Heaven to Wudang

I made my voice more brisk. ‘Up off the floor now, and get into one of these chairs and talk to me.’

He rose sheepishly and sat, carefully keeping his eyes down in a show of humility.

‘All right, be like that,’ I said. ‘For the last time: no, you can’t go off and kill yourself. I need you to help me out in the Celestial Palace.’

He shook his hands in front of his face. ‘I deserve to suffer.’

I rose and walked around the desk. ‘Stone, are any of the pagodas free?’

‘All of them are free.’

I gestured impatiently to Er Lang. ‘Come with me.’

I went out of the office and told Yi Hao: ‘I’m taking Er Lang up to one of the pagodas for a talk. If anyone needs me, tell them to talk to the stone.’

‘Ma’am,’ Yi Hao said, glaring at Er Lang.

Outside the office, I put my hand out. ‘You’ll have to carry me. I’ll show you the way.’

He lifted me without a word and, as we flew, I guided him to one of the pagodas that sat just below the top of the highest peaks on Wudang Mountain. We landed gently at the edge of the steep drop and sat at the table inside.

‘Tea, my Lady?’ he said, and I nodded. A pot of Sow Mei appeared with a pair of cups.

I turned to view the Wudang complex spread a hundred metres below us. Its black roofs shone in the Celestial sunlight, and the black wall around the entire complex was clearly visible. The central area, with its huge paved court, was a mass of movement: a class was being held there. The halls on either side were visible higher on the mountainside, as well as the glowing Golden Temple above. The rest of the buildings clung in the folds between the peaks. The sound of drums and the shouts of the disciples echoed through the mountain tops.

I turned back to Er Lang. His young-looking face was full of misery.

‘Please allow me to be punished in the Hell of Trees Full of Swords,’ he said.

‘For the last time, no.’

‘Why not?’

‘It wouldn’t achieve anything!’ I snapped, and he jumped.

‘Don’t you want to have your vengeance on me?’

‘No!’ I poured the tea, sloshing it into my cup. ‘Revenge is the most pointless thing ever. I don’t want to see you suffer. What I want is to work alongside you to protect the Celestial Plane.’

‘You are too merciful.’

‘No, I’m not.’ I raised my teacup and waved it at him. ‘You want to go to Hell and suffer horribly because that will make you feel a whole lot better — like you’ve atoned. Well, I won’t let you. You stay here, and you help me out. I don’t want to see you hurt, Er Lang, I just want to work with you. Let’s get past this and move on already!’

‘The Jade Emperor refuses to punish me as well,’ he said, miserable.

‘You know as well as I do that something’s coming. There’s a threat hanging over our heads, and the Dark Lord is still incapacitated. We need to be at full strength to face this — and I need you to liaise with the Celestial. Now for fuck’s sake will you get the hell over yourself, stop feeling sorry for yourself — which is priceless since I’m the one that got barbecued — and do your goddamn job?’

He sat for a while, looking at his teacup, then looked back up at me. ‘I’ve been a complete ass, haven’t I?’

‘Yes!’

He sighed and put his cup down. ‘I just wish the Celestial would demote me. I’m not fit for this. Look at you — ordinary human, female, not even Immortal, and you’re running rings around me. First a monkey, now a woman —’

‘You sexist bastard.’ I slammed my teacup on the table. ‘One on one, down on the forecourt. You, me, staves.’ I glared at him. ‘Come on, show me what you’ve got.’

He hesitated for a moment, watching me, then shot to his feet and held his hand out. I grabbed it and we were on the forecourt in front of Dragon Tiger.

Liu was teaching a group of advanced students Shaolin long sword; they all stopped.

‘Clear the area, bring us two suitable staves, and stand back,’ I called to Liu without looking away from Er Lang. I grinned. ‘No holds barred. No mercy, no quarter, no rules except that you’re not allowed to kill me. Got it?’

Er Lang saluted me with a grim smile.

Liu threw a staff to me and one to Er Lang. The students moved back, discussing the match under their breath.

‘Silence!’ Liu barked, and they went quiet.

I saluted Er Lang, holding my staff, and he saluted back. We moved into position. I held my staff in front of me, guarding, just as I had when I’d kicked Leo’s ass all that time ago. This time, however, my opponent was going to give me a lesson I wouldn’t forget, and I knew it.

We remained motionless for nearly twenty seconds. As the challenger, I had to make a move after that time or the match would be forfeit.

I swung the staff above me in a move that was more show than substance and kept it rotating as a strike towards Er Lang’s head. He blocked it easily, swung it down in the direction it was already moving and locked it onto the ground. He held it there without effort; I was stuck already.

I pulled the staff straight along its length and it slid out. I swung it and tried to take his feet out with the other end; he blocked me. He jammed my staff against the ground again; he was being purely defensive without attacking. I pulled the staff out of the lock and swung it directly up at his face, hoping to hit him under the chin, and he blocked me again, pushed my staff sideways, and used the other end to tap me on the ankle. He hit me right on the nerve point at the protruding bone and I yelped and hopped back, then lifted the foot as the pain eased. A couple of students squeaked with me, feeling my pain.

He followed the advantage, swinging at my staff so fast that I was barely able to block it. He continued to press me back, hitting my staff relentlessly. The worst part was that he wasn’t hitting it very hard, just tapping it, but he was so fast I had trouble keeping up. He raised the speed and I couldn’t stop him: his blow passed my staff and hit me on the abdomen. He finished it with a flick to take my feet out from under me and I hit the ground hard, my muscles soft after so many months of enforced rest.

I lay on my back, trying to get my breath back, and he stood over me.

‘I yield,’ I managed to wheeze out. ‘You’ve beaten me fairly.’

He held his hand out to me and I took it. He pulled me easily to my feet and we stood with our hands clasped for a long moment while he gazed into my eyes.

‘You were holding back,’ he said. ‘You’re much better than that, I know it.’

‘That was the best I can do at the moment,’ I said. ‘I didn’t hold back.’

He released my hand but continued to examine me. ‘But I’ve heard stories about you. You took down some huge Mothers. You turned one into a cat. You fought off One Two Two single-handed. You defeated the Demon King in single combat.’

‘Really?’ I couldn’t help myself: I grinned like an idiot. ‘Who’s spreading these ridiculous stories, and where can I sign them up to write my memoirs? Most of that’s pure fabrication.’

‘Is it?’

‘Hell, yeah. I may have taken down a couple of medium-sized Mothers and done the cat thing, but that was probably when I was possessed by the Xuan Wu’s Serpent. Without any supernatural help I’m about as good as a really good human.’

He studied me with his face rigid.

‘Do it. Go ahead,’ I said, and braced for the impact.

He snapped his Third Eye open in the middle of his forehead. His intense gaze swept right through me like a blast of brilliant light, burning my flesh from my bones and shredding my essence. The light blinked out and I bent over, gasping.

You should have warned me before you let him do that, Emma. You could have damaged me, the stone said.

I don’t think anything can damage you, I said. You’re surrounded by an impenetrable field of your own superiority.

‘I have misjudged you, ma’am,’ Er Lang said. He held his hand out again. ‘My Earthly name is Robert. People call me Rob when they work with me in English.’

I straightened and shook his hand. ‘And I’d prefer to be called Emma, really. Hey, I know where Liu’s secret boutique beer stash is, and where his vintage wines are. He’s occupied with the students right now — want to come and raid it?’

‘What?’ Liu said from the side.

‘I’d love to, Emma,’ Er Lang said. He waved cheerily to Liu. ‘Meet up with us later, we might have some alcohol left over for you.’

This play-acting is extremely tedious, the stone said. Why don’t you just be yourself? Drinking alcohol indeed. You can’t stand the stuff.

The safety of all the Celestial is at stake, I said. It’s worth a little play-acting.

And you could have done better against him.

Uh, no, I gave it all I have. He’s just straight-up better than me.

I completely disagree.

CHAPTER 8

I sat with Mum and Dad on the back terrace of their house, talking as the sun set over the Western Plains. I took a deep breath: they’d planted a few wattle trees in the yard and the powdery fragrance spread over us. I was fiddling with my still-full plate of salad when my sister Jen knocked on the door and the demon maid let her in. She came out to the terrace and sat next to me, giving me a quick hug.

‘Emma, you should have told me that Andrew’s visiting the Mountain. I didn’t know he was heading over there. I only just got it out of Colin when I came home from work.’

My stomach fell out. ‘Andrew never made it home?’ Her eyes widened. ‘Isn’t he staying at your Academy?’

I shook my head. ‘I sent him home with the Horseman and Mark. I told them I wouldn’t take them, it’s too dangerous.’

She sagged with relief. ‘Thank you.’

‘But he never came home?’

‘No,’ Jennifer said, her voice weak.

‘Call him, see if he answers,’ I said, and pulled out my own phone. I dialled Amanda’s number and she answered. ‘Amanda, it’s me. Did Mark come back from Wudang?’

‘I don’t know — he’s not home. He went to Wudang? He knows we’re trying to live a normal life down here and he was specifically told not to harass you about joining Wudang. He did it anyway?’

I dropped the phone into my lap, my mind racing. I put it back to my ear. ‘Amanda, I’m going to hang up now. I want you to call around and try to find Mark. He was with Andrew, but he’s not home either. Get your opal to help.’

‘Oh my God,’ she said.

‘Hang up, and start looking for him. I want to make sure both boys are okay.’

She hung up and I turned to Jen, who was holding her phone to her ear. She shook her head and snapped it shut. ‘Voicemail.’

‘They’ve taken them,’ Simone said.

‘We can’t be sure of that. They may have tried to find another way into Wudang,’ I said. ‘They were determined.’

Jen thumped the table, then rose and paced the terrace. ‘You are non-stop trouble, you know that, Emma Donahoe? You cause nothing but difficulty for this family.’

‘That’s not fair, Jen,’ my mother said.

I raised a hand to stop her. ‘She’s right, Mum. I’ve caused the family nothing but strife since I met John.’

Simone made a small gasping sound of pain and disappeared.

‘Where’d she go?’ my father said.

‘Probably to look for the boys. She’ll feel as responsible as I do.’ I tapped the stone. ‘Wake up.’

‘I’m awake, I’m hooked into the network,’ the stone said. ‘Opal says that Amanda’s son isn’t answering his phone. Hold.’

My father leaned on the table to speak to me, the burning steaks behind him forgotten. ‘Who’s taken them?’

I shook my head.

‘Tell us,’ Jennifer said. ‘Don’t try to keep it a secret from us.’

‘There’s a chance the Death Mother may have abducted them,’ I said. ‘She knows we’re after her and she wants to stop us before we get there. She tried to assassinate us last night; Michael and a couple of our human friends were shot.’

My father thumped the table. ‘Someone tried to kill you and you didn’t bother to tell us?’

‘There’s always someone trying to kill me.’

My mother put her hand over her mouth and turned away.

‘Where’s John?’ my father said. ‘Can’t he protect you?’

‘He’s a turtle in the heart of Wudang Mountain, and no,’ I said. ‘He may come to defend me if my life’s in danger, but then again he may not.’

Simone reappeared. ‘I have no idea where they are.’

‘Opal’s looking, also has no idea,’ the stone said. ‘They seem to have just disappeared.’

‘What about the Horseman who was looking after them?’ I said. ‘Ask the Tiger.’

The Tiger knocked on the door and came in without being invited. ‘They ditched the guard, they were very clever about it. He’s close on committing suicide over it. Don’t worry, we’ll find them. This is an insult to the House of the West — not being able to defend our own. It will not go unavenged.’

Jen leaned on the table, holding her stomach. The Tiger went to her and guided her to a chair. ‘Take it easy. You’re in no condition to be under stress. Don’t worry, we’ll find them.’

‘What condition?’ I said, alarmed.

‘I’m pregnant,’ Jennifer said.

‘Congratulations,’ I said.

‘You and my son must marry, it’s the honourable thing to do,’ the Tiger said.

‘Not while my son is missing.’ Jennifer glanced at me. ‘We have to tell Leonard; he has a right to know as well.’

‘Stone?’

‘Done,’ the stone said. ‘Leonard requests entry to the Western Heavens to join the search.’

‘There isn’t much he can do here,’ the Tiger said.

‘Let him come. It’ll be better than him staying at home worrying,’ Jennifer said. She leaned her forehead on her hand.

‘You okay to see him?’ I said.

She nodded into her hand. ‘It’s been a few years since the divorce now, Emma. We’re still friends.’

‘Tiger?’ I said.

The Tiger nodded. ‘Ma’am.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Now what? We have absolutely no leads on where they went.’

Jennifer’s phone rang and she jumped, then answered it. ‘Hello?’ She listened for a while, then burst into tears. ‘You have no idea how worried we were. Where were you?’ She didn’t wait for a reply. ‘I don’t care what you were doing, you get yourself home now! Then you’re grounded for a month, young man. We thought you’d been taken by … by …’ She took a deep breath and shook her head. ‘Is Mark with you? He went home too? I’ll be there shortly. Don’t you go anywhere, I want to have a serious talk with you.’

She snapped the phone shut and grabbed some napkins from the table to wipe her face. ‘They’re home. They’re all home. He says he wanted to show Mark the Celestial Plane since Mark isn’t allowed up here.’ She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. ‘They’re okay.’ She rose. ‘I have to go see him. And give him a big hug.’

I got up too and embraced her. ‘Go tell him what an idiot he is for giving all of us such a scare, and never to do it again. And congratulations again on the little one.’

She nodded and left.

The Tiger’s face was grim. ‘I have to go talk to their guard. I have no idea what the fuck that idiot was thinking.’ He disappeared.

My father sighed loudly and tipped the burnt meat into the garbage. ‘I’ll find something else to cook. Won’t be a minute.’ He left the plate on the table and went inside.

My mother buttered a slice of bread and pushed the plate across to share it with Simone. ‘The Tiger gave us some giraffe steaks once. Your father popped them on the barbecue and they were absolutely horrible. We’re sticking to good old beef and lamb now.’

Simone wrinkled her nose. ‘Lamb is too strong.’

I gave her a friendly push. ‘You’re such a Chinese kid sometimes.’

She shrugged. ‘Lamb is yuck.’

My father returned with a plate of sausages. ‘This is it, I’m afraid.’

‘Whatever,’ Simone said. ‘I’m starving.’

Michael and Clarissa came and visited me the next morning, and I waved them into my office. Since returning to the Celestial, Michael had gained muscle mass from spending time practising the Arts, and he’d grown his hair out into a short ponytail. Clarissa looked much the same as she always had: a slender Chinese girl with a sweet smile and shoulder-length hair cut to frame her face.

‘The Mountain is very beautiful,’ she said. ‘Michael told me about the attack, but you’d hardly know it ever happened.’

‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘We’ve worked hard to bring it back to what it was.’ I turned to Michael. ‘I hear you’ve been promoted. Congratulations.’

Michael shook his head. ‘I’ve been given a lower number, that’s all. He had to move fifty of us up because of the fifty that died when the elementals attacked the ski lodge. It doesn’t mean much, particularly when everybody calls me by name anyway.’

‘Apparently it’s a huge honour,’ Clarissa said, glancing sideways at him with obvious pride. ‘He’s not even thirty years old and already lower than two hundred. It’s unheard of. Some say he’ll be given a double-digit number even before he attains Immortality.’

Michael gestured dismissively. ‘Means nothing. I am here because of the promotion, though. I want to ask you something.’

‘Ask away,’ I said.

‘Dad’s offered us space in the barracks in the West, as is fitting for a high-ranking son. But what I’d really like to do, if I’m going to full-time it on the Celestial, is to be here …’ His voice petered out.

‘We want to move here and join the Wudang staff, if that’s okay,’ Clarissa finished for him, and he looked relieved at her assistance.

‘How do you feel about it, Clarissa?’ I asked.

‘About moving to the Celestial or moving here?’

‘Both.’

‘Moving to the Celestial …’ She smiled slightly. ‘It’s a chance that’s too good to refuse. I’ll be able to learn what to do to attain Immortality, and who wouldn’t want that? Even if I don’t attain it, I’ll live extra long and illness free. I’d have to be completely crazy to turn down an opportunity like this.’

‘And the Mountain?’

‘Doesn’t matter where we live, as long as Michael’s happy,’ she said. ‘Both places are beautiful in different ways, and we’ll spend time in the Western Heavens anyway.’ She leaned towards me. ‘But … would you have something like a job for me to do? I’d die of boredom being a housewife for Michael. I’d rather stay on the Earthly Plane if I can’t work.’

‘We’ll definitely have something for you to do, and it won’t be mundane, I can guarantee it,’ I said. ‘We have extensive investments on the Earthly that need to be managed, and frankly, if you could take over the management of the shares and properties down there it would be a boon for both me and Jade.’

‘A portfolio?’ she said.

‘Several hundred million Hong Kong dollars worth,’ I said.

‘A really big portfolio all to myself? That’s a dream come true,’ Clarissa said with enthusiasm.

‘As for me, I want to take up duty full-time as your personal bodyguard again, ma’am,’ Michael said. ‘If you’ll have me, that is. I want to permanently join the staff of Wudang, as opposed to the Western Heavens.’

Clarissa turned to glare at him. ‘What are you talking about? I never agreed to that. You said you were just coming on staff to teach, there wasn’t anything about being her bodyguard again.’ She glanced from me to Michael. ‘You just took a bullet for her the other night, you haven’t even recovered from that and you want to put yourself back in the firing line again?’

‘It’s all right, Clarissa, I won’t let him do it anyway,’ I said. ‘Michael’s been injured too many times protecting me, and we’ve decided it’ll be best if I’m only guarded by Immortals.’

She exhaled loudly. ‘Well, that’s a relief.’

‘You decided, did you? Without consulting me? You can’t give the job to anyone else — I won’t let you!’ Michael said.

‘Not even Leo?’

Michael swiped his hand through the air. ‘Leo’s in a wheelchair.’

‘You say that in front of him and he’ll call you out,’ I said.

‘And own my ass,’ he said wryly. He sagged. ‘I concede if it’s Leo.’ His expression grew stern. ‘But nobody else; and if I get good enough or attain Immortality, the job is mine, right?’

‘Deal,’ I said.

I put my hand out over the table and he shook it.

‘Good,’ he said. ‘So, can I come?’

I pulled a blank scroll off a stack sitting to one side, pushed it open, scribbled the directions to give Michael a staff position and residence on the Mountain, then signed it. I pulled my black jade chop — square and three centimetres to a side — closer, flipped open the modern Japanese stamp pad, inked the chop well and stamped it over my signature. I rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Michael. ‘Orders. Give them to Gold.’

He took the scroll with both hands. ‘Ma’am.’

‘That seal is beautiful. What’s that on top of it? Is it a dragon?’ Clarissa said, curious.

I passed the chop to her and she admired it, carefully avoiding the remaining red ink on the bottom. ‘Oh, it’s a snake.’ She turned it in her hands, then glanced up at me. ‘Is that what you look like?’

I nodded.

‘Is it big?’

‘Huge,’ Michael said. ‘Smallest is about three metres long, and I’ve seen her up to ten metres when she’s really big.’

Clarissa appeared thoughtful as she handed the seal back. ‘To look at you, no one would ever think you’re something so completely scary.’

‘What you’re seeing now is the scariest Emma ever,’ Michael said. ‘The snake is nothing.’

‘Give me that scroll back and go home to your father,’ I said. ‘I don’t want you.’

He saluted me with it. ‘I’ll be back when I’m done moving in, and we can talk about what you want me to do.’

‘I’ve told Gold to give you Persimmon Tree Pavilion; it’s a nice one, and nobody’s living there right now.’

He fell to one knee and saluted me. Clarissa smiled and they went out together.

A couple of hours later my mobile rang.

‘Miss Donahoe, is Citrus. We have major problem in Wellington Street. Can you come over visit now? We need you.’

‘I’m on my way,’ I said, then called Leo. ‘I have to go down to Wellington Street — Citrus sounded really upset. Can you take me?’

‘On my way.’

I thought for a moment, then tapped the stone in my ring.

‘Yes? I was asleep.’

‘Of course you were. I need to go down to Wellington Street. Ask Zara if Clarissa would like to come along.’

The stone was silent for a moment, then said, ‘Clarissa’s on her way. Zara says she’s eager to take up her duties. Do we have to continue calling it Zara? It should take its stone name back.’

‘Zara says she likes being female and she likes being called something that means “star”, so deal.’

‘Humph.’

Leo wheeled himself into my office. ‘What happened?’

‘Citrus wouldn’t say. Can you carry me and Clarissa?’

Clarissa came in behind him, obviously excited. ‘Looks like I have things to manage before I’ve even signed the contract with you. Do you guys even work with contracts? How much do you pay? What are my hours?’

‘Whatever you like, on both counts,’ I said.

‘She’s tiny. I can carry both of you,’ Leo said.

‘So, how about ten million a year and four hours a day?’ she said, grinning with mischief.

‘Oh, I like this one,’ Leo said.

‘Done,’ I said. ‘Whatever it takes to get the job done and free me and Jade up.’

She saluted me Western style, hand to forehead. ‘Ma’am. Let’s go down to Wellington Street and see the paperwork. How old is the building?’

‘About thirty years old.’

‘Okay. I want to start by ensuring that you’re making enough rent, and that the property’s being maintained to a satisfactory standard. Some of those older buildings in Central are falling down. Let’s go down and check.’

‘I really like this one,’ Leo said.

Clarissa touched his arm where it rested on his wheelchair. ‘That means a lot to me, Leo. Michael’s told me about you — how you saved him and helped make him into what he is today.’