Red Phoenix

quickly moved into position, a V-shape, with John at the top and the children behind us.
    The insects hesitated.
    ‘I will spare you if you turn,’ John said loudly.
    They attacked.
    A spider came at me. All I saw were fangs and big black hairy legs; it towered over me. It lowered its head to bite me, its enormous fangs extended and dripping venom.
    I ducked and shot through underneath it, ripping its abdomen open as I went between its legs. I spun to face it as it turned. It didn’t seem to notice that its insides were hanging out. I ducked through again, this time diagonally, and took off a couple of legs as I went. It spun more clumsily with fewer legs. It reared up on its hind legs, and the disgusting stuff hanging from its open abdomen smeared on the ground.
    It fell sideways, twitched, and curled up. It dissolved into a puddle of revolting brown goo that dissipated quickly. One.
    Next was a cockroach. I hated these things: their shells were a good two centimetres thick and almost impossible to crack. Its razor-sharp mouthparts quivered, bubbling with venom. I ducked beneath its head, and its mouth just missed me on the way through. I shoved my sword up into the soft shell of the joint between its leg and its abdomen, then loaded the sword with chi and sent it right into the monster, frying it from the inside out.
    The smell was indescribable. Good thing I hadn’t had too much for lunch. I ducked out from underneath it before it fell. It dropped vertically and didn’t move, then exploded into black feathery streamers. Two.
    Another spider. I tried to move around the side to take its legs off, but it spun and quickly followed me. The venom dripped off its fangs and bubbled where it hit the ground. Its face grew an expression of insectile shock: Michael was cutting its legs off at the other end. The spider spun to face him, and as it did I took more legs off. When it was facing Michael and had its backto me I jumped onto its back and rammed my sword right into the top of its head, through the middle of its circle of eyes.
    It crashed vertically. I leapt off. It dissolved. Three.
    ‘Well done, Michael,’ I said.
    ‘Behind you!’ he shouted.
    I leapt sideways and the spray of venom missed me. I somersaulted backwards and landed on the beetle’s back. I ran my sword into the gap between its wing cases and sent a blast of chi into it. Its wing cases flew open, throwing me off without my sword. I landed lightly near its head. It didn’t move, it just watched me. Then its head fell off, it folded up sideways and dissolved. My sword fell to the ground and I collected it. Four.
    Only two remained. John was having some fun with a spider; he moved so fast he was a blur. He was taking pieces of leg off one at a time, quite evenly, so that the spider was still able to walk. It grew shorter and shorter.
    ‘Finish it, you silly old man!’ I shouted.
    He grinned over his shoulder, flashed over it in a huge somersaulting leap, and cut it completely in two from above.
    Liu ran his staff through the last one’s head and it dissolved. None left.
    We regrouped. I was the only one panting; the rest of them just grinned at each other. Blasted Immortals, they were having a good time and I was fighting for my life. I grinned too. Damn, but this was fun.
    We checked Simone and Michael. They were fine. Simone wasn’t fazed by the insects; she didn’t seem to be frightened by any demons except Wong.
    ‘Again, Jade,’ John said. ‘Anyone poisoned?’
    Everybody shook their heads as the warm shower washed us clean.
    John smiled at me. ‘Well done.’
    ‘I hate those things.’
    The warm wind dried us off.
    His smile froze. All of them froze.
    ‘Move Simone and Michael over near the wall and stay there with them,’ he said, his eyes unseeing. ‘This is it.’
    ‘Is it him?’
    ‘Believe it or not,’ he said, his face expressionless, ‘it isn’t him at all.’ He gestured. ‘Go.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
    T he noise of the traffic outside stopped. There was complete silence. Once again there was the silent rush of sound and a huge vibration.
    All the Immortals turned as one to face the entrance to the alley.
    The sound of traditional Chinese music came from the end of the alley. Someone was playing pipes, and there was a drum and a gong. Marching feet, and a wet slithering sound. I’d heard that sound before, and a chill went through me as I remembered. A Snake Mother.
    A small band of very low-level demons came