Blue Dragon

threatening to kill the student if we don’t bring it the Dark Lord. Where is he? We need him!’
    ‘He’s over the border in Shenzhen,’ I said, trying to stay calm. ‘Maybe I’ll do. How many Celestials do we have up there?’
    ‘Three,’ LK said. ‘Tae Kwon Do, and two Wudang Weapons Masters.’
    The lift doors flew open and we stepped out together. The corridor was deserted. LK led me to the apartment. The door hung open.
    The demon was in the living room, standing in front of the television in True Form, holding the student by the scruff of the neck. The student was very new, Ididn’t even know his name. He was unconscious and there was blood on him.
    The demon was a huge red humanoid with three eyes, nearly three metres tall. The three Masters faced it, ready.
    ‘Out, LK,’ I said. ‘This is too big for anybody but Celestials.’
    LK nodded and went out to call the lift.
    I carefully entered the apartment and the Masters made room for me.
    ‘Park,’ I said softly to the Tae Kwon Do Master, ‘pass on everything that happens to the Dark Lord, okay?’
    My Lady, Park said.
    I studied the demon carefully. No wonder everybody was hanging back—this one was huge. At least level seventy; absolutely enormous. Had to be minor nobility.
    ‘What do you want?’ I said.
    ‘Who are you? What are you?’ the demon said.
    ‘Emma Donahoe. Heard of me?’
    The demon stiffened. ‘You’ll do.’
    I didn’t move. ‘What do you want?’
    The demon dropped the student, who crumpled. It fell to its knees and took human form: a Chinese girl in her mid-teens, small and slim, with long hair. ‘I swear allegiance. Please protect me. I am yours.’
    ‘Shit,’ I said softly. John wasn’t there to confirm that the demon had turned.
    Park moved to help the student but I raised my arm to stop him. ‘Why did you hurt the student?’
    ‘Self-defence,’ the demon said. ‘He went for me. He’s not badly injured; it looks much worse than it is, I assure you. Come and get him, I won’t hurt you.’
    I lowered my arm and nodded. Park inched carefully forward, grabbed the student and pulled him to one side.
    The demon is correct, Park said. He and the student disappeared.
    ‘Master Sit,’ I said, nodding to one of the Wudang masters, ‘find somebody who can tame demons for me right now, would you?’
    ‘JC is on his way,’ Sit said.
    I nodded. JC Poon was the Demon Master.
    The demon pulled itself to its feet and we all readied ourselves.
    ‘I’ll sit on the couch and wait,’ the demon said without moving. ‘Is that okay?’
    I nodded, and the demon moved to sit on the couch.
    ‘Sit with me, Lady,’ it said, gesturing. ‘I won’t harm you. I’d like to tell you what I know now, so that it can be quicker when it comes.’
    The living room was too small to have more than one couch. I hesitated.
    The demon saluted. ‘I give my word. I will not harm you.’
    ‘Get Meredith,’ I said. She was about the only Master powerful enough to take out something this big if it wasn’t tamed. The other Master, Liu, was held up on the Celestial Plane, doing some job in the Northern Heavens that everybody refused to talk about.
    ‘My Lady,’ one of the Masters said behind me.
    I carefully moved to sit next to the demon on the couch. It smiled slightly, its fresh young face innocent.
    ‘I have offended One Two Two,’ the demon said. ‘It was planning to use me as a toy.’
    One of the Masters inhaled sharply.
    ‘What are his plans?’ I said.
    ‘If I may, my Lady,’ the demon said, ‘I think it would be a very good idea if you were to take this.’ She reached into the back pocket of her jeans and I leapt to my feet. ‘It’s okay, it’s just a card.’ She raised one handwhile she pulled the card out with the other. She held it out and I took it, sitting to look at it.
    The name on the card was ‘Cynthia Chow’. It was the card for a law firm: Wong and Associates. I felt a jolt of excitement. One Two Two’s law firm. Offices in Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, Sham Shui Po and Kowloon City. Got him.
    ‘Now you know where he is,’ the demon said.
    ‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘I think in the very near future, a Turtle, a Tiger, a Lion and me are paying him a visit.’
    ‘I wish I could be around to see it,’ the demon said, smiling slightly. It took a deep breath and dropped its head into its hands. ‘Please make them come quickly, I want this over with.’
    ‘What’s he going to do?’ I said.
    ‘I honestly