Blue Dragon Part 45

'I'm fine.' I wanted to pull myself to sit but I couldn't even raise my arms. 'Whoa. I'm so weak.'

'Look at your chi level,' Meredith said with amus.e.m.e.nt.

I felt a shock as I checked my central dan tian. I was running on empty. 'So that's what it feels like.' I closed my eyes. 'Can you top me up, Meredith, to get me strong enough to go home?'

'Sorry, dear, you were too badly poisoned,' Meredith said. 'If I were to fill you with chi now, the energy would kill you in your current weakened state. You will need to go home and rest for quite some time, building the chi slowly yourself.'

That made sense. I heaved a huge sigh.

'Do you realise what you just did?' John said quietly.

'Yep,' I said. 'I fell for the oldest trick in the book and nearly got myself killed.'

'You took down a level seventy, Emma.'

'With your bare hands, no less,' Meredith said.

I was silent.

'You took down a demon that was more than a match for two Celestial Masters,' John said. 'And you did it full of demon venom. You just get better all the time.'

'Astounding,' Meredith said. 'Wish I could have seen that.'

I wanted to run my hands through my hair but I was too weak.

'Rest,' Meredith said. 'Then we'll take you home.'

The next day I was up and tottering around the house like an invalid. I could barely lift my cup of tea in the morning, but after a good sleep I could actually eat something at lunchtime. John and I shared a huge pot of vegetarian ho fan ho fan in the dining room. in the dining room.

'How long before I'm back to normal?' I said.

'About five days, give or take,' John said. 'You will be too weak to practise anything for a while. Your already injured liver is slowing the healing process; there is still poison in your system that needs to be filtered out.'

'd.a.m.n,' I said into my noodles. 'Monique just generated her first chi and now I can't help her.'

'Meredith will take over,' John said with amus.e.m.e.nt.

We shared the noodles in silence for a while.

'The Tiger has a suggestion,' John said. 'Simone is at school for another two weeks until the end of term. She is cared for by Leo and Michael. I am here. You are too weak to do anything except rest. Why don't you go to the Western Palace and see your family? Recuperate there? You'll recover much faster on the Celestial.'

I glanced at him. 'Will I really?'

He nodded through the noodles.

I shrugged. 'Okay.'

His eyes filled with amus.e.m.e.nt and I glared at him. 'What?'

'I was expecting more resistance from you,' he said.

'If I'm back to normal faster then it can only be good,' I said.

'I can't go, Emma, if that's what you're thinking,' he said softly. 'We need the Tiger strong.'

'I know you can't go, John,' I said, just as softly. 'I know.'

I knew. We both knew. There would be no more opportunities for us to be together.

I came around on a couch with my parents' concerned faces hovering above me. I pulled myself upright and ran my hands over my face. I looked around. I appeared to be in a comfortably furnished living room with modern tan-coloured leather furniture and cream carpet.

'Oh, come on, Emma, say the line,' the stone said.

'No,' I said. 'Go to sleep.'

'If you don't mind, my Lady,' the stone said, more seriously, 'it's been a long time since I was on the Celestial. I was wondering if I could...' Its voice drifted off.

'Do you want to leave the ring and wander around?' I said.

'How did you know I can do that?' the stone said.

My parents watched the exchange with amus.e.m.e.nt.

'Go,' I said. 'Have some fun. Enjoy. I'm perfectly safe here. I don't need you.'

'Humph,' the stone said. 'Lovely to be wanted.'

'Just go,' I said.

'If you want me back, say "Jade Building Block",' the stone said. 'I'll be right back, I promise.'

'Will you just go!' I said, and the stone disappeared, leaving the empty ring on my hand.

'Bet it's gone to find Amanda's opal,' my father said. 'There's some serious history there.'

'Wouldn't be surprised.' I pulled myself to my feet, holding the back of the couch for support. 'd.a.m.n. I'm still weak.'

My father rushed forward to help me, and guided me into the kitchen and sat me at the table. A smiling young demon servant, appearing as a Mongolian girl in her mid-twenties, was packing the dishwasher.

'Would you like a drink?' my father said.

'Tea, sow mei sow mei,' I said, and the demon filled the kettle and flicked it on.

'The Tiger says you were poisoned,' my mother said. 'Are you okay?'

I showed them the bandage over the wound in my neck. 'Apparently it was pretty bad, but with a few days' rest I'll be fine.'

My father opened his mouth to say something then closed it, smiled and shrugged.

'What?'

'I was about to ask you if he's really worth it,' he said. 'But I already know the answer to that question.'

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.

After I'd finished the tea my parents gave me the grand tour of their apartment. It was a luxurious two-bedroom suite with all mod cons, even air conditioning. Amanda and Alan had a four-bedroom apartment next door, and Jennifer and Leonard had something similar across the outdoor breezeway.

The Tiger had placed my family in a guesthouse complex slightly away from the main palace, joined by a covered walkway that meandered through the desert gardens with their many fountains. They had their own gra.s.sy lawn, a leafy glade of shady trees, a small swimming pool, and a playground for the boys, all surrounded by a large red stone wall. On the other side of the guest complex was the large school and creche buildings for the Tiger's many children.

'These weren't here last time I was here,' I said, studying the new electrical appliances in my parents' apartment. 'I don't even think the room I had was wired for electricity.' I glanced at my father. 'You did this, didn't you? You haven't been able to stop working.'

My father smiled and shrugged. 'Have to keep busy. You should see what I did in the women's quarters. Those poor girls were suffering horribly in the summer, so I put a reverse-cycle ducted air-con system in for them. They all love me.'

'The Tiger lets you in with the women women?' I said with disbelief.

'Sure,' my father said, confused. 'Why?'

'I wonder how he generates the power,' I said, almost to myself. 'We're on the Celestial Plane.'

'This place is really incredible, Emma,' my father said. 'There is is no generator. I just wire up the appliances and they work. It's like there's electricity in the air.' He rose and went into the living room, returning with a light bulb and a length of copper wire. 'Watch this.' no generator. I just wire up the appliances and they work. It's like there's electricity in the air.' He rose and went into the living room, returning with a light bulb and a length of copper wire. 'Watch this.'

The wire was about forty centimetres long. He touched an end of the wire to each contact on the bulb and it lit up. He removed the wire and the bulb went out.

'As long as the wire is long enough, I can get anything working,' my father said with pride. 'And I can't be electrocuted, it's like the voltage can't hurt me. But sometimes when the Tiger's in the room, everything goes haywire. I've had to put in overload circuits, because just his presence blows things up.'

'Do you think it's him generating the power?' I said. 'He's Metal, you know.'

'I'm d.a.m.n sure it's him,' my father said. 'When he's away for more than a couple of weeks we have a definite brownout in the supply. But there seems to be enough lingering electricity to keep everything working for a while.'

'Dad's keeping himself busy. Are you okay?' I asked my mother.

'We're all fine,' she said with a smile. 'I made friends with some of the wives, the ones who are slightly closer to my age. I joined a few of the clubs-mah jong, the book club, and the needlework club. I've made some really good friends; some of the wives are delightful.' Her eyes sparkled at me. 'I'm having a great time actually. Amanda's helping in the creche, and Alan's negotiating some travel insurance policies for the travelling wives.'

'What about Jennifer and Leonard?' I said, more softly.

My parents both laughed. 'Jennifer's having a ball,' my mother said. 'She's acting as liaison between the Tiger's clothing stores here in the palace and the fas.h.i.+on houses on the Earthly Plane, flitting backwards and forwards between here and Paris and Rome and New York, having the time of her life. Leonard's doing some legal work for the Tiger that he said should have been sorted out over five hundred years ago.' She shrugged. 'Everybody's happy and busy.'

Her face went strange and she glanced at my father. My father's face went rigid as well and I looked from one of them to the other. 'What?'

They didn't say anything.

'What?'

My father looked down at his hands on the table. 'We were making plans to retire anyway, Emma. We're thinking about staying here.' He glanced up at me. 'There's precedent, you know: there are a few human families here, helping the wives run the palace. It's a big job. We love it here. There are some...' He hesitated, and took a deep breath. 'Some advantages advantages to staying here, as well.' to staying here, as well.'

My mother looked down too. 'We never get ill. We'll live about twice as long as ordinary people-'

'You'll live longer on the Celestial Plane?' I said sharply, interrupting. 'I didn't know that.'

Both of them nodded. My mother looked up at me. 'Of course, that means that once we reach a certain age, if we return to the Earthly Plane it will kill us.' She smiled and shrugged. 'Shangri-La. "Lost Horizon".'

'I am going to kill kill him,' I said. 'He never told me that, and if I can live longer then there's more of a chance for us.' him,' I said. 'He never told me that, and if I can live longer then there's more of a chance for us.'

My parents were obviously amused at my reaction.

'We'd like to stay here,' my mother said. 'What do you think?'

I stopped to consider what this would mean for us. I'd still be able to visit them; they seemed truly happy; and I was planning to move to the Mountain on the Celestial Plane myself, eventually, anyway.

I shrugged. 'If that's what you want, I'm happy for you. You can go home any time you like if you change your minds. We will look after you. What about Amanda and Jennifer and their families?'

'Amanda and Alan want to go home,' my father said. 'Jennifer and Leonard want to stay here, but Leonard says it's up to John, because he's John's Retainer.'

My mother became very serious. 'We didn't realise when we met John. He's so...' She searched for the word. 'He's so powerful powerful. Everybody speaks his name, "Xuan Wu, the Emperor Zhen Wu, the Dark Lord", with awe. I mean, the Tiger's a G.o.d, but Xuan Wu's...' Her voice drifted off.

'John's like more than a G.o.d,' my father finished for her. 'Some of the things he's supposed to have done over the centuries defy belief. He's supposed to have defeated an entire demon army single-handed. He's the Tiger's boss, and the Tiger himself is incredibly powerful. The Tiger says he would be deeply honoured to have us stay here, as your parents.'

'John's a force of nature,' I said. 'And a normal sweet guy.'

'They say things about you too, Emma,' my mother said, studying me.

'Yeah,' I said. 'I know there are stories about me.' I smiled. 'I had lunch with Louise a couple of days ago. She had a bet running with the other wives that the stuff I've done is true. The other wives didn't believe it.'

'That's part of the reason we want to stay here, Emma,' my mother said, and she shared a look with my father. 'Being your mother makes me royalty. Everybody treats us like we're something very special.'

'They couldn't believe I was just an ordinary Australian electrician,' my father said with amus.e.m.e.nt. 'They thought I had to be a demi-G.o.d or something, to have a daughter like you.'

'You are,' I whispered.

'Do you think you could manage a walk through the gardens?' my mother said. 'You could come and visit Amanda in the creche, see Jen in the shops. The Tiger has a complete shopping mall attached to the palace-'

'Full of women's women's shops,' my father said grimly. 'Not a single hardware store there. Going to fix that as soon as I've finished the air con in the women's quarters, and then I'm wiring up that mall so you can actually shops,' my father said grimly. 'Not a single hardware store there. Going to fix that as soon as I've finished the air con in the women's quarters, and then I'm wiring up that mall so you can actually see see when you're in there. A couple of sons have asked to come along and learn from me. I have apprentices.' when you're in there. A couple of sons have asked to come along and learn from me. I have apprentices.'

'I thought you were planning retirement,' I said with amus.e.m.e.nt as I rose, leaning on the back of the chair. My mother moved to help me and I waved her away. 'I should be fine to walk around. If I'm too weak I'll let you know.'

'For your father,' my mother said, linking her arm in mine to help me anyway, 'this is is retirement.' retirement.'

I didn't hear the Tiger appear as I sat on the viewing podium watching the show-jumping compet.i.tion. Michael was competing and they'd put me in the VIP box, right in front of the arena. A smiling demon waiter made sure that I was well cared for with cool drinks and vegetarian snacks. I hated receiving special treatment, but at least the compet.i.tion was good.

'Lady Emma Donahoe, chosen of the Dark Lord,' the Tiger said, lounging next to me as if he'd always been there.

'Lord Bai Hu, Emperor of the Western Heavens,' I replied, watching the riders.