Blue Dragon Part 76

I woke up and cast around, then remembered. I threw myself out of the enormous bed and wandered into the bathroom. woke up and cast around, then remembered. I threw myself out of the enormous bed and wandered into the bathroom.

I yawned in the mirror. Then I just about broke my jaw shrieking. I leapt back.

The face in the mirror had no skin no skin.

I took a deep breath, then carefully slithered forward for another look.

I realised that I'd slithered slithered. I collapsed and curled up on the floor. I pulled my black coils in and gasped. I tried not to look at my hands but I couldn't help it.

No skin. No skin No skin. I watched with silent horror as the blood moved over my skinless arms.

Okay. Deep breaths. I was still me, wasn't I?

I pictured Simone in my mind, and imagined being ordered to hurt her.

I collapsed again. The thought of that wonderful little girl, and how much I missed her, tore my heart out.

Okay. Deep breaths, again. I was still me.

Holy s.h.i.+t. I had a True Form. I looked inside myself. The black stuff had moved through me during the previous two days; it wasn't just in my dan tian now, it was everywhere. Thank you so d.a.m.n much so d.a.m.n much, Simon Wong. I quietly pondered exactly exactly what I wanted to do to that b.a.s.t.a.r.d when I didn't have to worry about Simone's safety any more. what I wanted to do to that b.a.s.t.a.r.d when I didn't have to worry about Simone's safety any more.

Right. Looking inside: where's Emma? I studied myself. I didn't look like a hybrid, which was interesting. I didn't look like a Mother on the inside either. I looked like something extremely old and powerful.

Something floated to the surface of my memory. The creator of the human race, in deep mythological history, had been half serpent, half human. The Great Mother. The Dark Woman, Nu Wa. I was something like that. Very interesting. d.a.m.n, I wished I still had the stone with me. It would have known what Nu Wa looked like, and would have been able to tell me if I was something like her.

I grinned to myself, still curled up on the floor. Look at the Snake Mother being cold-blooded.

Okay. I pulled myself upright. I wouldn't look in the mirror again, thank you very much. I slithered back to the bedroom.

I went to the window and looked out, trying to calm myself. There was a quiet knock on the door.

'Who is it?' I said, my voice hissing.

'It's me, ma'am,' the demon servant said. 'Your breakfast is ready.'

I suddenly became extremely aware of exactly what Mothers ate. Well, well. You learned a new thing every day.

'Later,' I said. 'Leave me.'

I saw her move away with my Inner Eye, then froze.

My Inner Eye was working in this form. I checked my chi; but it wasn't the chi that was running the Eye. It was the black stuff.

I took another deep breath. Okay, ignoring for a moment the source of this power, I used it to have a look around. Holy s.h.i.+t. I wasn't on top of Ocean Terminal at all. The windows were an illusion. I was underneath Kowloon City.

What I really needed to do, though, was find my own form, my human form. My real real True Form. True Form.

I ordered my body to take human shape and was knocked flat.

When I came around I quickly checked my hands. Back to normal. Back to me.

I raced into the bathroom and breathed a sigh of relief. Okay. I'd even managed to conjure the same clothes I'd been wearing.

While I washed and readied myself I thought about what I would do. I should try to take this Mother form at will, it could prove useful. Particularly if I could work with the black stuff. Then I decided against it. It was just too d.a.m.n ugly. And weird.

I opened the door and went to find breakfast. I tried not to think of John's reaction if he were to see me.

I tried not to think of Simone at all.

I sat at the dining table and ordered the maids in from the kitchen.

They appeared to be tiny round Chinese women in their mid-forties, less than one and a half metres tall, wearing traditional servants' black and white. They crept in and smiled nervously.

'Sit,' I said, gesturing to the chairs across the table from me.

They shared a look and didn't move.

'Sit,' I said. 'That's an order.'

They looked uncomfortable but sat.

'Ceylon tea, brown toast, peanut b.u.t.ter,' I said.

They nodded and rose, and I raised my hand to stop them. 'Not yet. I want to talk to you first. Do either of you have names?'

They both shook their heads.

'Can you speak?'

'Yes, ma'am,' they whispered, bobbing their heads.

'When were you hatched?'

They both opened their mouths at the same time, then the one on the left continued, the one on the right stayed silent.

'I was hatched about three months ago,' the left one said.

'Six weeks,' the one on the right said.

'Geez,' I said. 'You're only babies.'

They remained silent, watching the table.

'I suppose he didn't have any thralls left after they all turned to us,' I said. 'You're new ones, replacements. Okay.' I smiled and made my voice more brisk. I gestured to the one on the left. 'You're One.' The one on the right. 'You're Two. I'll name you in Putonghua, I learned some with Simone's teacher.' I gestured towards One. 'Yi Hao.' Number Two. 'Er Hao.'

They both bobbed their heads. 'Ma'am.'

'I'm completely vegetarian. Chinese vegetarian food. Ceylon tea, or sow mei sow mei or or tikuanyin tikuanyin Chinese tea. No soda. Mineral water only.' Chinese tea. No soda. Mineral water only.'

'Ma'am.'

'How do you go out?' I said.

They shared a look.

'Not allowed to tell me?'

They shook their heads.

'It's okay, I can't get out.'

I had a sudden inspiration. After what had been done it me it was possible that I could could get out. I should have a try at teleportation. Waste of time though; I'd vowed to stay. get out. I should have a try at teleportation. Waste of time though; I'd vowed to stay.

'What have you been told about me?' I said.

They shared another look. Yi Hao, the older one, decided to answer for both of them. 'You are a famed destroyer of demons,' she whispered. 'You hate all demons with a vengeance. If we survive more than a day in this house we are lucky. You wield the Blade of Destruction; we have seen it. If we anger you...' She pulled herself together. 'You will destroy us without a second thought.'

'All of that is quite correct,' I said with a smile, and watched them squirm.

Hold on, that wasn't like me at all, tormenting helpless creatures for amus.e.m.e.nt. What was wrong with me?

Wonderful. I really was half demon. Okay; let's try to control this demon nature and make sure that Emma stays in control.

'I won't harm you, little ones,' I said gently. 'I have tamed demons, and I have had demon servants for years. I have never harmed a single one of them. You are quite safe with me.'

Neither of them relaxed. They didn't believe me. Not surprising, after working for Wong for any length of time.

'Go and get me my tea and toast,' I said. 'And a copy of the South China Morning Post South China Morning Post. And don't eat all the peanut b.u.t.ter,' I added with a grin. 'I know you demons love it.'

Neither of them moved.

'Dismissed,' I said gently.

Both of them rose, carefully pushed their chairs in, bowed slightly and disappeared into the kitchen.

I furiously beat myself up inside. I had just tortured these two poor infants for my own amus.e.m.e.nt. I would watch my behaviour carefully and keep this dark stuff under very strict control. I was staying one hundred per cent G.o.dd.a.m.n pure me me.

Er Hao brought my toast and the paper. I flipped it open. I'd been out of the loop for a few days but nothing much had happened. The government, as usual, was in trouble about something; people were complaining about poor service and shoddy craftsmans.h.i.+p in the letters to the editor; and sports was mainly English soccer.

The body of a Chinese woman in her early thirties had been found hacked to pieces in a dumpster in Kowloon City, the second murder in six months.

I knew it was April. I just knew. Now that they had me, and April's child had served her purpose, they didn't need April any more.

The days blurred past. I practised with the Murasame; it had some interesting abilities. I tried different things with the demon stuff; I had some interesting abilities as well. I wrote my story. I read the cla.s.sics. Wong never came.

I was absolutely miserable. I missed my family so much it ripped my heart out. The loneliness was soul-destroying. I lost weight. I just wasn't hungry most of the time, despite the fact that the two demons were excellent cooks.

I dealt with it. I stayed busy. I watched the top of the car park, hoping to catch a glimpse of a black Mercedes with a little girl in it. Even though it was an illusion, the image was real.

I spent many long, sleepless nights watching the lights of the Peak apartment. Only Simone's bedroom light was ever turned on. I knew when she went to sleep; it was very late for her sometimes as well.

I even missed the stupid arrogant stone.

About a week later I was doing a set with the Murasame when a young woman appeared on the other side of the training room. I recognised her immediately: a Mother, about level seventy or eighty. A big one.

I lowered my sword. 'Can I help you?'

'You are the Dark Lady?' she said without introduction.

'Yes.'

She took True Form and poised on her coils.

I readied myself.

She raced towards me and I bound her by taking half her chi out. She froze.

'Yield and I will let you go,' I said. 'Give me your word and you can go.'

She didn't speak, she just hissed at me, trying to free herself from my binding.

'I've been wanting to practise some techniques on a demon,' I said. 'If you don't yield now, I will practise on you.'

'Try me,' she said, but she sounded like a yowling cat.

I'd wanted to try this for a while. I concentrated, and drained about half of the black demon essence out of her. I didn't put it into my dan tian; I didn't want to absorb any more of the stuff. I loaded the Murasame with it instead. It was easier than draining chi. Her face went blank with astonishment.

I launched the demon stuff back at her.

She folded up, growing smaller and smaller, then eventually turned into a s.h.i.+ning black bead that fell onto the floor, rolling slightly on the mats.

'So that's how he did it,' I said softly. I went to the demon and picked her up; she had definitely turned into the bead.

'Yi Hao!' I yelled, and the demon servant appeared in the doorway. She froze when she saw the bead in my hand. 'Yi Hao, I want you to get me an airtight jar about thirty centimetres tall, half that across, with a good metal seal on the top. Hurry.'

She bobbed quickly and disappeared.

It took her about five minutes. When she returned I put the demon in the jar and sealed it. 'Thanks.'

'What was that, my Lady?' the demon said.

'That was a level seventy Mother that came for me,' I said.

She inhaled sharply. 'You did that to her?'

'Yep,' I said. 'She's dormant. I can bring her out any time.'

Yi Hao stared at me with awe.