Blue Dragon

remember anything—her marriage or her pregnancy. She told me her family were all killed in a car accident in Australia, and Kitty is looking after her.’
    Louise straightened. ‘Okay, Superwoman, go in and get her and her baby out.’
    ‘I wish I could,’ I moaned. ‘But I have no idea where she is, and nobody else does either. All we know is that she’s in Causeway Bay somewhere.’
    ‘What about Xuan Wu?’
    ‘He won’t leave Simone,’ I said. ‘And neither will I.’
    ‘That makes sense.’ Louise smiled. ‘I’ll talk to Tigger about it. See if we can’t send some Horsemen in and get April out.’
    ‘I doubt very much that the Tiger will send his sons to certain death,’ I said. ‘That demon is incredibly powerful, and it would be on his own turf.’
    Ah Yat appeared in the corner with the video camera and Louise jumped. ‘I still have to get used to that,’ she said.
    Ah Yat handed me the video camera, and I set it up to record, then passed it to Louise. ‘What were those questions you wanted to ask me?’
    ‘We will get April out, Emma,’ Louise said as she pressed the button. ‘Now, generate some black chi first—that was great.’
    I sighed and put my hands out.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
    I taught a first-year energy-work class straight after lunch. Everybody froze when Monique managed to generate chi.
    ‘Hold it carefully, Monique,’ I said softly, moving the other students away so that I could sit in front of her. ‘Concentrate. Everybody else, to one side, silence. Don’t move.’
    Monique’s face was a mask of concentration. She hadn’t generated much chi, only about a golf ball’s worth, but it was an achievement for someone from a Western background to be able to do it at all. Her mother had studied in China and learned Tai Chi and had taught Monique from an early age.
    ‘Do you have it?’ I said.
    She didn’t say anything. Her face was rigid, her green eyes very dark from her dilated pupils. Her brown hair drifted slightly with the static from the energy.
    I put my hand on her arm to supervise: she had it.
    ‘Very well done,’ I said softly. ‘Now, you know what to do. Slowly and carefully, let it drop.’
    Her face stiffened as she prepared to let go of the energy.
    My mobile phone rang.
    The chi rocketed back into her hands, her eyes rolled up and she collapsed.
    ‘Damn!’ I said, catching her. ‘Anybody here her roommate?’
    A black girl stepped forward: Sofie, from Ghana. ‘Me, ma’am.’
    My phone was still ringing but I ignored it.
    ‘Okay, Sofie. Take Monique down to the infirmary, lie her down and let her rest. She’ll be fine.’
    I pulled my phone out clumsily, still holding Monique, and checked the screen. Leo. I pressed the ‘reject’ button.
    ‘Brad, Joe, help Sofie to carry Monique. I’ll be down shortly.’
    ‘Ma’am,’ the three of them said. Brad was a huge black kid and he gently lifted Monique, the young Cambodian, Joe, helping him. Sofie hovered, concerned.
    I pulled myself to my feet. ‘She’ll be fine, guys. I’ll come down to the infirmary and apologise personally, on behalf of Leo , later.’
    They all grinned and nodded, and Brad carried the unconscious Monique out. The other students stood frozen with wonder.
    ‘Well, she did it. When will you guys manage it?’ I said cheerfully. ‘Go and take a break. I’ll see what Leo wants.’
    The students filed out, chatting.
    I pulled the phone out and called Leo back.
    ‘One of my energy students had just generated her first chi when the phone rang,’ I said.
    ‘Why didn’t you switch it off then?’ Leo shot back.
    I hesitated. ‘You know why.’
    He was silent as he understood. Then his voice returned, more brisk. ‘I need your help down in my office. You’re really gonna love this. One of the new students has a major problem with his roommate at the New Folly.’
    ‘On my way,’ I said and snapped the phone shut.
    I passed the tea urn on the way to the lift. ‘Be right back, guys,’ I called to the students clustered around the tea table. ‘I expect all of you to be able to generate chi the size of a basketball when I come back.’
    ‘Yes, ma’am,’ the students said in unison, grinning.
    Leo’s office door was shut. I tapped on it and went in.
    Leo’s desk was free of paperwork; he didn’t have much to do with the administration side of things. The room was more of a bolt hole for him. The bookshelf held an extensive library of martial arts books and videos,