Red Phoenix

an Immortal as well, Emma?’
    ‘No, of course I’m not, Jen,’ I said, as kindly as I could. ‘I’m nothing really special at all.’
    John made a soft sound of amusement across the table and I glared at him, then thought better of it and turned back to Jennifer. ‘I’m still just Emma, Jen. I’m just the same person.’
    ‘It never connected, Leonard,’ John said. ‘Emma even told me her sister’s surname was Black, but she didn’t tell me her brother-in-law’s name. It didn’t occur to me that it could be you.’
    ‘That explains it,’ said Leonard, his arm still around the sobbing Jennifer. ‘What a coincidence, eh, Emma? I can’t believe how honoured we are. After you marry, my wife’s own sister will be Dark Empress of the North. Unbelievable.’
    ‘I’m just taking one day at a time, Leonard,’ I said.
    The boys charged out the back door, slamming it behind them. They stopped dead when they saw all of us sitting at the table.
    ‘Ah, here they are, my own two little demonic sons. Please don’t run them through, Emma, they are quite human, I assure you,’ Leonard said.
    Jennifer started to sob more loudly. Leonard squeezed her around the shoulders and spoke softly into her ear. ‘Come on, dear, don’t be like that, it’s a great honour tohave a god in our house. Lord Xuan is about as big as you can get, Jen, and he’s going to marry your own sister.’
    The older boy, Colin, screwed up his face and ran to the swing set, obviously ready to tip Simone off. Michael quickly moved between them.
    Leonard jumped up, leaving Jennifer, and went to the boys. He pulled them aside and hissed angrily at them for some time. The boys scowled at John and Leo, then they looked at me with newfound respect. They both shot their heads around to their father. Then they nodded. They came quietly to the table, cowed.
    While Leonard was up I sat next to Jennifer and put my arm around her. She still sobbed quietly. ‘Come on, Jen, it’s not that bad, it’s really just me.’
    ‘Who is this impressive young man?’ Leonard said, gesturing towards Michael.
    ‘Michael MacLaren. Trainee bodyguard. Son of the White Tiger, the West Wind.’ I waited for it. Yep: Jennifer started sobbing again.
    Leonard glanced at his wife and then obviously decided to leave her to it. He grinned at me as he poured some tea for us. ‘Well, come on, Emma, show the boys. I’m sure they’re dying to see.’
    Jennifer went quiet and watched. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped her eyes. She seemed to be okay, even interested. I nodded to her and smiled. She smiled back slightly.
    ‘Are your neighbours home?’ I asked Leonard, looking around. There was a high fence, but there was a chance somebody next door would see me.
    ‘Do it low and nobody will see you,’ he said. ‘Come on, show us.’
    ‘Go on, Emma, show them,’ John said. ‘Leonard is the only Black who has never been shown energy work, and he deserves to have his chance. I used to make Guy Fawkes night extremely special for the entire firm.’
    ‘I still hear tales, my Lord,’ Leonard said.
    I rose and moved away from the table to make room for the chi. ‘You didn’t just walk into their office off the street a couple of hundred years ago because of the name on the brass plate, did you, John?’
    He didn’t say anything, just grinned.
    ‘Thought so.’
    I generated a small ball of chi, about the size of a tennis ball. I floated it off my hand towards Leonard. ‘Don’t touch it; it will burn you badly if you do.’
    Jennifer froze completely.
    I moved the chi until it was near the boys. They watched it like two little rabbits frozen in headlights. I whizzed it over their heads, then reabsorbed it.
    ‘How much damage can you do with that, Emma?’ Leonard said, fascinated. ‘Can you blow things up with it?’
    I nodded.
    ‘Can you show me? Could you blow up…’ He looked around, ‘…the little statue there?’ He pointed at a concrete cherub holding a bunch of grapes.
    ‘Are you sure?’ I said.
    ‘Don’t you dare touch that. It’s mine !’ Jennifer threw herself up and stormed back into the house.
    ‘Don’t mind her, Emma. She’s always been talking about how great it will be to show her little sister Emma how well she’s living,’ Leonard said. ‘And now she’s found that her little sister Emma will be lording it over her.’
    ‘I don’t want to lord it over anybody,’ I said, and I meant it. ‘I just want to be her