Blue Dragon Part 73

Just the humanoid. Kitty and Simon became bored and went off to have s.e.x. He finds this incredibly arousing.

I nearly chuckled. Then I realised that I would probably be next. I checked myself, and breathed a very quiet sigh of relief.

That's right. Not yet. But he certainly does have plans for you. He wants you cooperative though; he's too frightened to try taking you before you're fully converted. Even bound, he won't try you.

What?

That's the word they used: converted. And the humanoid is about level thirty. He doesn't have many high-level demons left-you destroyed most of them.

Gotcha.

I used every ounce of speed I had. I ripped my hands free of the bonds, shot upright, spun and took its head off with both hands: snap.

I looked around. Operating theatre.

I ripped the IV out of my arm and nearly gagged again when I smelled its contents.

I jumped off the bed. Only one way to go: out.

I crept to the door, opened it and poked my head out. I asked the stone.

Next on the right. n.o.body else is around. Kitty and Wong are still busy. He can go for hours if he wants. Simone: I'm not completely sure. Let's go and find her.

I crept out into the hallway and listened. I really wished my Inner Eye was working. Not a sound.

I moved stealthily up the hall to the next room, opened the door and entered. Dark.

The stone glowed for me, a small pale green light. I used it to light the table holding my stuff. I grabbed the phone and shoved it in my pocket.

I asked the stone.

Your diagnosis is correct. I don't know if you can burn the demon essence out with your chi chi. It doesn't seem to be harming you, or giving them control. Your unusual nature is limiting its effectiveness. But if they manage to fill you more than half full, I fear that they will succeed.

I went back to the door. I opened it a crack and looked through. Nothing. The hall had plain beige walls and a linoleum-tiled floor, like a hospital.

There are demons at the entrance to the hallway, about level fifteen or twenty. Two of them.

Easy. I crept down the hall towards the door at the end. It was double doors, like a hospital.

No. Not a hospital. You are still underground.

I had an inspiration.

Sorry, Emma, I can't call anybody. I'm underground, remember.

I threw open the doors. There was a demon on each side. I used my speed again; I hit the right one with a spinning roundhouse kick that destroyed it completely, then dropped my kicking foot and lashed out with the other foot. Both gone.

I had black stuff on my legs, but it wasn't seeping through my jeans onto my skin. I should be okay. I gasped. The black stuff made a very quiet sucking sound and disappeared into me. I looked at my hands.

The black stuff from the first demon was gone too. I checked my dan tian tian. Holy s.h.i.+t.

By the Grandmother herself but you are in very serious trouble, Lady Emma Donahoe.

I couldn't help but agree. But first: Simone.

Left.

How far?

I have no idea. Probably a few metres.

I wanted to hug the wall but it would be a waste of time. If anyone came they would see me anyway. There were doors on either side of the hallway.

Do not go into any of those rooms, Emma, the stone said. the stone said. You do not want to see what is inside them. You do not want to see what is inside them.

At the end of the corridor there was no door; it just opened into a larger area. It was about three metres across and disappeared to the right. I crept to the end and poked my nose around the corner. The larger area opened out to the right for about five metres. It was devoid of any furniture, with beige walls and a tiled linoleum floor, like a hospital. I wondered why it seemed so different to a hospital when it had so many similarities; and then realised. No windows. Underground. There was a gla.s.s wall with a large gla.s.s door at the end on the right. The wall directly across from me had three doors at regular intervals. I asked the stone.

Let me look. The middle one. There is an anteroom with a level forty demon in it. Then something similar to a hospital ward, with Simone in it.

I shot across and threw open the door. The demon wasn't expecting me. I went for its head but it blocked me, twisted my arm down and grabbed my throat.

I tried to head-b.u.t.t it but it had me. I lifted myself on my pinned arm and neck and lashed out with my feet. Both my feet thumped into its abdomen and the force of the blow broke its grip. I somersaulted backwards and landed on my feet, but I was. .h.i.t with the black stuff anyway as it exploded.

I looked down at myself. Another quiet sucking sound. The demon stuff disappeared, absorbed into me. d.a.m.n. I checked my dan tian tian. Holy s.h.i.+t. Nearly half full.

I tried to imagine Simon Wong giving me an order and felt only disdain. Good. I hoped this control business wasn't as bad as they thought it was. I didn't want to try it though.

I opened the door on the other side of the room. Simone was sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed, her face full of angelic innocence. She still wore her little blue dress from that morning, when she had gone into safety with Martin. I grabbed her and pulled her up and crushed her into me. My eyes stung with tears that I really couldn't afford.

Then I shrieked with agony and dropped her. She fell like a rag doll. I sobbed with the pain. My arms went black; then they rippled and returned to normal.

I bent over the bed and leaned on it, gasping for breath between the sobs. 'No. No. No.'

I took deep breaths and tried to control it. Okay. I gingerly reached out and touched Simone on her hand. I jerked away again; the touch was like acid.

I tried her dress. That didn't hurt.

I carefully put my hands around her middle under her arms, where the dress was, ready to lift her and get her out of there.

It was subconscious at first, but after a few seconds the burning was so intense I had to drop her.

's.h.i.+t. s.h.i.+t. s.h.i.+t!' I whispered. 'What the h.e.l.l am I going to do?'

She was limp. I spoke gently into her ear, trying to wake her. Nothing.

She is heavily sedated. I don't think anything you can do will bring her round.

I suddenly felt very calm. 'You realise what this means.'

The stone was silent.

I felt absolutely serene. 'If I can't touch her, then I can't touch him. I'll never be able to touch either of them.'

The stone didn't speak.

'I've lost my only reason for living,' I said.

No, Emma. Simone needs you.

'What Simone needs right now is to be safe. I must get her out of here. You know what they'll do to her. I can't let them have her.'

The stone was silent.

'What are my chances of getting her out of here when I can't even touch her?'

The stone didn't say a word.

I pulled the ring off my finger and very carefully put it into the pocket of Simone's dress. The contact of the fabric was enough to start my skin burning. 'Will you explain for me?'

The stone didn't answer, and then I understood. I put my finger carefully into her pocket so that I could touch it and hear what it had to say.

I'd prefer to stay with you, Lady Emma.

'Well, how about that. After all this time of driving me nuts, now you want to stay with me.' I pulled the King's phone out of my pocket, keeping my other hand on the ring. 'As far as I can see, I'm out of options. If you can see any other way of ensuring Simone's safety, I'd love to hear it.'

The stone was silent for a long time, then it said, My Lady. My Lady.

'Thanks for everything.'

It's been fun, Emma. I hope to see you again when the Dark Lord returns.

'I sincerely doubt that I will want to be around when he comes back, stone,' I said. 'When he sees what they've done to me it'll kill him. I think I'd prefer to be dead. I may just stay in h.e.l.l.'

The stone was silent.

'Look after her,' I whispered. 'Try not to annoy her too too much.' much.'

I quickly zipped up Simone's pocket, then jerked my hands away from the pain of the contact. I pressed the b.u.t.ton on the phone and lifted it to my ear.

'Goodbye, Simone,' I said. 'I love you.'

The phone clicked. 'Yes, dear?'

'You have me. I'm yours.'

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE.

I was in a large, elaborate old-fas.h.i.+oned Chinese-style hall with a vastly high ceiling. The pillars and beams were decorated with intricate paintings and good-luck motifs. There were no windows. was in a large, elaborate old-fas.h.i.+oned Chinese-style hall with a vastly high ceiling. The pillars and beams were decorated with intricate paintings and good-luck motifs. There were no windows.

The King stood in front of me. He looked like an enormous Snake Mother, but blood-red instead of black. He quickly changed to human form: a good-looking Chinese man of about twenty-five, with a cheeky, boyish face. He wore a scruffy pair of jeans and a T-s.h.i.+rt, both the deep maroon of dried blood. His short ponytail was the same colour.

'Welcome to h.e.l.l, Lady Emma,' he said, then held out his hand and waited.

I took out one of my black jade earrings. It was a jade disk, shaped like a Chinese coin: round with a square hole in the middle. The hole was decorated with a large diamond.

I pa.s.sed the earring to him. He took it in one hand and held the other hand over it. The diamond, still with the post attached, drifted out of the jade disk into his upper hand. He returned the diamond to me and pocketed the black jade coin.

I put the diamond back into my ear.

He held out his hands again. Something small, round and white appeared in one palm, and a gla.s.s of water appeared in the other.

He came to me, hands still out. 'Valium. Two milligrams. I suggest you take it.'

I studied the little pill suspiciously.

'I give you my word it is what I say it is, Emma. You have been through a lot. More will happen before you can stop and catch your breath. You will need therapy after what you've been through, and I will arrange it.' He smiled slightly. 'Take the pill, Emma. It's a very small dose. It will calm you without making you drowsy. You need it.'

'No, I don't,' I said. 'And I'm still feeling the effects of what One Two Two did to me. Enough drugs.'

The pill and water disappeared. 'Let me know if you feel too stressed then. I don't want you breaking down-there's a lot we need to do.'

I stopped and considered, then decided. 'If that's the case then wait. Give me a moment.'

He nodded.

I closed my eyes. I took all of my remaining energy and moved it into my central dan tian. I focused, and moved it up through the meridians. I took it into my upper dan tian, into my Inner Eye, then moved it back again. I gathered it and exhaled deeply. I was perfectly calm and in control. I only had about half my chi left. The rest was black stuff.

'Well done,' he said.

I opened my eyes. 'Does this mean that I'm half demon now?'

'That's one way of putting it,' he said with amus.e.m.e.nt. 'What they have done to you is fascinating. I've never seen this done before. Try using the demon essence much the same way you would use the human chi. You may find it useful.' His face softened. 'I really like you much better this way.'

'You have me,' I said, ignoring him. 'What are you going to do with me?'

'Absolutely nothing.' He turned and gestured for me to follow him. 'Come with me.'

I didn't have much choice. I followed him to the end of the hall. There was a dais raised at least three metres above the floor, with elaborate zigzagging steps.

'Is Simone okay?' I said as he led me up the stairs.

'Simone is at home on the Peak crying her eyes out,' the King said. 'Forgive me, my Lady, but it is not my will right now to let you talk to her. But she is perfectly safe and shall remain so.'