Red Phoenix

said. ‘But why is she a snake?’
    ‘Nobody knows,’ he said. ‘It might be because I’m a snake too.’
    Simone was silent. Then she pulled herself upright, her little arms around his neck, and smiled into his face. ‘We’ll all be just fine, you know that?’
    He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed both of us. ‘Yes, we will.’
    Simone dropped her head back onto his chest and sighed. ‘We’re all going to be just fine.’

Epilogue
    The Serpent woke.
    It raised its head from the silky
soft mud, then slithered forward,
leaving an elegant trail.
    It threw itself up into the
freezing black water and whipped
towards the surface.
    It cried. There was no answer.

Glossary
A NOTE ON LANGUAGE
    The Chinese language is divided by a number of different dialects and this has been reflected throughout my story. The main dialect spoken in Hong Kong is Cantonese, and many of the terms I’ve used are in Cantonese. The main method for transcribing Cantonese into English is the Yale system, which I have hardly used at all in this book, preferring to use a simpler phonetic method for spelling the Cantonese. Apologies to purists, but I’ve chosen ease of readability over phonetic correctness.
    The dialect mainly spoken on the Mainland of China is Putonghua (also called Mandarin Chinese), which was originally the dialect used in the north of China but has spread to become the standard tongue. Putonghua has a strict and useful set of transcription rules called pinyin, which I’ve used throughout for Putonghua terms. As a rough guide to pronunciation, the ‘Q’ in pinyin is pronounced ‘ch’, the ‘X’ is ‘sh’ and the ‘Zh’ is a softer ‘ch’ than the ‘Q’ sound. Xuan Wu is therefore pronounced ‘Shwan Wu’.
    I’ve spelt chi with the ‘ch’ throughout the book, even though in pinyin it is qi, purely to aid in readability.Qing Long and Zhu Que I have spelt in pinyin to assist anybody who’d like to look into these interesting deities further.
    Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter: A harbour on the south side of Hong Kong Island that is home to a large number of small and large fishing boats. Some of the boats are permanently moored there and are residences.
    Admiralty: The first station after the MTR train has come through the tunnel onto Hong Kong Island from Kowloon, and a major traffic interchange.
    Ancestral tablet: A tablet inscribed with the name of the deceased, which is kept in a temple or at the residence of the person’s descendants and occasionally provided with incense and offerings to appease the spirit.
    Anime (Japanese): Animation; can vary from cute children’s shows to violent horror stories for adults, and everything in between.
    Bai Hu (Putonghua): The White Tiger of the West. Bo: Weapon—staff.
    Bo lei: A very dark and pungent Chinese tea, often drunk with yum cha to help digest the sometimes heavy and rich food served there.
    Bu keqi (Putonghua) pronounced, roughly, ‘bu kerchi’: ‘You’re welcome.’
    Buddhism: The system of beliefs that life is an endless journey through reincarnation until a state of perfect detachment or Nirvana is reached.
    Cantonese: The dialect of Chinese spoken mainly in the south of China and used extensively in Hong Kong. Although in written form it is nearly identical to Putonghua, when spoken it is almost unintelligible to Putonghua speakers.
    Causeway Bay: Large shopping and office district on Hong Kong Island. Most of the Island’s residents seem to head there on Sunday for shopping.
    Central: The main business district in Hong Kong, on the waterfront on Hong Kong Island.
    Central Committee: Main governing body of Mainland China.
    Cha siu bow: Dim sum served at yum cha; a steamed bread bun containing barbecued pork and gravy in the centre.
    Chek Lap Kok: Hong Kong’s new airport on a large swathe of reclaimed land north of Lantau Island.
    Cheongsam (Cantonese): Traditional Chinese dress, with a mandarin collar, usually closed with toggles and loops, and with splits up the sides.
    Cheung Chau: Small dumbbell-shaped island off the coast of Hong Kong Island, about an hour away by ferry.
    Chi : Energy. The literal meaning is ‘gas’ or ‘breath’ but in martial arts terms it describes the energy (or breath) of life that exists in all living things.
    Chi gong (Cantonese): Literally, ‘energy work’. A series of movements expressly designed for manipulation of chi.
    Chinese New Year: The Chinese calendar is lunar, and New Year falls at a