Red Phoenix

going to Paris. It’s a long way from the demons’ power centre, so it’s a good place to do it. Mr Chen will be locked up with Kwan Yin, and thethree of us will take Simone sightseeing. I think you’ll enjoy it.’
    ‘Sounds like fun. I’m looking forward to meeting the real Kwan Yin.’
    ‘She’s a wonderful person. She’s very special. You’ll love her when you meet her.’
    ‘Why are we going from Macau, and not Chek Lap Kok?’
    ‘Oh, you’ll like this. We’re going on Mr Chen’s private jet.’
    ‘A private jet! That is so sweet! Wait until I tell my friends about it!’
    ‘Remember, you have to be careful what you tell your friends, Michael. Don’t give anything away, please.’
    ‘Yes, ma’am. Don’t worry on that account. I have to be careful what I tell people, ‘cause no way would they believe the truth.’ He hesitated; he’d obviously thought of something. ‘Will Simone be okay when she starts school? It’s sort of really normal for her; she may say something she shouldn’t.’
    ‘I sincerely hope she’ll be all right. If she gets into trouble I hope you can help her out.’
    He nodded. ‘Yes, ma’am.’
    ‘Anything else?’ He shook his head. ‘Okay, dismissed.’
    Michael went out. I sat and drank the tea. Are you okay? ‘I’m fine.’
    He brushed over my hair. It was like a hand touching me with nobody there. He dropped it onto my shoulder.
    ‘Don’t do that. It’s a waste of your energy and you’re close to empty. Don’t risk it.’
    The touch disappeared. I sipped the tea.
    ‘Are you still there?’
    Yes.
    I sighed.
    It breaks my heart to do this to you.
    ‘I have never been so happy in my entire life.’
    You are a fool, Emma Donahoe.
    ‘So are you, Xuan Wu.’
    It will happen for us.
    ‘I know. I’m okay, you can stop watching me. Guard your energy, stupid turtle.’ Yes, ma’am.
    I sat in the dining room alone for a while after his presence left me.

CHAPTER TEN
    ‘ A nd a Snake Mother came in and said it wanted Leo’s skin,’ Simone said from the back of the car. ‘And he told it to come and get it, and then…’ I couldn’t see her from the driver’s seat, but her voice became breathless. ‘And then Leo pulled its tongue out and killed it.’
    ‘That must have been very scary,’ Charlie said. ‘Leo looks after me. Emma looks after me too. They protect me. I’ll be okay.’
    ‘Of course you will, dear,’ Charlie said. Michael glanced at me from the front passenger seat. ‘I’ll tell you later,’ I said softly. ‘But believe me, you don’t want to know.’
    ‘Michael would probably run if he saw a Mother,’ Simone said.
    ‘That was a very nasty thing to say, Simone, I’m surprised at you,’ I said. ‘Michael’s sworn allegiance, he’s a Retainer, he’d never run. Tell him sorry.’
    ‘Sorry,’ Simone said, sullen.
    Michael snorted with derision and looked out the window.
    ‘It’s so pretty,’ Charlie said, watching the scenery of Hong Kong Island as we travelled down Stubbs Road.Everywhere there was even the tiniest square of flat land, there was a highrise. Kowloon, on the other side of the harbour, was a mass of tall buildings of different sizes and shapes, mostly residential blocks. Hardly anyone lived in a house in Hong Kong; there wasn’t the space.
    ‘But the pollution is bad, isn’t it?’ she went on. ‘You can hardly see the other side of the harbour.’
    ‘When it’s very hot like this, there’s an inversion layer,’ I said. ‘The pollution’s trapped.’
    ‘I see.’
    We came to the bottom of Stubbs Road and topped out over Wong Nai Chung Gap. As we passed the ridge, the scenery of the south side opened up. There were fewer highrises here, less densely packed, with more greenery. Some of the residential blocks were only three or four storeys tall.
    We drove through Shouson Hill, a prestigious enclave of low-rise apartment blocks built around the gently undulating hill, then rounded the curves of the south coast of the island to Deep Water Bay.
    The usual Saturday crowd packed the beach and people filled the water within the shark net. Rubbish floated at the end of the beach; it broke my heart. John could never swim in this water, in his own element. I had an inspiration: I would take him back to Australia when it was warmer there. I could visit my family, and he could swim in the sea. It would do him so much good. And then I realised: my family would see everything. Maybe not such a good