Blue Dragon

and stared at her, incredulous.
    ‘The Black Lion is mine,’ she said. She reached out and touched Leo’s head. Leo’s eyes widened and his face filled with wonder. Then his expression changed to a fierce grimace of anger. ‘ No !’
    He cast around at us, desperate. He became totally transparent. He was gone.
    Kwan Yin disappeared.
    ‘Oh, dear Lord, John. She’s going to Raise him, isn’t she?’
    ‘She has taken him to be Judged,’ John said.
    ‘But if he’s Raised he’ll stay as he is. For all eternity.’
    ‘As a human Raised Immortal, yes. I know.’
    ‘He’ll fight it every inch of the way.’
    ‘I know.’
    ‘Can we help him?’
    John looked down and hesitated, then spoke without raising his head. ‘No. There is nothing we can do for him right now.’
    ‘Oh my God. Poor Leo,’ I whispered.
    ‘We do not have time to worry about Leo. The best thing we can do is take his gift and fulfil his will. I will break this barrier, and you and Simone can go out.’
    ‘I hope you’re right, Xuan Wu,’ I said. ‘But what about the energy?’
    ‘I received nearly all of his energy, and most of hers,’ he said. ‘She nearly drained herself.’ He rose. ‘Are you okay?’
    ‘I’m fine.’
    John glanced at Simone. ‘She is heavily sedated. I can’t even say goodbye.’
    ‘Stone, if you can hear me, take a recording,’ I said. The stone didn’t change its shape or say anything. ‘Do we have time?’
    ‘No,’ John said. ‘I will break the barrier, then you will go.’
    ‘Will you still transform after breaking the barrier?’
    ‘Yes.’ John studied the door on the other side of the room. ‘They’re here. We have to move.’ He turned back to me. ‘Hold Simone. Ready yourself to run once the barrier is down. Don’t look back.’
    I gathered Simone and rose. John rose with difficulty, grimacing. He reached out and stroked Simone’s cheek, then his face went rigid and he seized her out of my arms, ran to the wall and pinned her against it with his body.
    There was a thumping bang and John was thrown away from the wall towards me, spreadeagled. He skidded to a halt next to me. His face and the front of his black shirt were covered with blood.
    Something grabbed me, turned me around and pushed me into the wall. He had used PK to turn me away so I couldn’t see him.
    Stay there, he said urgently. Don’t look at me, the injuries are major. She was programmed to explode at my touch.
    I suddenly understood what had happened. John had shielded me from the blast with his body. He must have been horribly injured.
    He still held me. Leo was gone. John was dying. Simone was dead. My insides hurt like I was about to burst, but I couldn’t move or make a sound.
    ‘That was the copy of Simone,’ John said. His voice sounded completely normal. He released me. ‘I couldn’t see what it really was until I touched it.’
    I heard him moving but didn’t turn around. ‘It’s okay,’ he said. I glanced at him, expecting his face to be a bloody shredded mass of flesh, but he was fine. ‘I’ve healed myself. I must be whole, because we need to go in there and get Simone out.’
    Leo was gone. John wouldn’t make it. Simone was still held by the demon. We’d lost. We’d lost everything.
    Hold, John said silently, but I didn’t really hear him. I concede. Wait.
    I slid down the wall to sit on the floor. I was very close to losing it. That monster had Simone. I tried to breathe but my throat was thick and my heart was pounding. I couldn’t see for the tears in my eyes. I was going to lose both of them. I was going to lose all of them. No. No !
    ‘Emma. Concentrate. Move your chi into your central dan tian,’ John said.
    I did as he directed, trying to breathe as I did.
    ‘Good. Now move it up the major meridian to the top cauldron.’
    I concentrated.
    ‘Don’t open the gate. Leave the chi there. Do you have it?’
    ‘Yes,’ I said, concentrating, my breath rasping through my dry throat.
    ‘Now. Slowly. Move it all into your Inner Eye. Concentrate. Carefully. If you lose it then immediately drop it and recentre it. You have time. The demons are waiting for us now, they’re not coming in.’
    The world glowed around me.
    ‘Don’t open the Eye. Leave the chi there. Concentrate.’
    I nodded silently.
    ‘Now. Very carefully, move the chi back down and recentre it.’
    I moved the chi and suddenly felt completely relaxed and in control. I was calm and focused and absolutely