Blue Dragon

anything.
    ‘Okay,’ Wong said, crossing his arms over his chest again. ‘Let’s do this, before the Turtle loses it completely. You.’ He nodded towards John. ‘Kneel, drop your weapon. You.’ He nodded towards me and smiled. ‘Take his weapon, take his head and bring it to me. Then you’ll get the girl.’
    ‘ No !’ Simone wailed, a long drawn-out sound of misery.
    ‘I want to be a hundred per cent sure that it’s her, and I want safe passage out of here,’ I said.
    ‘Even if he guarantees it, his word’s no good, Emma,’ John said. ‘How about this: we go to the roof of Kowloon City Plaza. I’ll give you my head, you go. But I want you to do it; you take the head, not Emma. End of transaction.’
    ‘Inside the yamen building,’ Wong said. ‘The girls can go out from there.’
    ‘Done,’ John said. ‘I’ll have to walk out. I’m too big to carry.’
    ‘Oh, we’ll come with you,’ Wong said. ‘An afternoon stroll with the family.’
    John turned and gestured. ‘After you.’
    Wong grinned and concentrated. An enormous hunting knife appeared in his hand. He grabbed Simone, jerked her towards him and put the knife to her throat. ‘By all means.’ He removed his hand and the knife remained at her throat. ‘Kill me and she dies anyway.’
    ‘I’ve done a deal, I won’t go back on it,’ John said. ‘I am a creature of honour.’
    Wong jerked Simone closer. ‘Come on, little girl,’ he said through his teeth. ‘Let’s go see the creature of honour lose his head.’
    ‘I don’t want you to die, Daddy,’ Simone said as we went back down the tunnels.
    ‘I can’t die, sweetheart,’ John said. ‘Even if he cuts off my head, I’ll just turn into the Turtle and be gone for a while. I’ll be back.’
    ‘And we’ll all have a lot of fun in the meantime,’ Wong said. ‘All of Hell will come out to play.’
    ‘You sure that’s Simone?’ I said.
    ‘Emma, I’m so drained that I can hardly see anything,’ John said. ‘I can’t be sure, but I’m not willing to take the risk.’
    ‘Say something silently,’ I said to Simone.
    ‘I can’t,’ Simone said. ‘He can somehow block me.’
    I opened my Inner Eye and turned it on her.
    ‘It’s me , Emma,’ she said.
    ‘Is it?’ John said softly.
    I asked the stone.
    It’s her.
    I hesitated.
    Yes, of course I’m sure! It’s really her. I had the copy picked immediately. I would know if it wasn’t her!
    ‘What’s the word, Simone?’ I said.
    ‘I say “cool” too much,’ Simone said.
    ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘It’s her.’
    ‘Shut up. All of you. All I want is the head.’
    We went up the stairs and through the floor into the yamen building. A hot humid breeze blew in from the open doors. The park and the glowing clouds of the Hong Kong night sky were visible through the doorway.
    So close.
    ‘Where’s Leo?’ Simone said.
    ‘Emma will explain after you’re out of here,’ John said.
    ‘He’s dead, isn’t he,’ Simone said.
    ‘No, sweetheart, he’s not dead,’ I said. ‘I’ll explain it all later.’
    ‘Now,’ Wong said. ‘Let’s get this head.’ He gestured to John, still holding Simone with his other hand. ‘Kneel and put your sword on the ground.’
    John stood watching Wong expressionlessly. Then he fell to his knees and lowered his head, his hair falling like a dark curtain around his face. He pulled his sword from its scabbard and placed it on the floor in front of him.
    Wong gestured to me, still holding Simone. ‘Bring me the sword.’
    I moved to John and crouched next to him. Then I had a sudden inspiration. I grabbed his head, turned it towards me and planted my mouth on his.
    John pushed me away and I fell. I threw myself up and tried to go back to him, but I couldn’t move. John didn’t have enough energy left to bind me, so it had to be Wong.
    Simone shrieked, and then sobbed. Wong had sliced her with the knife, not deep enough to kill, but deep enough to hurt her. Blood ran down the side of her throat. Without shifting the blade of the knife, Wong lifted his other hand to her throat and collected her blood on his index finger. He shoved it into his mouth. He pulled his finger out and smiled at me, the blood still on his teeth.
    ‘The little ones are always so much sweeter, don’t you think? You’d better hurry up and get me that sword, because she does taste very, very sweet.’
    He released me and I completely lost it. The Snake came out.
    Wong didn’t move.
    I generated