Blue Dragon

him. ‘Will I really?’
    He nodded through the noodles.
    I shrugged. ‘Okay.’
    His eyes filled with amusement and I glared at him. ‘What?’
    ‘I was expecting more resistance from you,’ he said.
    ‘If I’m back to normal faster then it can only be good,’ I said.
    ‘I can’t go, Emma, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ he said softly. ‘We need the Tiger strong.’
    ‘I know you can’t go, John,’ I said, just as softly. ‘I know.’
    I knew. We both knew. There would be no more opportunities for us to be together.
    I came around on a couch with my parents’ concerned faces hovering above me. I pulled myself upright and ran my hands over my face. I looked around. I appeared to be in a comfortably furnished living room with modern tan-coloured leather furniture and cream carpet.
    ‘Oh, come on, Emma, say the line,’ the stone said.
    ‘No,’ I said. ‘Go to sleep.’
    ‘If you don’t mind, my Lady,’ the stone said, more seriously, ‘it’s been a long time since I was on the Celestial. I was wondering if I could…’ Its voice drifted off.
    ‘Do you want to leave the ring and wander around?’ I said.
    ‘How did you know I can do that?’ the stone said.
    My parents watched the exchange with amusement.
    ‘Go,’ I said. ‘Have some fun. Enjoy. I’m perfectly safe here. I don’t need you.’
    ‘Humph,’ the stone said. ‘Lovely to be wanted.’
    ‘Just go,’ I said.
    ‘If you want me back, say “Jade Building Block”,’ the stone said. ‘I’ll be right back, I promise.’
    ‘Will you just go!’ I said, and the stone disappeared, leaving the empty ring on my hand.
    ‘Bet it’s gone to find Amanda’s opal,’ my father said. ‘There’s some serious history there.’
    ‘Wouldn’t be surprised.’ I pulled myself to my feet, holding the back of the couch for support. ‘Damn. I’m still weak.’
    My father rushed forward to help me, and guided me into the kitchen and sat me at the table. A smiling young demon servant, appearing as a Mongolian girl in her mid-twenties, was packing the dishwasher.
    ‘Would you like a drink?’ my father said.
    ‘Tea, sow mei ,’ I said, and the demon filled the kettle and flicked it on.
    ‘The Tiger says you were poisoned,’ my mother said. ‘Are you okay?’
    I showed them the bandage over the wound in my neck. ‘Apparently it was pretty bad, but with a few days’ rest I’ll be fine.’
    My father opened his mouth to say something then closed it, smiled and shrugged.
    ‘What?’
    ‘I was about to ask you if he’s really worth it,’ he said. ‘But I already know the answer to that question.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
    A fter I’d finished the tea my parents gave me the grand tour of their apartment. It was a luxurious two-bedroom suite with all mod cons, even air conditioning. Amanda and Alan had a four-bedroom apartment next door, and Jennifer and Leonard had something similar across the outdoor breezeway.
    The Tiger had placed my family in a guesthouse complex slightly away from the main palace, joined by a covered walkway that meandered through the desert gardens with their many fountains. They had their own grassy lawn, a leafy glade of shady trees, a small swimming pool, and a playground for the boys, all surrounded by a large red stone wall. On the other side of the guest complex was the large school and crèche buildings for the Tiger’s many children.
    ‘These weren’t here last time I was here,’ I said, studying the new electrical appliances in my parents’ apartment. ‘I don’t even think the room I had was wired for electricity.’ I glanced at my father. ‘You did this, didn’t you? You haven’t been able to stop working.’
    My father smiled and shrugged. ‘Have to keep busy. You should see what I did in the women’s quarters. Those poor girls were suffering horribly in the summer,so I put a reverse-cycle ducted air-con system in for them. They all love me.’
    ‘The Tiger lets you in with the women ?’ I said with disbelief.
    ‘Sure,’ my father said, confused. ‘Why?’
    ‘I wonder how he generates the power,’ I said, almost to myself. ‘We’re on the Celestial Plane.’
    ‘This place is really incredible, Emma,’ my father said. ‘There is no generator. I just wire up the appliances and they work. It’s like there’s electricity in the air.’ He rose and went into the living room, returning with a light bulb and a length of copper wire. ‘Watch this.’
    The wire was about