Red Phoenix

idea.’
    ‘You can’t see?’
    ‘Not a thing,’ I said. ‘You’ll have to tell me what I look like later.’
    ‘You don’t want to know.’
    ‘Is it one hundred per cent snake?’ I said, and turned my head under Leo’s hand.
    ‘I wish. That would be a major improvement on what I’m looking at.’
    ‘Do you want me to take a photo, Emma?’ John said.
    ‘No way. I’m handling this now, don’t freak me out.’ I pulled myself together. ‘Whoa, I’m okay. I really am. I feel fine.’ I turned to Leo. ‘Are you okay, Leo, dear Leo?’
    I blindly saw Leo nod. ‘Yes, my Lady.’ John sighed with relief.
    ‘We have things to do,’ I said briskly. ‘Parents to reassure, demons to kill, things like that. How will we get me back again?’
    ‘Can I take my hand off?’ Leo said.
    ‘Sure,’ I said, and his hand moved away.
    ‘I thought you’d be cold and slimy. But you’re warm and dry and rather nice to touch,’ Leo said.
    ‘Most reptiles are,’ John said, across from me. ‘What we will do, Emma, is the Tiger will take his claws out of your head.’
    ‘Ouch,’ I said. ‘That will hurt like hell. You have your claws in my head?’
    ‘Metaphorically speaking,’ the Tiger said. ‘I’m not actually physically touching you at all right now.’
    ‘Still feel the same way, Tiger?’ I said.
    ‘Not so sure now, my Lady,’ the Tiger said. ‘I think it would take a very special sort of guy to love what I’m looking at right now.’
    ‘Good thing I have one then,’ I said, and I felt John nodding. I felt his amused reaction. Then I felt a jolt of shock. ‘Wait! Tiger. Hold. Don’t do it yet.’
    They all hesitated, wondering.
    I turned very carefully to face John. I saw him, still blind.
    On the other side of the table was a Turtle. Its head was fierce and demonic, with a frilled scaly mane around it; like a cross between a lion’s and a dragon’s, but much uglier. Its black shell stretched forever. Its enormous shining dark eyes watched me with amusement. With John’s eyes. I suddenly wanted to weep with joy, but the snake eyes wouldn’t let me. He was the most beautiful and the most horrifying and the most wonderful thing I had ever seen.
    ‘I can see you, John. I can see all of you. My God, but you are ugly. No wonder Simone was scared of you.’ I paused. ‘Simone should see me, John. She needs to understand as well.’
    ‘What we are looking at now is different from what we saw before,’ John said, and the Turtle spoke. The sight took my breath away. ‘What we have now is a halfway point between Emma and the Serpent, artificially forced on you by Bai Hu. It would not be a good idea to show this to Simone. I will talk to her later, and explain.’
    ‘Michael too,’ I said softly.
    The Turtle nodded without speaking. I wanted to smile but I couldn’t. ‘Damn, John, but you are the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.’
    ‘You’re pretty goddamn cute yourself,’ John shot back. The Turtle grinned and I wanted to laugh. ‘Those black scales are incredibly attractive.’
    ‘Cute is not a word I would be using right here and now,’ Leo growled.
    I took a deep breath. It felt very strange to bebreathing through both forms. ‘Okay, Tiger,’ I said firmly, ‘do it.’
    The world exploded into a haze of agony. He ripped my brain out of the top of my head, pulling my eyeballs with it. He tore the skin on my face from my skull.
    And then the pain was gone.
    ‘Open your eyes, Emma,’ Ms Kwan said.
    I opened my eyes and quickly checked myself. Perfectly normal. The Tiger sat next to me on my right. Leo stood between him and me. Ms Kwan sat across from me. John sat on the other side of her. They all watched me with varying degrees of incredulity.
    Leo bent over me, took my hand and kissed me on the cheek. ‘I’m sorry, Emma,’ he whispered.
    I squeezed his hand, then touched his cheek. ‘I love you dearly, Leo, you know I wouldn’t hurt you.’ I looked into his eyes. ‘You were really brave. You are the bravest man I know. I saw what that took.’
    He smiled down at me and his eyes sparkled. ‘Thanks, Emma.’
    ‘You were going to do some other tests? I hope they won’t hurt as much as that.’ I grinned at the Tiger. ‘Those are some serious virtual claws you have there.’
    ‘Can I stay and watch?’ Leo said.
    ‘If Emma doesn’t mind, I don’t,’ John said.
    ‘Of course not.’
    ‘Good.’ John pulled the bowl of water towards him. ‘Watch