Blue Dragon

said, sitting down to a plate piled high with food.
    ‘Can I talk to you privately for a moment, Ms Kwan?’ I said.
    Ms Kwan rose. ‘Come into my room.’
    I followed her. They watched me go, silent.
    ‘Is there a problem, Emma?’ Ms Kwan said, sitting on the end of her bed.
    I sat in one of the wicker chairs. ‘They don’t know about this, and Simone didn’t really understand. Simon Wong tried to control me on the plane when they attacked us.’
    ‘Ah Wu told me that he had no control over you,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘Trust yourself, Emma. You will never hurt them, you know that.’
    ‘That’s not what I’m concerned about,’ I said. ‘It’s something else.’
    ‘What?’ Ms Kwan said gently.
    ‘Wong wanted to test me. To see if he had full control. He took a mouthful of blood and commanded me to kiss him. I did. I swallowed the blood.’
    ‘And that was what brought out the Serpent,’ Ms Kwan said, understanding.
    ‘Ms Kwan,’ I said, bending forward to speak fiercely to her, ‘it was Leo’s blood. A big mouthful of it.’
    ‘I fail to see…’ Ms Kwan began, then her face went rigid. ‘I understand.’
    ‘Can you check me?’ I said.
    ‘No,’ she said. ‘I cannot do it. It is not in my nature.’
    ‘Do you think having the Serpent come out would somehow have cleared it?’
    ‘Emma.’ She sighed. ‘Emma, I have no idea. You should not have done that.’
    ‘Tell me about it.’ I ran my hands through my hair. ‘I didn’t even think at the time.’
    ‘You were probably more concerned with survival,’ she said wryly. ‘Quite understandable.’
    ‘You don’t know?’ I said.
    She silently shook her head.
    ‘Okay.’ I straightened and pulled myself together. ‘Whatever. I’ll have myself tested, and won’t worry about it until then. The important thing is Simone.’
    ‘Either way, when Ah Wu returns, rejoined, he can heal you,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘Remember. He has promised. It will be.’
    I grinned. She was right. ‘Thanks, Ms Kwan.’
    She smiled and rose. ‘Go and finish your breakfast. Simone is becoming impatient. If she does not have a chance to see the whole resort very soon I think she will explode.’
    The Dragon met us at the door of the suite the next morning. He looked similar to the way he had appeared when we had arrived: an ordinary, good-looking Chinese man of about thirty, wearing a pair of smart grey slacks and a silky shirt. His eyes were a milky greenish-brown under his expensive sunglasses.
    ‘You can’t change your eyes all the way?’ I said as we waited for Leo and Simone.
    ‘Too difficult to bother about,’ he said. ‘Nobody looks anyway. As long as my eyes aren’t bright blue, nobody notices.’
    Simone wore her Australian solar swimmers, which were already too small for her. We would have to make a trip down to the resort shop later to buy her some new ones. Leo wore a fluorescent floral Hawaiian print, both shorts and shirt.
    ‘I am not taking you out looking like that,’ the Dragon said.
    ‘Looking like what?’ Leo lisped.
    ‘Flaming.’ I turned and took Simone’s hand. ‘Come on, sweetheart, let’s go and see the islands.’
    Leo made a strangling noise as he followed us down the hallway.
    The Dragon sighed loudly and brought up the rear.
    The marina was right in front of the hotel. It was shiny new and there weren’t many boats moored there.
    ‘It will fill up as more people come in,’ the Dragon said. ‘The condominiums aren’t finished yet. I’m expecting wealthy Malaysians to set up holiday villas here. I have a ship’s chandlery licence but it’s not worth starting business until I have some buyers.’ He turned to me as we walked. ‘You might consider purchasing a condominium after the Dark Lord has gone. Come here for your holidays. School holidays.’
    ‘Yeah!’ Simone said.
    ‘I’ll probably be on the Mountain during the holidays,’ I said. ‘I’ll need to find someone to take me.’
    ‘Won’t be me,’ the Dragon said. ‘Won’t have the time.’
    ‘I don’t expect you to,’ I said.
    ‘Here it is,’ the Dragon said.
    It was a fourteen metre fly bridge cruiser, the Crystal Dragon .
    ‘Is this it?’ I said. ‘It’s awfully small.’
    The Dragon stared at me, astonished. He pointed to a massive fifty metre yacht moored on the other side of the marina. ‘You want to take the big one?’
    ‘That one won’t manoeuvre around the islands, will it?’ I said.
    ‘Nope. This one is better for viewing