Blue Dragon

the other side of the desk.
    ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘It’s happening on August twenty-first. The Lady and Xuan Wu will come here to this building, and they’ll start the feed about noon. We’re expecting to be attacked immediately.’
    ‘I’ll take Simone that morning,’ Martin said.
    ‘Where are you taking her?’
    ‘Number One has an underground facility in the old tunnels on the Island. She’ll be in there; there’s no opening to the outside. She’ll be safe.’
    ‘The old war tunnels? The ones they used to escape from the Japanese?’
    He nodded. ‘Those ones.’
    ‘Where on the Island?’
    ‘Kennedy Town. Sai Wan. Inside the mountain above Belcher’s Street.’
    ‘And she’ll be absolutely safe?’
    ‘Absolutely. I will be with her. She will be safe. They will have no idea where she is.’
    I sighed with relief. Whatever happened, Simone would be safe. I had an inspiration. ‘Somebody should go with her to care for her if we’re all taken down.’
    ‘You, Emma. You are the best to stay with her, and you would be safe too.’
    I leaned forward over the desk and spoke intensely. ‘Martin, did you know that I’ve made a pact with the King of the Demons?’
    ‘You made a pact with the King?’ he said with disbelief.
    ‘If I go to him, and stay with him, he can guarantee Simone’s safety.’
    ‘So you want to be where you can know what happens. If my father is taken down, and One Two Two has his head, you’ll call the King. That way, you can be sure Simone will be completely safe.’
    I studied him. His face was expressionless. He wasn’t as stupid as his recent actions had made him appear.
    ‘Will you promise to look after her if we’re all killed, or if I have to go to the King, Martin?’
    He smiled, then gracefully rose to his feet and placed his hand on the table. ‘I swear that I will dedicate the rest of my life to ensuring my sister’s safety and happiness.’
    He sat back down and pulled his chair in, then leaned his arms on the desk. ‘I’ll be at the Peak on the day. About nine in the morning. If all goes well, I’ll return her by dinnertime. If not, I’ll just see what happens. She will still own the apartment on the Peak. We can stay there together. If you are all gone I will stay with her, regardless of the outcome, I swear.’
    I was tremendously relieved. ‘You have no idea how much this means to me, Martin. Thank you.’
    ‘My Lady,’ he said, bowed his head slightly and disappeared.
    We spent the next two weeks doing exactly what we would normally do. Simone didn’t want to do anything special at all. She didn’t even spend more time than usual with her father. She clung to her normal life with both hands. She even talked about returning to school in September.
    On August twentieth, the night before the feed, we all sat together after dinner in the dining room. Nobody had eaten very much.
    The other three Winds, Na Zha and the Lady had joined us; the dining room was nearly full. Normally a meal like this would be full of fun and banter, with the Tiger teasing the Dragon mercilessly and Simone laughing hysterically. But this time we were all subdued.
    ‘Martin will be here at nine tomorrow,’ I said, checking the schedule clipped to my diary. ‘When are you taking Michael, Tiger?’
    ‘Right after this,’ the Tiger said. ‘I’m taking his mother too; we can’t be sure that little bastard won’t come after those who aren’t involved. Everybody will be kept safe. I’ll be back tomorrow morning—I’ll make it nine o’clock as well. That son of yours had better be as good as his word.’
    ‘He is,’ John said.
    ‘You should call in the Thirty-Six,’ the Tiger said.
    ‘You know I can’t call them in; this is personal,’ John said. ‘There is also a chance that the North will be attacked, or the Mountain attacked, as well. They will be on standby just in case there is an attack at the Celestial level.’
    ‘One Two Two is after us, he won’t attack the Celestial Plane,’ I said.
    ‘The King may take the opportunity of me being distracted,’ John said. ‘If the Armies aren’t on standby he may attack. He only promised not to come after us. He didn’t say anything about the Celestial Plane.’
    ‘Oh my God,’ Leo said softly.
    I shot to my feet. ‘I didn’t know that! What the hell are you doing staying with us? You should be protecting your homes, and your families, and your realms, just in case!’
    ‘As long as the Thirty-Six