Blue Dragon

the Tiger and I are about to discuss is not for mortal ears. Please.’
    ‘Come and see yourself in the newspaper, Emma,’ Leo said, rising. ‘There’s a huge story about you on page three of both the English and Chinese papers.’
    ‘My Lord,’ Liu said, saluting, and disappeared.
    ‘Dismissed, Au,’ John said. ‘Go and supervise the clean-up crews.’
    ‘My Lord,’ Audrey said, and disappeared as well.
    ‘I’m in the paper?’ I said, shooting to my feet. ‘Holy shit, nobody saw me, did they?’
    ‘They didn’t just see you, they took photos, and called the Agriculture and Fisheries Department tocome and get you,’ Leo said. ‘Apparently you’re a really big cobra. Caused a lot of panic around Kowloon Tong station. They spent the entire afternoon trying to catch you. You should see the photos—the Ag and Fish guys look terrified.’
    I sagged with relief. ‘Oh, they saw the snake . I thought they saw me .’
    ‘That would cause mass panic as well,’ Leo said dryly, putting his arm on my back to guide me out. ‘Come and have a look. You’re a celebrity. You were even on the television, but we weren’t quick enough to tape it for you.’
    ‘Are you okay, Leo?’ I whispered as he closed the door behind us on John and the Tiger. ‘You’re not too freaked?’
    ‘About you being a snake?’ Leo said. ‘Or about this demon thing?’
    ‘Everything.’
    ‘Simone is okay,’ Leo said.
    I understood.
    I parked the car at a meter near the vacant lot. I walked up to the fence and studied it. I looked around. Nobody nearby.
    ‘Try walking right through,’ the stone said. ‘Don’t go over. Concentrate. Make yourself permeable. I will supervise. When I give the word, gently push your hand through the fence.’
    I concentrated on making myself, as the stone had said, permeable .
    ‘Try,’ the stone whispered. ‘Just your hand.’
    I retained my concentration and put my hand on the fence. I could feel the fence, but I could easily push my hand through the wire.
    It was agony. The pain was indescribable. I did my best to retain my concentration and slowly pulled my hand back out.
    ‘You are not there yet,’ the stone said. ‘Well done. Many others would have lost their concentration at the pain and lost their hand in the fence.’
    ‘You just nearly cost me my hand,’ I said. ‘There are no energy healers left at the Academy, just me, and I don’t think I’d be capable of fixing something as major as that.’
    ‘You are quite correct, Lady Emma. Please accept my apologies,’ the stone said. ‘I will, in future, be more careful.’
    ‘Good,’ I said, took three steps back and jumped over the fence, somersaulting at the top and floating down the other side to land lightly on my feet. My snake track was visible in the soft dirt and I followed it to the back of the lot. The King’s phone was on the ground in the tall grass. I jammed it into my pocket.
    ‘You were hoping I wouldn’t remember it, weren’t you?’ I said as I walked back to the fence. A Chinese couple strolled past on the other side of the street but didn’t see me. I waited for them to go.
    I do not like to think of what would happen to you if you were to use that phone, the stone said silently into my ear. The King obviously has plans for you, and they may not be pleasant or honourable. I hate to think what he could do to you if you went to him.
    ‘That is totally unimportant,’ I whispered. ‘What is important is that Simone is safe. And it’s looking more and more like I may have to use it.’
    Please be warned, Emma, you should only use it as a last resort, the stone said. For you, death may be a preferable option to Hell.
    That stopped me. ‘Same thing, isn’t it?’
    The stone didn’t say anything.
    I took three steps back and jumped over the fence again. I returned to my car.
    ‘What happens to me if I go to Hell is of no importance whatsoever,’ I said. ‘If I go, Simone will besafe, and the King will free me when Xuan Wu returns. That’s what matters.’
    The stone remained silent. I pulled myself into the car to go home. I checked the clock. Dinnertime.
    ‘Does he know I came to get the phone?’ I said.
    ‘Yes,’ the stone said. ‘He’s as worried as I am.’
    I sighed and turned the key. I pulled away from the kerb and headed home.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
    N a Zha wanted to see the new demons as well. The Tiger came too, and brought Michael.
    Na Zha was obviously intimidated by John’s