madam Ching said. “The line isn’t very good. I’ve got to go now, anyway, and prepare for my guests. Goodbye, Miss Chen. I hope to see you soon, dear.”
There was a click on the other end.
“Hello? Madam Ching? Hello?” Hong Mei stared at the phone.
With trembling fingers she hung up and then quickly punched in her mother’s telephone number. She let it ring twelve times before hanging up. When she closed her eyes and tried to conjure up an image, nothing came.
Were Mama and Baba and the boys really in Beijing? Or was it just a trap to get the jade?
After the telephone call, Hong Mei raced to the ticket counter where dozens of people jostled one another to reach the front of the line.
“Ouch!” Hong Mei yelped and pulled her foot away. “That hurt!”
Everyone seemed to want one thing – to get on the last flight to Beijing.
“Watch out!” Hong Mei snapped at someone when they dug an elbow into her ribs. She looked at the only ticket agent working at the counter. He sat unfazed, staring at his computer screen. All Hong Mei needed was one ticket. She’d even sit on the floor if they let her. There was absolutely no way she could miss this plane.
Hong Mei watched the agent stand up, yawn lazily and stretch. He ignored everyone in front of him. The crowd stopped surging forward and stared at him. With both hands, he combed his dark hair with his fingers, trying to cover his bald spot. All eyes were on him as he reached up and flicked a switch on the board above him. Everyone groaned when they saw the sign light up: Flight Sold Out.
Hong Mei stared at it in disbelief. She couldn’t get stuck here. Who knew what would happen if she didn’t get to Ryan and Alex in time? And what about her parents? She couldn’t stand the thought of causing them any more trouble than she already had.
What was she going to do?
The ticket agent glanced her way and shrugged. “Sorry,” he said pointing to the sign. “Too late.”
“Please,” she said, “it’s very important that I get to Beijing tonight.”
The agent ignored her, shut his computer down and left the booth.
“What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” she said over and over to herself. In a daze, she moved away from the counter and looked toward the entrance for the gates. There were a few small shops selling souvenirs and snacks. She wandered towards them, the whole while whispering to herself, “What do I do?”
Surely they could squeeze one more person on board. Maybe if she went to the gate and pleaded with someone there. Perhaps one of the passengers wouldn’t show up and she could take their place. Yes, it’d be better to be at the gate.
Walking past a jewellery store, she looked inside. Hong Mei’s glance fell on a beautiful clock on a rosewood stand at the end of the jade counter. She went nearer and squinted. The hands pointed to 4:30. The plane was leaving at 5:00.
Hurry. I’ve got to hurry.
But the clock held her attention. It was lovely. Not the timepiece itself, but the delicately painted statue of the woman holding it. The figure stood half a metre tall and wore the traditional flowing robe of a Chinese goddess. She held the clock like a television game show hostess displaying a prize to the audience.
Hong Mei blinked. She’d thought this was the Goddess of Mercy, but it wasn’t. It was Nu Wa, the Creation Goddess. Hong Mei moved closer to the statue. There were pamphlets and flyers splayed out on the co
unter next to the statue. Something told her to look more closely. She rifled through the glossy advertisements until she saw a plain white envelope. Snatching it up, she tore it open. Inside was a boarding pass for the flight to Beijing.
Looking at the gentle face of the statue, it seemed to smile at Hong Mei. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you, Goddess Nu Wa.”
She turned and raced to the gate.
When she got there, she saw two uniformed men escorting a man off the plane. He was struggling between them, trying to get away from their grip. “This is ridiculous!” he shouted. “I had a boarding pass. How could my name suddenly disappear from the passenger list?”
The security guards continued marching the man away.
Hong Mei cringed, but she continued onto the plane and found her seat.
Now, buckled up, Hong Mei looked at her watch as the plane’s engine geared up. She saw the red numbers flashing, 31:57:37.
The aircraft began to shudder and roar as it picked up speed on the runway. Hong Mei felt herself being pulled back into her seat. This was only her second plane ride and it scared her. She thought about her parents; they had never been on an airplane. Were they at home now, or in Beijing? She tried to summon her second sight to find out. It hadn’t worked since she’d seen Ryan and Alex running away from Black Dragon. Maybe she was too tired.
Hong Mei dug her hands into her jacket pockets and felt for the pieces of jade. How had the boys ended up at the train station in Beijing? Hong Mei felt dead tired, but she had to try. Closing her eyes she tried to get an image of the two brothers.
Blank.
She tried again.
Nothing.
A female voice spoke over the loudspeaker welcoming everyone on board. The flight attendant urged passengers to relax and enjoy the two-hour flight. They would arrive in Beijing just before seven o’clock.
Hong Mei’s eyes remained closed, but this time it wasn’t to use her second sight.
Exhausted, she’d fallen asleep.
•~•
“Miss?”
Hong Mei’s eyelids stayed shut. She hoped whoever was talking would go away. Instead, she heard the voice again as someone shook her shoulder.
“Excuse me, Miss. We’ve arrived in Beijing.”
Hong Mei forced her eyes open. “What?” she croaked.
The flight attendant gave Hong Mei a reproving look. “You must get off the plane. You are the last passenger.”
Hong Mei remembered where she was and tried to get up, but the seat belt held her back. She blushed as she fumbled to release herself.
Hong Mei walked through the emptied jet and passed two airplane cleaning staff. She put her hands in her pockets and felt the jade pieces. Concentrating on the jade, Hong Mei missed the cleaners nodding to one another after she walked by.
Now that she was back in Beijing, what was she supposed to do? Would someone be at the airport to meet her or was she to hire a taxi and go to Madam Ching’s place? Maybe Hong Mei should call first. There would be telephones in the terminal.
Looking up the ramp, she could see people rushing about inside the main building. As Hong Mei neared the exit out of the ramp, two large men suddenly blocked the doorway. They stood shoulder to shoulder and folded their arms over their chests.
“Miss Chen?” one asked. His eyes were hard.
Hong Mei’s stomach somersaulted. She turned and headed back to the plane, hearing the men thumping down the ramp behind her. Just as she was about to get back on the plane, she nearly collided with the cleaners. Both of them were grinning at her. One held the back of a wheelchair, and the other had something in his hand.
Her breath caught when she saw it was a large syringe.
Were these the people Madam Ching threatened to send? Were they going to drug her and take the jade? There was no time to find out. The men and the needle were closing in on her, and there was only one way out.
Hong Mei yanked her hands out of her pockets to fit the three pieces of jade together. She was shaking so hard she had to grit her teeth and focus completely on the task. She saw the disc begin to glow. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting an icy blast.
Instead, she felt strong hands pushing her down into the wheelchair. Then, instead of the sharp and sudden jab of a needle that she expected, she felt an unseen energy grip her skull. It squeezed hard, lifting her up out of the chair and turning her by her head. Faster and faster, she began to spin, as the force twisted her like a toy top. Just when she thought her body might fly apart, she was released and sent spinning into space.
Chapter 16
A Terrible Truth
When Ching Long had driven the car out of the hub of the train station, he told Ryan and Alex it would only be a few minutes to his family’s home. Alex focused on the streets and any distinctive markings, memorizing how many lefts and rights they made in case they needed to get back to the train station by themselves.
At last they turned into a large tree-lined avenue with high brick walls. Alex thought it looked dreary in the grey winter afternoon, but it was probably pretty nice during the summer.
A few metres down the street, they turned into a driveway and stopped in front of a solid black iron gate. On either side of it were two tall pillars with an old-fashioned coach lamp on top of each. Ching Long stopped the car and rolled down his window to push a buzzer. A voice answered, and Ching Long called out his name. It was cold enough that Alex could see the man’s breath.
A few moments later, a small, square peephole slid open on the gate, and two eyes stared out at them. Ching Long leaned out of his open window to show his face. The peephole was shut again and the gate creaked open, allowing the car to enter.
As they drove through, both Ryan and Alex turned to look out of the rear window. There were two burly men in heavy coats and gloves. Alex watched one close the gate as the other stared back at Alex with steely eyes.
“I wouldn’t want to mess with those guys,” Alex said to Ryan.
He turned back to the front and saw that Ching Long was looking at him in his rear-view mirror. “You don’t have to worry about them,” Ching Long said. “My mother has quite a large staff, but only five of them are for security.”
“Five? Your mother must be a pretty important person if she needs five guards,” Alex said. He was looking at the dozens of ceramic duck-egg pots lining both sides of the white gravel driveway. Inside each pot was a shrub with miniature oranges. He felt a tug at his heart. Aunt Grace loved it when these trees came out just before Chinese New Year. She always went to Chinatown and bought one or two for their house. He bit his bottom lip and stopped looking at them.
Ching Long broke Alex’s thoughts of his aunt by saying, “My mother has married well. One of her ex-husbands is a vip at caac. That’s how she discovered you had missed the flight to Beijing. She had to pull a lot of strings to get those tickets, then when you didn’t show up…well, let’s just say she wasn’t very pleased.”
“caac?” Alex asked.
“It’s China’s largest airline company,” Ching Long said with a sniff. He pulled the car up beside a wall with a large circular opening.
Alex leaned forward, “Is the vip your father?”
“Mine? Oh, no,” Ching Long said, turning off the car. “My father died years ago. I can hardly remember him,” he added in a matter-of-fact way. He got out and opened the door nearest Ryan. He motioned toward the large round entrance and said, “Let’s go through the moon gate, shall we?”
Ryan and Alex didn’t move.
“After you,” said Ching Long before he bowed slightly and waved them to go ahead.
Alex finally went first and stepped over the raised threshold into a large courtyard. There were a few pots of orange trees, but the rest of the space was empty. Across the cobblestones stood a plain brick building with a simple pair of wooden doors. On either side was a stone guardian lion. Alex remembered they were called fu dogs because they looked like a mix between a lion and a dog
; a Pekingese dog, that is. Each of these statues had a bright red ribbon around its neck, like the ones the concrete lions at the entrance of Lions Gate Bridge wore at Christmas.
Ching Long nodded toward the double doors and said, “That’s the entrance to the main house. My mother will be waiting for us in there.” Once again, he motioned for Ryan and Alex to lead the way. “By the way, I hope you like cats. My mother takes in every stray that comes along.”
Just as they approached the doors, one opened. Alex looked up to see a tall, slim woman holding a fluffy white Persian cat. Its red collar was nearly hidden in its fur, but Alex noticed that the colour matched the long, high-collared crimson dress the woman wore. Her black hair was pulled high up on her head and was adorned with a string of pearls. She stood very straight. While stroking the cat in her arms, she gazed coolly down at Ryan and Alex.
“Mother,” Ching Long said. “Allow me to introduce Ryan and Alexander Wong.”
A thin smile appeared on her face as she said, “Welcome. I am Madam Ching.”
Alex looked up at the woman’s face in admiration. She was so very elegant. Alex knew that he should say “thank you” or something, but he couldn’t speak. The longer he looked at her, the more he thought his first impression was wrong. She wasn’t beautiful at all. Was it her eyes? They were pretty cold. And that smell. Sandalwood, wasn’t it? He didn’t like it, never had. It made him feel queasy.
Madam Ching’s eyes remained fixed on him. Alex was starting to feel really unsteady.
“Ryan?” he said, moving closer to his brother. “I’m not feeling so great.”
He saw his brother’s face turn to his as a buzzing sound filled his head. Everything around him grew dark and he was having difficulty breathing.
He heard Ryan say, “Alex? Are you okay?”
The woman spoke. “Ching Long. Go get Lao Ming.”
•~•
Alex woke up in a small windowless room. He was lying on his back in a single bed. There was another bed beside him and a nightstand between the two. A lamp was lit beside him and he could see another one on a dark wooden bureau on the other side of the room. Beside the bureau sat an old man. When he noticed Alex looking at him, he smiled and came over.