Blue Dragon

said. ‘This resort is thoroughly sealed; no untamed demons in or out.’
    ‘It will have to wait until we’re home then,’ John said. ‘Fascinating. You never cease to amaze me, Emma. The Celestial Masters will all want to see this.’
    ‘Is it demon essence, stone?’ I said, trying to control my voice.
    ‘Nope,’ the stone said. ‘It’s definitely black chi. Never heard of it before. Must contact the Hall of Records, Turtle, there may have been other instances.’
    ‘Good idea,’ John said.
    ‘Change it back to gold,’ the stone said.
    I concentrated, and the chi returned to its usual golden colour. I didn’t feel the colour change.
    ‘Why could I do that?’ I whispered.
    ‘Because you are what you are,’ John said.
    ‘And what am I?’
    ‘You are my Lady. Now,’ John said, more briskly, ‘try moving shen into the chi. Try.’
    I concentrated. I left the chi on my hands, moved my awareness to my upper dan tian, found my shen and carefully moved a tiny amount into the chi. The feeling hit me. Part of my awareness was inside the chi; it was as if my Inner Eye had moved into it. I saw my surroundings from two distinctly separate angles.
    ‘Now try moving the chi off your hands, only a short distance,’ John said.
    I moved the chi off my hands, as he said, and floated it closer to Simone. I saw two images of her: one through my physical eyes and another through my chi.
    ‘Oh my God, this feels so good,’ I whispered. I tried something; I moved the chi higher. Nothing happened, so I carefully moved it level with the treetops. I could see the horizon through my chi. A huge thunderstorm had gathered out to sea; the lightning flashed inside it.
    I pulled the chi back down to me and absorbed it. ‘Michael should quickly try, and then we should all hurry back to the resort,’ I said. ‘It’ll rain cats and dogs in about twenty minutes.’
    ‘Sooner than that,’ John said. ‘Try, Michael, but don’t hurry; you have all the time in the world. You should be able to master the skill easily. If you’re not too drained, Emma, go to one side and practise generating that black chi. I’d like to experiment with it when we return home.’
    ‘Permission to take a look at the black chi,’ the Dragon said. He was still in True Form. ‘It is fascinating.’
    ‘Good idea,’ John said. ‘Emma, go to the side, make some and let the Dragon see.’
    ‘He can have a look inside me at the same time,’ I said.
    ‘That is not necessary; we have seen all we need to,’ John said.
    ‘I want him to,’ I said.
    ‘No need, Emma,’ John said gently.
    ‘If the Dark Lord objects then I have no option,’ the Dragon said. ‘I won’t go against his wishes.’
    ‘I’m doing it anyway,’ I said. ‘Come on, Dragon, let’s have a look inside this unusually snaky female who can generate black chi.’
    The Dragon didn’t move.
    ‘Come on,’ I said, waving him forward. ‘Tell him.’
    ‘Let her,’ John said with resignation. ‘If that is what she wishes, then I really have no choice.’
    The Dragon shook his enormous turquoise head and followed me.
    ‘Look at the black chi now,’ John called to us. ‘Look inside Emma later, back at the resort. That storm will be here soon and you don’t have time.’
    ‘The Dragon can move it away for us,’ I said.
    ‘I will keep you dry if we are caught in the storm, but I will not tamper with the forces of nature unless it is absolutely necessary,’ the Dragon said.
    ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘I understand.’
    The Dragon returned to his preferred human form: turquoise hair, silken grey robe, serene long face. ‘Generate the black chi.’
    I held my hands out and put some chi into them, then turned it black. It was easy.
    ‘Not difficult?’ the Dragon said, his bright blue eyes focusing on the chi.
    ‘Can he touch it?’ I said.
    ‘Yes,’ the stone said. ‘Such a small amount should be all right for a powerful Shen such as he, at full strength.’
    ‘That stone is quite useful,’ the Dragon said, raising his hand to the energy. ‘Let me see.’ He held his hand above the energy and concentrated. His long turquoise hair floated around his head. He very slowly lowered his hand until it was just above the chi. ‘Fascinating.’ He quickly dipped his hand in and out of the chi. ‘Remarkable.’
    ‘Well?’ I said.
    ‘You can release it now. Michael has finished. We should return,’ the Dragon said.
    ‘And?’
    ‘To inspection, to touch, to feel,