Red Phoenix

briskly, ‘we only have a limited time, let’s have you doing this. Adding energy. Focus on the three dan tian. You will need to lift the energy and raise all three of them at the same time. That will raise the rest of you. You need to be moving already, with good momentum, otherwise you won’t be able to pull it off.’
    ‘Will I injure myself if I fail?’ I said.
    He understood; I wasn’t talking about hitting the ground. ‘If you fail spectacularly you may explode,’ he said cheerfully, and Jennifer gasped. ‘But I don’t think you are that much of a novice. You have good control. You should be able to pull it off. If you lose control of the energy centres, then just let go and fall off, and recentre them. Try to run up the wall, using the energy centres to pull you. Got it?’
    I nodded. I faced the wall and concentrated. This was extremely difficult. I needed to have enough physical momentum and focus on moving the energy centres at the same time.
    ‘Try running halfway up and then letting go,’ John said. ‘We really need to find a place in Hong Kong where the Disciples can practise these skills. There’s not a single place I can think of where we can do it.’
    ‘Field trips to Guangzhou,’ I said, still concentrating.
    ‘Good idea,’ he said. ‘Getting there?’
    I nodded. I just about had it. I focused. I went very still as I concentrated.
    Then I launched myself at the wall as fast as I could. My feet hit the wall very hard. I used the momentum to push me the first few steps, then grabbed my energy centres and lifted them.
    ‘Evenly,’ John called, and I heard him, but he didn’t need to tell me. If I did it unevenly I would become unbalanced and lose control of my energy. All threetypes. The results could be disastrous if they all moved around too much at once.
    The energy centres moved and lifted me from the inside out. It was spectacularly euphoric; I was carried from the inside by my own energy. I managed a couple more steps up the wall, lifted by the energy.
    The energy began to get away from me, so I immediately dropped it. I let go of all the energy centres, centred the energy, and fell off the wall. The ground spun to meet me. Jade caught me in mid-air.
    ‘Well done, my Lady,’ Jade said quietly as she tipped me back onto my feet.
    ‘Thanks, Jade.’
    John shrugged. ‘You have it. You just need to practise the skill now. See if you can have yourself on the roof before Gold’s charm wears off.’ He returned to the table. ‘Come and sit and watch, Leonard, Jennifer. This should be fun.’
    ‘Would you like a beer, my Lord?’ Leonard said.
    ‘Off the hard stuff right now, Leonard, but if you have some tea that would be tremendous,’ John said, falling into a very English accent.
    ‘You sound like my ring,’ I said as I leaned forward and concentrated on the wall, readying myself.
    ‘Heaven forbid,’ John said.
    ‘Ewe wan may tah sun Strine?’ the stone said.
    Both Jennifer and I laughed.
    ‘I do not sound like that,’ I huffed.
    ‘Who said that anyway?’ Jennifer was still giggling. ‘That was the worst fake Australian accent I’ve heard in ages, and you definitely find some here in England.’
    ‘You will be in serious trouble with the Grandmother of All the Rocks if she hears you sound like that, Dad,’ Gold said.
    I gestured behind me without turning. ‘I’m busy. Explain for them.’ I concentrated on the wall. Then Istopped and straightened. ‘Who’s the Grandmother of All the Rocks?’ I understood. ‘Uluru. Of course.’ I readied myself and concentrated.
    ‘Remember the stone I put on the table, then Leo put on the grass?’ John said as I focused on the wall and ignored them.
    ‘Emma said it was your lawyer in Hong Kong,’ Jennifer said.
    I launched myself at the wall. I took three huge strides, then lifted myself with the energy. I managed another four strides up the house before I lost it. Jade plucked me out of the air and lowered me gently.
    I concentrated on centring the energy.
    ‘Good,’ John called. ‘You should be on the roof next one.’ His voice went quieter. ‘Anyway, the stone in the ring woke up, and it’s been sending Emma berserk with its cryptic comments since then. And it has an English accent that drives her nuts.’ His voice changed slightly. ‘Couldn’t have thought of a better gift.’
    He would definitely keep. When I was able to touch him again, I really would beat the living crap out of him. I faced the