Blue Dragon Part 42

'Yeah,' Louise said softly. 'It once broke into the stables in Ireland and did some really bad stuff to the wives who were managing there. One of them'll never walk again, and the other was horribly disfigured.' She bent over the table to confide in me. 'And the Tiger still sees them both, you know. He loves us all.'

'Okay,' I said. 'Well, that particular demon is the head of all the underworld activity in Hong Kong...'

Louise inhaled sharply, eyes wide.

'...and Kitty Kwok was helping the demon to launder its dirty money through the kindergartens-'

'Holy s.h.i.t s.h.i.t, Emma. Kitty Kwok? The woman you worked for?'

I continued. 'And Kitty Kwok's been building demon hybrids for him, and taking samples from the children in the kindergartens-blood and tissue samples-'

'No,' Louise said. 'No.'

'Kitty Kwok has labs in Dongguan where they're building the demon hybrids-'

'Hybrids?'

'And Andy, April's husband, was involved in triad activity-'

'I knew there was something wrong with that guy,' Louise interrupted again. 'He was a total creep to her. He was in league with the demons?'

'I think he is a demon. He just married April to get her pregnant. So that they could...' I stopped.

'What, Emma?' Louise whispered.

I dropped my head. 'Kitty sent April to Dongguan to have a caesarean delivery,' I whispered.

'She got the baby!' Louise shouted, furious. 'She killed April! No!'

'I saw April last week,' I said, and Louise relaxed. 'She doesn't remember anything-her marriage or her pregnancy. She told me her family were all killed in a car accident in Australia, and Kitty is looking after her.'

Louise straightened. 'Okay, Superwoman, go in and get her and her baby out.'

'I wish I could,' I moaned. 'But I have no idea where she is, and n.o.body else does either. All we know is that she's in Causeway Bay somewhere.'

'What about Xuan Wu?'

'He won't leave Simone,' I said. 'And neither will I.'

'That makes sense.' Louise smiled. 'I'll talk to Tigger about it. See if we can't send some Hors.e.m.e.n in and get April out.'

'I doubt very much that the Tiger will send his sons to certain death,' I said. 'That demon is incredibly powerful, and it would be on his own turf.'

Ah Yat appeared in the corner with the video camera and Louise jumped. 'I still have to get used to that,' she said.

Ah Yat handed me the video camera, and I set it up to record, then pa.s.sed it to Louise. 'What were those questions you wanted to ask me?'

'We will get April out, Emma,' Louise said as she pressed the b.u.t.ton. 'Now, generate some black chi first-that was great.'

I sighed and put my hands out.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.

Itaught a first-year energy-work cla.s.s straight after lunch. Everybody froze when Monique managed to generate chi.

'Hold it carefully, Monique,' I said softly, moving the other students away so that I could sit in front of her. 'Concentrate. Everybody else, to one side, silence. Don't move.'

Monique's face was a mask of concentration. She hadn't generated much chi, only about a golf ball's worth, but it was an achievement for someone from a Western background to be able to do it at all. Her mother had studied in China and learned Tai Chi and had taught Monique from an early age.

'Do you have it?' I said.

She didn't say anything. Her face was rigid, her green eyes very dark from her dilated pupils. Her brown hair drifted slightly with the static from the energy.

I put my hand on her arm to supervise: she had it.

'Very well done,' I said softly. 'Now, you know what to do. Slowly and carefully, let it drop.'

Her face stiffened as she prepared to let go of the energy.

My mobile phone rang.

The chi rocketed back into her hands, her eyes rolled up and she collapsed.

'd.a.m.n!' I said, catching her. 'Anybody here her roommate?'

A black girl stepped forward: Sofie, from Ghana. 'Me, ma'am.'

My phone was still ringing but I ignored it.

'Okay, Sofie. Take Monique down to the infirmary, lie her down and let her rest. She'll be fine.'

I pulled my phone out clumsily, still holding Monique, and checked the screen. Leo. I pressed the 'reject' b.u.t.ton.

'Brad, Joe, help Sofie to carry Monique. I'll be down shortly.'

'Ma'am,' the three of them said. Brad was a huge black kid and he gently lifted Monique, the young Cambodian, Joe, helping him. Sofie hovered, concerned.

I pulled myself to my feet. 'She'll be fine, guys. I'll come down to the infirmary and apologise personally, on behalf of Leo on behalf of Leo, later.'

They all grinned and nodded, and Brad carried the unconscious Monique out. The other students stood frozen with wonder.

'Well, she did it. When will you guys manage it?' I said cheerfully. 'Go and take a break. I'll see what Leo wants.'

The students filed out, chatting.

I pulled the phone out and called Leo back.

'One of my energy students had just generated her first chi when the phone rang,' I said.

'Why didn't you switch it off then?' Leo shot back.

I hesitated. 'You know why.'

He was silent as he understood. Then his voice returned, more brisk. 'I need your help down in my office. You're really gonna love this. One of the new students has a major problem with his roommate at the New Folly.'

'On my way,' I said and snapped the phone shut.

I pa.s.sed the tea urn on the way to the lift. 'Be right back, guys,' I called to the students cl.u.s.tered around the tea table. 'I expect all of you to be able to generate chi the size of a basketball when I come back.'

'Yes, ma'am,' the students said in unison, grinning.

Leo's office door was shut. I tapped on it and went in.

Leo's desk was free of paperwork; he didn't have much to do with the administration side of things. The room was more of a bolt hole for him. The bookshelf held an extensive library of martial arts books and videos, though, and he had been trusted with many of John's older and more valuable scrolls on the Arts. A signed poster of an American college football team was the only decoration on the wall.

Leo saluted me without rising, but the kid just sat and scowled. I didn't recognise him; he must have been very new.

'This is Scott,' Leo said. 'He's just been recruited from Gold's latest run through the US and Canada. Canadian. Arrived last week.'

'Hi, Scott,' I said, and took the chair next to him. 'What seems to be the problem?'

The kid was silent, still scowling, and it dawned on me: he didn't know who I was.

'He's been told everything, Leo?' I said without looking away from Scott.

'I don't think he completely believes it yet, my Lady,' Leo said.

Scott's face went slack as he realised and he quickly rose and saluted me, falling to one knee. 'Apologies, my Lady.'

'Maybe I won't throw you out, after all,' I said, amused. 'If I did, I think you would be the quickest ejection in the history of the Hong Kong-based Mountain. Do you believe it yet? Tell me the truth.'

Scott glanced down and didn't say anything.

'Sit,' I said, and he sat in the other chair. 'Are you willing to go along with us crazy people to learn the Arts?'

Scott nodded, his face serious. 'Anything. I want...' He paused. 'I want it to be true, you know? I've seen chi. I've seen some of the stuff you guys can do. But it's hard.'

'Have you met the Dark Lord?' I said.

Scott nodded. 'But,' he said with a small smile, 'he's not really that impressive. He just looks like an ordinary guy.'

'You'll get there,' I said, rising. 'Can't see a problem here, Leo. He'll get there.'

'Sit, Emma, that's not the problem,' Leo said. His expression became wry. 'He has a major problem with his roommate at the New Folly.'

'The guy's a freaking f.a.ggot f.a.ggot,' Scott said viciously. 'You put me in with one of them them. I want out right now.'

I fell back into my chair, speechless. Leo's face remained wry.

'I don't know what he'll do to me in the middle of the night. You know they're all...' He paused, and pulled himself together. 'You can't trust them. And he could be diseased, or anything. We'll be sharing the same G.o.dd.a.m.n bathroom bathroom. You've gotta move me out now now.'

I struggled to find words. Leo began to look amused at my reaction.

'I cannot believe you let one of them them learn here,' Scott said fiercely. 'Don't you know about him? He told me like it was the most natural thing in the world, you know: "I'm from Holland, here's a photo of my family, by the way I'm gay." I could not believe it.' He dropped his head. 'I've heard they're more relaxed about that stuff in Europe, but geez, he just came out with it like it was completely normal. And he didn't even learn here,' Scott said fiercely. 'Don't you know about him? He told me like it was the most natural thing in the world, you know: "I'm from Holland, here's a photo of my family, by the way I'm gay." I could not believe it.' He dropped his head. 'I've heard they're more relaxed about that stuff in Europe, but geez, he just came out with it like it was completely normal. And he didn't even look look like one of them. Usually you can spot them a mile off-they're totally gross.' like one of them. Usually you can spot them a mile off-they're totally gross.'

Leo leaned back and waited.

'Hold out your hand,' I said.

Scott seemed surprised at the strange request, then shrugged and held his hand out. I took it and examined him.

'Definite energy potential, Mr Alexander,' I said, releasing his hand. 'But I think we should throw him out anyway. How good is he in hand-to-hand?'

'Brilliant,' Leo said. 'Feel free to have some fun with him if you like, my Lady, this is the first one I've had in a while.'

'You're going to throw me out? Don't throw me out!' Scott looked from me to Leo. 'I didn't do anything! What-you think this is okay okay?'

'How many staff of the Mountain have you encountered so far, Scott?' I said kindly.

'Of course, Gold,' Scott said. 'He recruited me, showed me the quarters in Happy Valley, set me up, that sort of thing.'

'Do you like Gold?' I said. 'You know he's really a stone, not a human being at all.'

'Yeah, somebody said that, but I can't really see how the guy can be a rock,' Scott said. 'But he looked after me, he's an okay guy.'

'After Gold had you settled in, what happened next?'

'I had the orientation with Master Leo. I've spent the last week being issued gear, being shown around, things like that. Everything was explained. I was presented to the Dark Lord and had to swear allegiance.'

'It's been a busy week,' Leo said.

'They haven't sworn allegiance to me yet,' I said.

'We'll get there,' Leo said. 'Sometimes it's better if they don't know who you are for the first few weeks. I mean, they know you're there, they see you wandering around, but they don't connect the stories with you you.'

'My plain appearance,' I said, understanding. 'They've heard stories of the Dark Lady, and they expect me to be about two metres tall, raven-haired and spitting fire, not short, plain and scruffy.'

'Exactly,' Leo said. Scott appeared astonished.

'You're really clever sometimes, Leo,' I said. 'Good lesson for them: nothing on the Mountain is ever as it seems.'

Leo made a soft sound of amus.e.m.e.nt.