You have to go see the Archivist, and Leos Simone hesitated, obviously not wanting to hurt Leos feelings. She changed what she was going to say. Leos no good on the water.
Leo grimaced but didnt say anything.
How about Michael then? All the girls will think hes the coolest thing ever.
I told them girls only; they wanted to bring some boys but I said no, just all girls is more fun, Simone said. Theyll get really annoyed if I bring Michael. I dont need anyone along, Emma, really. The demons will look after us.
Id like to go, Leo said.
Simones expression softened. You sure?
He nodded with a false smile. Sounds like fun. I want to meet your friends.
Simone shrugged. Okay. We can have fun pretending were related.
Sounds like a plan, Leo said, his smile becoming more genuine.
I still need to get to the Archivist. Can you drop me there and be back in time for your cruise? I said.
How far is it? Simone said.
I have no idea, I said. I thought General Ma was going to tell you where it is.
Simone unfocused, concentrating, then snapped back, obviously happier. Its fine, its just next to the Celestial Palace. He said you can take the stairs in Wan Chai and then someone can summon you a cloud to take you the rest of the way. I dont need to take you.
Can Ma do it?
She concentrated again. No, hes busy. Im asking around what time is it tomorrow?
Three.
She nodded, still concentrating, then snapped back. Your stone is supposed to have all of this info, Emma. Its gone to sleep again, hasnt it?
The stone didnt reply.
She shrugged. Michael will wait for you at the Celestial Palace at about two forty-five and take you across on a cloud. Problem solved.
It was quicker to walk the kilometre or so from the Academy to the Celestial Gateway than to drive. I walked along Hennessy Road, the air thick with the fumes of the passing traffic and burning my throat and eyes. At Southorn Playground a concrete soccer pitch painted green, used by locals to sit and talk, and by young people to play basketball and soccer I took an escalator up to the pedestrian overpass. The overpass straddled the busy streets of Wan Chai Lockhart Road, Jaffe Road and then finally Gloucester Road, five lanes each way and packed with cars and red taxis. The overpass led into the mezzanine floor of Immigration Tower, which was full of Filipina domestic helpers suffering the tedious all-day wait for their work visas. Before Id met John Id often spent the whole day here myself, waiting for hours in the cockroach-infested halls rich with the ripe aroma of the over-used toilet facilities, being shuffled from counter to counter and interviewed by bored or aggressively irritated immigration officers. The waiting areas had recently been upgraded, but the bored bureaucrats behind the desks remained the same.
The walkway continued out of Immigration Tower and into Central Plaza One, an office tower that had once been Hong Kongs tallest building. It was triangular in cross-section, and each wall had a bank of lifts to go to a different section of floors. All of the fittings were triangular to fit with the theme, including triangular gardens on the ground around the tower. I walked through Central Plaza, across another small walkway and into the office tower connected to the Convention Centre. I passed a number of international convention attendees, their large identity cards strung around their necks. They were loudly discussing some sort of plastics manufacturing in American and French accents.
I turned right out of the Convention Centre complex and walked across another road to Great Eagle Centre, which sat right on the edge of the water. It and its twin tower, Harbour Centre, had massive advertising signs spanning their first to third floors they were visible from all over the harbour and featured in any night-time Hong Kong postcard scene. I could see the Star Ferry pulling into the Wan Chai ferry terminal below me, and a few double-decker buses waited in the bus station. I took another overpass to the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre, then an escalator down to the ground. Id walked more than a kilometre without touching the ground.
The Hong Kong Exhibition Centre had a large open area on its ground floor and a rectangular fountain with dragon-head spouts. Behind the fountain stood a replica of Beijings Nine Dragon Wall, the gate to the Celestial Palace.
I didnt immediately approach the wall; instead, I went to the roadside, where two large bronze statues of qilin stood facing the traffic. Known as kirin in Japan, they were Celestial creatures with the body of a horse, the head of a lion, the horns of a deer and the feet of a goat; most interestingly to me, they were also covered in scales like a reptile. Westerners often referred to them as Chinese unicorns, and although their appearance was not very unicorn-like, their nature was similar. They were divine creatures of pure light, fleeting and rare, not even composed of yang or yin but somehow transcendent of universal essence. It was regarded as a blessing to see a qilin. I never had, and knew that only very few of my Celestial acquaintances had ever seen one.
I turned away from the qilin and walked up to the Nine Dragon Wall. As I approached, the wall grew from two to four metres high and spread to twice as wide. The marble balustrade guarding the front of the wall descended into the ground and the sounds of human life around me ceased. The dragons came to life and writhed to the centre of the wall to greet me.
I reached into the large Sogo shopping bag that Id brought with me and pulled out a range of local snacks. I waved one of the boxes. Strawberry pocky is who?
Me! said a gold dragon; it whipped its head out of the wall and took the box of pocky in its mouth. The lid opened and all of the iced biscuit sticks flew into its mouth at the same time. The box disappeared.
Damn, youre greedy, I said.
Any more in there? the dragon said, eyeing the Sogo bag.
I raised a box of tiny hollow koala-shaped biscuits filled with icing. Koalas?
Chocolate? one of the purple dragons said.
Mine! another dragon said, and snatched the box out of my hand, then slithered to the end of the wall to enjoy the biscuits in peace.
I raised another couple of boxes. I have strawberry and vanilla koalas here They floated out of my hand to two more dragons. I checked inside the bag. Chiu Chow iced mini biscuits
No way, a blue dragon said, staring wide-eyed at me. Really?
Give them to him, hes from Swatow, said a purple dragon through a mouthful of koala.
I passed the Chiu Chow biscuits to the blue dragon and checked the bag again. I feel like Santa at Christmas. I have barbecue beef, spicy pork, Portuguese egg tarts
Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Glossary
About the Author
Books the Kylie Chan
Copyright
About the Publisher
The Turtle raises its head above the water and watches the glittering coloured lights beneath the blazing stars of the Northern Heavens, wondering why it is there.
The Serpent chokes on the polluted water, drifting to the bottom amid the mud and oil, listening to the many engines moving overhead.
They cry. There is no answer.
CHAPTER 1
I was in my office, trying to ensure a fair allocation of funds from the increased Northern Heavens tax revenue, when the intercom on my desk buzzed.
There is someone here for you, maam, Yi Hao said. Shes very upset and says she needs to see you right now.
Who?
Zara. She says she knows you.
Send her in.
Yi Hao opened the door and escorted a young Chinese woman in, then left, closing the door behind her. The woman was about twenty-five, with long, snow-white hair and matching brows and lashes, incongruous against her golden skin.
Sit, Zara, I said, gesturing towards one of the visitors chairs. Whats the problem?
Zara opened her mouth to talk, but didnt make it very far, instead collapsing into great racking sobs. I went around the desk and put my hands on her shoulders to comfort her, and she leaned into me, still weeping. I pulled a tissue from the box on my desk and handed it to her, and she blew her nose loudly.
The rest of the stones are accusing her of being complicit in Lady Rhondas destruction, the stone in my ring said. After what happened to Gold, and the activities of Demon Prince Six, we even suspect our own of treachery. It is a sad situation. The Tigers Retainers have been interrogating her, that is why she is distraught.
I sat in the other visitors chair and put my arms around her, and she clutched me.
Let it out, I said. I can wait.
She continued to yank tissues out of the box, and eventually ran out of steam.
My stone told me what youre going through, I said. It must be very tough. You can stay here as long as you like, Zara, we can look after you.
I am a possession of the Emperor of the West, I must return, Zara said in a soft Putonghua accent.
If you want to stay here, I can ask him to release you. All I have to do is say the word.
She looked up at me, her eyes red and her face full of hope. If you could shelter me until this blows over, please, I would appreciate it.
Done, I said, then to the stone: Tell the Tiger.
Maam, the stone said.
Good, take her for a while, see if you can get anything out of the stupid bitch, the Tiger said. We need to find the real Rhonda! My wife is out there somewhere and that stone doesnt know anything, shes fucking useless.
You made sure yourself that she was the real Rhonda, I reminded the Tiger via the stone.
No! the Tiger said. Not possible!
Tell the Tiger what Kwan Yin said to me, I said to the stone.
The Lady said that Rhonda was a victim of her heritage, same as Lady Emma is, Lord Bai, the stone said. That wasnt a demon copy of your lovely lady. It was really her. Please, sir, talk to Kwan Yin.
Fuck, the Tiger said, and went quiet.
I turned back to Zara. I have the word of Kwan Yin that it was the real Lady Rhonda that was destroyed by the Elixir of Immortality, I said. I didnt realise anyone was giving you trouble about this, Zara; if I had known I would have told them.
Zara let out a huge, shivering sigh. I thank you, my Lady. You have saved my honour.
Will you stay here with us?
She glanced up at me. May I switch off for a while in a corner somewhere?
I nodded. If that is what you wish.