Blue Dragon

head to the floor and sighed. ‘Good.’ He went limp.
    ‘Your leg is bleeding,’ Gold said. ‘Emma, you’re very pale. Are you sure you’re all right?’
    The training mats crashed into me from the side, but I didn’t really feel them.
    ‘Emma. Emma.’
    ‘Hn?’
    ‘She’s coming around.’
    My eyelids were incredibly heavy. It was hard to breathe and my leg hurt like hell.
    ‘Simone?’
    ‘She’s not back yet, love. She’s still with Martin. But I talked to her and she says she’s safe.’
    I was still in the training room. John and Ms Kwan were above me, both holding my hands. I struggled to pull myself upright and they helped me. I looked around. My armour was gone; somebody had removed it for me. There was a bandage tied around my left leg, over the jeans: a field dressing. Blood had seeped through it but the bleeding had obviously stopped.
    Leo was next to me, still a black lion, still unconscious.
    ‘How do you feel?’ John said.
    I released his and Ms Kwan’s hands. ‘I’m okay. I just need to work the drugs off.’ I concentrated to heal my leg and nearly passed out. I pulled my awareness back.
    ‘Don’t attempt to heal yourself, Emma,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘You cannot while you are affected like this. Let the wound heal by itself.’
    ‘How long have I been out?’ I said.
    ‘About half an hour,’ John said. He passed me the bottle of water that Ah Yat had left for me and I took a huge drink.
    I pulled myself around to sit next to Leo. Every time I moved, my left leg hurt like hell; the thigh wasbeginning to swell. I ignored it as I put Leo’s head in my lap and buried my hands in his thick black mane.
    ‘You did this?’ John said.
    ‘It was an accident.’
    John put his hand on Leo’s head. ‘Definitely more than a coincidence; I told him that.’
    Leo stirred. ‘Mr Chen?’
    ‘I’m here, Leo,’ John said.
    Leo’s voice was warm with relief. ‘My Lord. Is Simone okay?’
    ‘Simone’s fine. She’s still with her brother.’
    Leo pulled himself onto his front legs, then tried to stand upright on his hind legs. He fell heavily. ‘What happened to me?’
    ‘Leo,’ I said gently, taking his enormous black head in my hands. ‘Leo, slowly turn and look in the mirrors behind you.’
    Leo pulled himself onto his front legs again and clumsily turned to see himself. He studied his reflection. ‘How the hell did this happen?’ He flicked his tail. ‘Whoa.’
    ‘I threw black chi at the demon and it reflected onto you,’ I said, my hand still on his shoulder. ‘I am so sorry, Leo.’ I dropped my head and my voice thickened. I felt ill that I had done this. ‘I’m sorry.’
    Leo pulled himself to his feet, tried to take a few hesitant steps, and fell over again. ‘This four leg business is the pits. It’ll take me ages to work out how to walk.’ He stopped and his mouth opened, revealing his enormous gleaming fangs. ‘But my speech is okay now.’ He inched back to me and dropped his huge shaggy head into my lap.
    I gasped as his head hit my leg.
    Leo saw the bandage. ‘You’re injured. What happened to you?’
    ‘The demon stabbed me,’ I said. ‘Geez. One TwoTwo is such a coward. It wanted to sedate me before it took me.’
    ‘Tranquilliser dart on the wild animal,’ Leo said wryly. He shook his head and his mane swung around him. ‘Two wild animals.’
    ‘I’m okay,’ I said, shifting under his head so that the leg didn’t hurt as much. ‘What about you? How do you feel?’
    He gazed up at me. ‘I’m fine, Emma. We’re all alive, and that’s what’s important. I’d better get this walking business sorted soon, ’cause as soon as Simone’s home she’s gonna want a ride.’
    I put my hands on either side of his head, burying my fingers into his plush black mane. ‘You really okay?’
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘We can turn him back,’ John said. ‘There has to be a way.’
    Leo turned his head in my lap to see John. ‘I’m sure there is. We’ll find it. Not important. I can go and visit One Two Two like this anyway.’ He stretched out one paw and turned it over, admiring it. ‘Lookit them claws. I think I could have some serious fun with them on a certain Demon Prince. I just need to practise this walking stuff and then I’m up to go.’ He sighed. ‘Suddenly I’m starving. Can you get Ah Yat to bring me a big rare steak? No,’ he said, and paused, ‘make that a raw steak.’ He turned back to me. ‘Get me a steak, and then you two work out